Bomb Cyclone Could Impact Illinois Travelers

A fierce weather system meteorologists are calling a "bomb cyclone" has one airline warning travelers that flights to and from several cities could be cancelled or delayed Wednesday and Thursday as the storm makes its way up the eastern seaboard from Florida to Maine.

What's a bomb cyclone? The term is new to the winter weather vernacular, which includes others like "polar vortex" that scare the living daylights out of people. And if this storm develops to its full potential, a healthy fear is in order. At its worst, it could carry hurricane force winds, blinding snow and a bomb-like drop in pressure. And after the snow exits, the temperatures will dip into the polar vortex range with some of the coldest air of what has, at just three days old, already been a bone-chilling year.

As summer hurricanes do, the storm is expected to gather strength off the coast of Florida Wednesday, where it may bring snow and ice to areas not accustomed to such weather, then move on to the New England coast, where some areas could see up to 8 inches of snow.

The extreme weather has led to 11 deaths across the U.S. since Tuesday morning, according to reports. Authorities reported five weather-related deaths in Wisconsin, including a 27-year-old woman who died after leaving a party to smoke a cigarette and apparently fell before succumbing to the cold, according to WGN. Four people have died in Texas, including two homeless people who died of exposure.

On Dec. 28, a 62-year-old man found dead in a car became Cook County's third death related to the cold.

Check your flights

Starting Wednesday, no matter where you live, if you plan to travel by air, it's a good idea to call the airport to check on the status of your flight — or check a flight tracking website like flightaware.com.

On Tuesday, Delta Airlines warned travelers the storm could cripple airports in Georgia, the Carolinas and Florida, which are expected to get ice and several inches of snow from the powerful storm system. That could snarl travel plans in the rest of the country as well.

Here are the airports Delta is keeping an eye on:

• Florida: Gainesville Regional Airport, Jacksonville International Airport and Tallahassee International Airport.
• Georgia: Augusta Regional Airport, Brunswick Golden Isles Airport, Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport and Valdosta Regional Airport.
• North Carolina: Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Fayetteville Regional Airport, Raleigh-Durham International Airport and Wilmington International Airport.
• South Carolina: Charleston International Airport, Columbia Metropolitan Airport and Myrtle Beach International Airport.

Delta said it will waive change fees on flights rescheduled after Jan. 7, but a difference in fare may apply. Final travel must be completed by the end of ticket validity, which is a year from the date the ticket was originally issued. If travel is not rescheduled, Delta's customers may cancel their reservation and apply the unused value of the ticket toward the purchase of a new ticket. Those tickets must also be purchased within a year of the date the original ticket was issued.

Local weather

Here in Illinois, we've seen a slight warmup from the bone-chilling cold that made Monday the coldest New Year's in decades, but excessive cold could be moving back into the area.

A wind chill advisory for northern Illinois and northwestern Indiana will be in place from 10 p.m. Wednesday through noon Thursday, with wind chills in the -20 to -25 range. Those conditions could cause frostbite to exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes, according to the National Weather Service.

Monster Storm Forecast To Move Up East Coast

(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan: File)

Beth Dalbey, Patch National Staff, contributed to this article