The mercury plummeted 30 degrees in 10 minutes in Wyoming’s capital Wednesday, and Southeast governors declared states of emergency as much of the U.S. grapples with a historic winter storm.
The temperature in Cheyenne dropped 43 degrees in one hour — a record — on Wednesday, while Denver International Airport saw its biggest one-hour drop, 37 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency before the temperatures plummet into the teens and roads ice over this week.
“Communities across the state are about to see temperatures that they haven’t experienced in a decade or more,” Mr. Kemp said.
Oklahoma Gov. J. Kevin Stitt and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear also declared states of emergency in response to the sprawling weather system slamming the U.S. before Christmas.
“A major and anomalous storm system is forecast to produce a multitude of weather hazards through early this weekend, as heavy snowfall, strong winds, and dangerously cold temperatures span from the northern Great Basin through the Plains, Upper Midwest, Great Lakes and the northern/central Appalachians,” the NWS said in a forecast discussion.
The storm is scrambling travel plans ahead of the holiday.
Highways patrols in Wyoming and Colorado reported hundreds of calls for help due to poor visibility on the roads and over 1,000 flights have been canceled across the U.S., according to CNN.
A crippling low-pressure system, or “bomb cyclone,” will bring heavy snowfall to the Great Lakes alongside wind gusts of over 50 mph, resulting in near-zero visibility and drifting snow.
“This will lead to dangerous, to at times impossible, land and air travel leading up to the holiday weekend,” the NWS said.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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