Major US routes on the east coast face disruption due to ‘bomb’ cyclone threat

Major air routes along the eastern coast of the United States have been disrupted as a powerful winter storm, which may develop into a “bomb” cyclone, caused widespread flight cancellations and delays across key cities.

More than 4,700 flights were cancelled across the US on Monday, while nearly 12,000 were delayed, according to FlightAware. Major airport hubs including New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Charlotte reported significant disruption, affecting travel across some of the busiest routes in the country.

The disruption is linked to a large storm system bringing heavy snow, strong winds and severe weather across multiple regions. Michigan’s Upper Peninsula recorded snowfall measured in feet, while wind gusts in the Mid-Atlantic reached up to 70 miles (113 kilometers) per hour. The National Weather Service issued tornado watches from New Jersey to Florida, covering cities such as Philadelphia and Trenton.


Forecasters said the storm’s central pressure may drop rapidly enough to qualify as a “bomb cyclone.” This classification applies when pressure falls by about 24 millibars within 24 hours, leading to rapid intensification.

In Washington DC, authorities closed public schools two hours early on Monday and cancelled all afternoon and evening activities due to the weather.

The storm has also disrupted power supply across a wide region. Data from PowerOutage.com showed that hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses, from Texas to the East Coast, were without electricity.

Heavy snowfall of 20 inches or more affected areas from South Dakota to Michigan. Strong winds knocked down trees and power lines from Maine to Texas, adding to the disruption.

Conditions are expected to improve after the storm passes. However, forecasters said the focus will shift to rising temperatures in other parts of the country. Peyton Simmers, a meteorologist at AccuWeather, said the next major risk will be record heat in California and southwestern cities such as Phoenix.

The US Weather Prediction Center said around 465 daily high temperature records could be broken or tied, mainly in western regions, through next weekend.

Meanwhile, Hawaii is facing heavy rainfall and flooding. Although a major storm affecting the islands has weakened, a deep plume of moisture continues to bring rain. Brian Hurley, a senior branch forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Center, said more rainfall is expected in the region.