Historic bomb cyclone could affect Thanksgiving travel

Travel along Interstate 70 was shut down earlier this morning after a series of crashes.

Photos from the crashes show snow piling up on the wrecked vehicles.

Although eastbound traffic on Interstate 70 has since reopened, westbound traffic along the major thoroughfare continues to be closed.

It’s snowing across Colorado, and the inches are starting to pile up.

A recording site in east northeast Red Feather Lakes in Larimer County has had the most snowfall so far, with 32 inches, according to the National Weather Service. One in southwest Pinewood Springs in Boulder County has recorded 31.7 inches.

Meanwhile, the Denver airport has gotten 7 inches. You can see all the totals here.

AAA says that 49.3 million Americans are going to pack into their vehicles this Thanksgiving and hit the road.

Before you do, here are some tips to make sure your drive is as stress-free as possible.

A potential historic low-pressure system is gaining strength over the Pacific.  

“This low pressure system will likely undergo bombogenesis” this afternoon, according to the National Weather Service Weather Predictions Center. 

Bombogenesis is when a storm plummets 24 millibars – how pressure is measured – in 24 hours.

This storm will not only earn the term “bomb cyclone,” but forecasters at the NWS are saying that it will drop low enough to break record books for areas where it comes ashore tonight.

Over open water, the storm will be a strong as a hurricane (74 mph+ winds), by the time it moves into Northern California and Oregon, it will weaken slightly. 

But the storm will still deliver near hurricane-force winds and will have even stronger gusts. 

Flying can be a stressful travel experience by itself. Holiday air travel, compounded with bad weather, can make it just about unbearable.

Here’s some tips to keep in mind before you head to the airport.

Check your flight status. 

Even if it’s sunny at home, your aircraft could be coming from a city that is experiencing bad weather. Make sure to sign up for flight status alerts and download your mobile boarding pass before you get to the airport.

Load up on apps. 

Most airlines, many airports and the TSA all have apps you can use to check on flying conditions, aircraft status and even food for sale.

Some airlines even let you rebook on their apps. So if your flight gets cancelled, you may be able to bypass long lines at ticket counters and hold times on the phone.

Get to the airport early. 

Sometimes getting to the airport is worse than the flight, especially in bad weather. If you clear the lines to check your bags and clear security early, there’s more time to read or play with electronics, do yoga or talk to your traveling companions.

Check TSA requirements in advance. 

Figure out what you can carry on and what has to be packed in checked luggage. It’s all listed online at TSA.gov.

Pack your jellies. 

Eggnog, maple syrup, preserves and jellies need to go into checked bags. (With a checked bag, you can pack ALL of your crazy sweaters.)

Pack snacks. 

The lines at your favorite airport eatery are going to be long, so have some snacks ready to eat, especially if you’re facing a super-long TSA line.

Prepare your kids. 

That could mean bringing enough diapers, snacks and wipes or having enough shows loaded up on electronic devices to keep them busy.

Have a disability? 

Call TSA. Travelers with disabilities or medical conditions and their families can call the TSA Cares helpline toll free at 855-787-2227 at least 72 hours prior to flying to ask questions about screening policies and get assistance at checkpoints.

What else do you need? 

Noise-cancelling headphones, a sleep pillow and a charged battery for your gadgets? Bring them all.

Stay chill. 

No amount of yelling at gate agents or flight attendants gets you from Point A to Point B any faster. In fact, being kind to airport and airline employees creates good will and might get you a better seat. (It sure helps with karma.)

With snow blanketing the state, some state and local government offices are shutting down for the day.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis says government offices in Denver, Boulder, Greeley, Fort Collins are closed.

Video from the City of Arvada, Colorado shows why they, too, closed their city offices today. There’s a car buried in snow.

WATCH:

Some 31.6 million passengers are expected to travel this Thanksgiving by plane, according to an Airlines for America forecast. And some of those will be doing it as a bomb cyclone bears down on a large part of the US.

Wednesday, November 27 is expected to be the second busiest day of flying. Sunday, December 1 is expected to be the busiest ever in the US.

Even more are expected to travel by car; AAA expects 49.3 million Americans. That’s the most since 2005.

Almost 500 flights at Denver International Airport have been already canceled. But crews are still working to keep the airport open for flights.

More than 7 inches of snow has already been dumped at the airport.

WATCH:

Wyoming has shutdown a massive stretch of Interstate 80 because of winter conditions and crashes.

More than 200 miles of the roadway — from Exit 111 to Exit 359 — is closed, the state’s department of transportation said. The agency estimates that Interstate 80 to reopen in about 9 to 11 hours.

Millions of Thanksgiving travelers in the US will get walloped this week by several storms, including a dangerous system threatening parts of the West Coast.

From California to Michigan, more than 20 million people are under winter weather advisories, watches or warnings, CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said. And we’re still 25 days from the official start of winter.

A “historic” storm is heading towards southwest Oregon and northwest California Tuesday and Wednesday, the National Weather Service said. The storm is forecast to rival the strength of a Category 1 hurricane and pack wind gusts up to 74 mph, CNN meteorologist Judson Jones said.

Read more about this here.