It began quietly over Wyoming, a swirl of low pressure gathering strength as Arctic air knifed south and met a surge of warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico. That collision turned the atmosphere into a loaded weapon. As the storm raced toward the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes, its pressure dropped so fast it bordered on a bomb cyclone, an almost unheard-of intensity over land.
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To the north, snow fell in blinding sheets, piling up one to two feet, with some towns nearly buried under even more. Winds over 35 mph turned highways into featureless white tunnels, stranding drivers and cutting power to entire communities. Farther south, the same system spawned violent thunderstorms, hurling hail, tearing down trees, and spinning off isolated tornadoes. In a matter of hours, one storm exposed just how fragile normal life becomes when the atmosphere decides to turn.