The United States is anticipated to experience a severe winter storm during the holiday season.
The Plains, Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, Northeast, and some interior areas of the mid-Atlantic are expected to experience heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions between Wednesday and Friday evening as a result of a massive storm that is forecast to intensify into a cyclone, according to the Washington Post.
More than 110 million Americans are anticipated to travel during this winter storm, whether they do it by land or air.
Strong winds are predicted to cause a significant number of delays and cancellations for airports in the eastern United States. According to The Washington Post, there may be power disruptions as a result of the severe winds.
Significant travel disruptions are anticipated at major airports in the Midwest, and Great Lakes, including Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
The worst weather is anticipated late Thursday into Friday.
According to CNN, the National Weather Service has issued a warning about a severe snowstorm that will likely affect Chicago the hardest.
Several airlines, including United Airlines, American Airlines, and Southwest Airlines, have been developing waiver plans in anticipation of that.
In December, charge variations and fare discrepancies may be waived or reduced for rebookings and other transactions.
According to CNN, United Airlines is issuing four different winter weather waivers, including ones for the Midwest, Texas, the East Coast, and the central and northwest United States.
A “Rocky Mountain and Midwest Winter Weather” waiver has been issued by Southwest Airlines, and American Airlines has issued a waiver for travel into, out of, and through around 30 Midwest airports as well as a waiver for more than a dozen Northeast sites.
As of Tuesday morning, several airlines such as JetBlue, Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, and Spirit Airlines had also given waivers in anticipation of the severe storms.
Winter storm warnings are in effect for around 50 million Americans. The approaching storm is anticipated to intensify rapidly, potentially meeting the criteria for a “bomb cyclone,” which is a very powerful type of mid-latitude storm. It is anticipated to be a serious incident.
In several places, this storm may bring the coldest Christmas since 1989.
