A surge of Arctic air brought strong winds, heavy snow, and frigid temperatures to the Great Lakes and Northeast on Tuesday, following a bomb cyclone that swept across the Midwest. The storm left tens of thousands without power and created treacherous travel conditions.

The National Weather Service reported that blustery winds were expected to exacerbate the chill, with low temperatures potentially dipping below freezing as far south as the Florida panhandle. The wild storm impacted parts of the Plains and Great Lakes with sharply colder air, strong winds, and a mix of snow, ice, and rain. Forecasters determined that the system intensified rapidly enough to meet the criteria of a bomb cyclone, a weather phenomenon characterized by a rapid drop in atmospheric pressure.

Kristen Schultz, traveling home to Alaska, recounted her experience navigating the conditions to reach the Minneapolis airport on Tuesday, stating, "Just give yourself plenty of extra time and that way, even if things go smoothly, you don't have to be stressed out, and you're ready in case things don't go so smoothly."

Poweroutage.us reported that more than 115,000 customers nationwide were without power Tuesday morning, with approximately a third of those outages occurring in Michigan. The storm is now moving into Canada.