Bomb Cyclone, Lake Erie Surges, and Rose Parade Rain

CHICAGO :  While the “bomb cyclone” dominating the Midwest has grabbed headlines, a series of diverse and dangerous weather events are affecting the entire North American continent this week.

One of the storm’s most dramatic displays occurred on Lake Erie. Fierce winds created a “seiche” effect, pushing water toward the eastern end near Buffalo, New York, while causing water levels to plummet on the western side in Michigan. The receding waters were so significant they exposed normally submerged lakebeds, revealing the wrecks of old cars and snowmobiles.

Snow is cleared from a parking lot in Grandville, Michigan.

On Lake Superior, 6-meter waves forced nearly every cargo ship into harbor for shelter—a stark reminder of the lake’s power, famously documented during the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975.

Illinois Tornado: On Sunday, an EF1 tornado with winds of 158 km/h tore through central Illinois, snapping power poles and damaging buildings.

Alaska’s Buried Panhandle: Juneau and the surrounding region remain under winter storm warnings after a weekend storm dumped up to 102 centimeters (40 inches) of snow.

Neil Wakeman, a Luna Pier city council member, holds up a steering wheel as he and friends look over a car that is normally submerged in water near Luna Pier in Michigan.

California Winds: Southern California is facing moderate to strong Santa Ana winds, raising fears of downed trees in soils already saturated by previous rain.

The wild weather is set to persist into the holiday. Forecasters are predicting two more storms later this week. Notably, there is a significant chance of rain for the Rose Parade in Pasadena on New Year’s Day—an event that hasn’t seen a “soaking” in nearly two decades.

A car drives down a snowy main street in downtown Juneau, Alaska.

Meteorologists at the National Weather Service continue to urge residents in the path of the storm to avoid travel. With lake-effect snow and whiteout conditions forecast for Tuesday in northwestern New York, the “bomb cyclone” remains a high-stakes threat to life and property.