Bitter cold, travel nightmares continue on Christmas Eve as deadly bomb cyclone enters final chapter
A major winter storm that brought blizzard conditions to multiple states and knocked out power to over 1 million customers is still wreaking havoc this Christmas Eve.
As the storm heads into Canada, the lake-effect snow will take over Saturday. Strong winds within the lake bands continue to cause blizzard conditions in western New York and Michigan as Winter Storm and Blizzard Warnings are scattered across the region.
Subfreezing temperatures have reached as far south as the Gulf Coast as Freeze Warnings blanket the southern part of the country. Some locations as far south as central Florida are even feeling their coldest wintertime temperatures in several years.
RECORD-BREAKING COLD, LIFE-THREATENING WIND CHILLS PLUNGE 150 MILLION AMERICANS INTO DEEP FREEZE
Tracking cold air (FOX Weather)
Dangerously cold temperatures will now spread into the Great Lakes and Northeast for Christmas weekend, freezing areas in the wake of a crippling winter storm. Saturday and Sunday will be the coldest days along the Eastern Seaboard down the Southeast.
Temperatures will begin to warm gradually starting Monday with most of the country returning to above-average temperatures by the middle of the week.
WHITE CHRISTMAS FORECAST: BLIZZARD TO LEAVE MUCH OF NATION COVERED IN SNOW FOR HOLIDAY WEEKEND
It isn't just this arctic blast causing a holiday disaster. Multiple feet of snow have jeopardized Christmas travel plans for the once 150 million Americans under some winter weather alert.
The Christmas week storm also proved deadly, with as many as 16 deaths reported due to the combination of dangerous driving conditions and frigid temperatures.
At least four people were killed after a massive pile-up in Ohio on Friday. It happened along eastbound Interstate 80 between Route 53 and State Route 4 in Sandusky County. At least 46 cars were involved.
The snow event is far from over on Saturday for parts of the Great Lakes.
A member of the media battles snow and ice as Lake Erie waters wash over the shoreline on December 23, 2022 in Hamburg, New York. The Buffalo suburb and surrounding area are expecting wind gusts over 70 miles per hour battering homes and businesses t
Intense low pressure, which became a bomb cyclone early Friday, will continue to produce strong winds and lake-effect snow from the Great Lakes to the Northeast, weakening by Christmas evening.
The strong winds and snow would continue to produce blizzard conditions with visibility as low as a few hundred feet.
The FOX Forecast Center said snowfall rates would sometimes exceed 2 inches an hour. More than 2-4 feet of snow is likely across much of Michigan and western New York. It will not be surprising if some locations near Buffalo and Watertown, New York, pick up 5-6 feet.
Wind gusts, which have been as high as 75 mph in Ohio and New York, will continue to be gusty as high as 40-plus mph all across the Midwest and Northeast on Saturday. Gusts will continue in the 50-70 mph range along and near the Great Lakes.
These winds atop existing snow cover will produce ground blizzards. The gusty winds will also continue to result in damage and power outages.
Wind gusts that were tropical storm force and even hurricane force in some areas knocked power out to more than 1.4 million customers from Texas to Maine this week, with a separate ice storm causing outages in the Pacific Northwest.
The strong wind will produce an increased danger if power outages occur. In addition, the cold's danger will increase if any power outages occur due to the widespread gusty winds around the winter storm system.
WINTER BREAK ON HORIZON: US TO SEE SIGNIFICANTLY WARMER TEMPS FOLLOWING FRIGID CHRISTMAS BLIZZARD
The lake-effect snow will finally begin to wind down on Christmas evening, and only a few lingering snow showers will remain Monday.
LINK: Get updates and more on the winter storm at foxweather.com.