Bomb Cyclone
In this photo, residents shovel out their vehicle the day after the region was hit with a 'bomb cyclone' in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Jan. 5, 2018. Scott Eisen/Getty Images

A “Bomb Cyclone” sweeping through Denver and other parts of Colorado has brought Category 1 hurricane-like conditions, prompting the grounding of hundreds of planes Wednesday. It forced authorities to issue an accident alert and close the air force academy as well as public schools.

By Wednesday afternoon, the wind speed reached over 50 mph and deposited more than nine inches of snow in the area. The storm was steadily progressing toward central and northern plains and the Upper Midwest, with the possibility of heavy snow, possible tornadoes and flooding.

Both the Denver Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management as well as the police department warned people not to step out of their houses in the cyclone, especially in their cars.

“So far, we have received 110 traffic crash reports and #Denver remains on #AccidentAlert. If you absolutely have to head out, please be cautious — it’s still #snowgoing out there. Turn your lights on, set the wipers on high & don’t forget the extra stopping distance. #BombCyclone,” the department wrote in a tweet with a GIF of John snow from “Game Of Thrones.”

As white-out condition persisted through Wednesday, nearly 1,400 flights were canceled at the Denver International Airport after it became too dangerous for the facility’s staff to plow the snow and clear the runways.

“Conditions are very dicey right now and because of all the accidents the plows can’t clear the roads,” airport spokeswoman Emily Williams said, Denver Post reported. “If people can avoid coming to the airport that will be the best for everyone.”

Due to numerous crashes on the Peña Boulevard, the freeway that provides vehicular access to the airport, it was closed, leaving people stranded in their cars for hours. After the removal of more than 50 disabled vehicles, the road was opened again around 7 p.m. EDT. Colorado state troopers also announced Interstate 25 will remain closed through Wednesday night in the wake of the severe snowstorm.

The Air Force Academy, located north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, was closed. “Due to dangerous weather conditions, the Air Force Academy will remain closed Thursday, March 14, to all Non-Mission Essential personnel and visitors. Only mission essential personnel are to report to work,” the academy tweeted.

The Denver Public Schools also announced all the schools under it will remain closed on Thursday. “DPS schools and district offices will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, March 14, due to the remnants of the severe storm, power outages across the city and poor road conditions. This means that all district activities and programs are cancelled,” the district tweeted.

At the time of writing this article, the Denver outage map showed over 120,000 customers without power in Denver.

“I don’t know anywhere in the state that probably isn’t experiencing outages,” Xcel Energy spokesman Mark Stutz said, Denver Post reported, adding that there were 500 employees and contractors working to get the power restored. Xcel will seek assistance from other utilities to provide power to its customers as it estimated to repair the power lines by late Thursday.

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