Colorado declares state of EMERGENCY as historic ' WEATHER BOMB CYCLONE' strikes US state

Colorado has been facing brutal winter conditions after a deadly storm smashed through the United States on Wednesday. The powerful weather conditions, which are referred to as a “bomb cyclone” or bombogenesis, are the result of a dramatic drop in pressure in a short time period. A Colorado State Patrol corporal was reported dead in the Weld County when a car lost control due to the bad weather.

In a press release announcing the death of Corporal Groves, the Colorado State Patrol tweeted: “At approximately 11:20 AM Corporal Daniel Groves, 52, was on scene of a vehicle that slid off the roadway on westbound Interstate 76 near mile marker 45 when a 2001 Volvo driven by John Carpenter, 58, of Centennial, lost control and hit Cpl. Groves outside his patrol vehicle.

“He was transported to Platte Valley Medical Center but declared deceased a short while after arrival. Carpenter was also transported to PVMC with moderate injuries. High speed in poor driving conditions is being investigated as a possible causal factor.”

CBS reporter Janet Shanley said: “It’s the strongest storm in decades, the blinding snow creating whiteouts and hundreds of accidents.

READ MORE: US weather: ‘BOMB Cyclone’ rips across central states – up to 70 MILLION people at risk

“Emergency crews rescuing each other, as firefighters came to the aid of a Police officer. The National Guard called in to dozens of stranded vehicles.”

Ms Shanley, who has been reporting live from the middle of the storm in Denver, continued: “We are not even at the peak of the storm.

“Winds at Denver Airport have been at 15mph with gusts more than 70mph. Those are hurricane-force winds. 

“More than 1300 flights were cancelled at Denver Airport, which is technically open but all the runways are shut down.” 

Gov Polis released a statement late Wednesday evening announcing he had despatched the National Guard to help cope with the brutal conditions.

The Governor’s Office said: “The Governor has authorized the activation of the Colorado National Guard and declared an emergency due to the storm that is currently impacting the Front Range.

“The Colorado National Guard will be activated for search, rescue and life safety operations. The Colorado Emergency Operations Center, coordinated by DHSEM, along with CDOT is working with local counties to prioritize the most immediate needs for those resources.”

The Governor later paid tribute to Corporal Groves on his personal Twitter account: “He was, and always will be remembered as, a hero. Our hearts are with Dan Grove’s partner and family.”

The storm is also expected to bring up to 18 inches of snow in parts of Wyoming and Colorado.

Preliminary National Weather Service data shows Colorado and New Mexico broke their all-time low barometric pressure Wednesday.

A blizzard warning was issued for Denver,  where 4-7 inches of snow and wind gusts of up to 44mph are forecast.

source: express.co.uk