PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The Latest on severe weather impacting the central U.S. (all times local):

3:47 p.m.

State officials in flood-ravaged Nebraska are bracing once again for a major snowstorm that threatens to disrupt travel and endanger motorists.

The state Department of Transportation closed Interstate 80 in western Nebraska Wednesday afternoon from the intersection of Interstate 76 to the Wyoming border.

The Nebraska State Patrol is sending additional troopers into the state’s panhandle to help with any storm-related needs.

Gov. Pete Ricketts announced that he has extended five weather-related executive orders until May 15 to help communities gain fast access to the state’s emergency resources.

Officials say it’s too early to know whether the storm will lead to additional flooding in the state, which is still recovering from last month’s record disaster

———

1:55 p.m.

A storm bringing heavy snow and strong winds to several Rockies and Plains states is making travel difficult in many areas and impossible in others.

Officials have closed Interstate 29 from Brookings in east central South Dakota to the North Dakota border. They say the stretch of I-29 between Brookings and Sioux Falls is likely to be closed later in the day, and conditions on I-90 across southern South Dakota are rapidly deteriorating.

Transportation officials in Colorado say highway closures also are likely in that state. Local governments, including in Denver and Cheyenne, Wyoming, and state government in the Denver area are closing offices early to give workers time to commute before conditions worsen.

About half of the daily flights at Denver International Airport have been canceled.

———

12:17 p.m.

A storm impacting Rockies and Plains states has met the scientific definition of what’s commonly known as a “bomb cyclone.” It’s the second such blast to hit the region in less than a month.

The weather phenomenon is difficult to explain in layman’s terms. Essentially, air pressure drops rapidly and a storm strengthens explosively.

Forecaster David Roth at the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center says what’s more important than the scientific term is the impacts. He says this week’s storm likely will be similar to the one that hit in mid-March. That one dropped heavy snow and led to massive flooding in the Midwest.

Weather service meteorologist Mike Connelly in South Dakota says the latest storm could be “historic” in terms of widespread heavy snow. He expects some records to be set.

———

11:05 a.m.

Flights, baseball and school classes are being canceled ahead of a looming spring blizzard in the Rockies.

About 40 percent of Denver International Airport’s daily flights have been scratched, most of them in the afternoon when rain is expected to turn into snow.

The Colorado Rockies were supposed to play the Atlanta Braves at about that time but announced they are postponing the game until August.

Blizzard warnings have been issued for the northern half of Colorado’s heavily-populated Front Range region, including Denver, as well as the state’s northeastern plains from noon through midday Thursday. Blizzard warnings also are posted for southeastern Wyoming, including Cheyenne, from Wednesday into Thursday.

A few school districts canceled classes in Colorado and Wyoming but many decided to have a shortened day and cancel evening activities instead.

———

10:55 a.m.

Strong winds associated with a weather system moving out of the Rockies and into the Plains are creating dangerous wildfire conditions in New Mexico and Texas.

The National Weather Service says winds in excess of 50 mph (80.46 kph) will combine with low humidity and an unstable atmosphere to create critical fire conditions.

Weather Prediction Center forecaster David Roth says wind gusts have already exceeded 60 mph (96.56 kph) in west Texas.

Forecasters in New Mexico also say the winds will make travel difficult on north-south oriented roads such as Interstate 25, particularly for high-profile vehicles, and cause loose objects to become airborne.

In southern New Mexico, the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range closed Wednesday because of high winds, with only emergency essential personnel told to report to work.

———

9:43 a.m.

Blizzard warnings are posted from Colorado to Minnesota as a storm develops that could rival last month’s bomb cyclone.

The National Weather Service says up to 2 ½ feet (0.61 meters) of snow could fall in parts of eastern South Dakota and southwestern Minnesota.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has closed state government offices in 52 counties. Numerous schools around the state have closed. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says “the National Guard stands ready” to rescue any stranded motorists.

A bomb cyclone is an unusual weather phenomenon in which air pressure drops rapidly and a storm strengthens explosively. Last month’s storm led to massive flooding in the Midwest that caused billions of dollars in damage.

Forecasters say this week’s storm will swell rivers again, but maybe not as much.

Plane cabins resembling a cross between a restaurant, sports bar, living room and a shop could be coming to a flight path near you in the near future.

That’s if a certain British aircraft interior designer and his team get their way.   

Ross Burns is the lead designer of cabin interiors at Bournemouth-based Aim Altitude, the company behind the bar areas on Emirates and Virgin Atlantic. Now they’ve created a social space concept called ‘Ultraflex’, reminiscent of Virgin’s sofa-clad ‘loft’ area for the A350 – but even more radical. 

Aim Altitude, the company behind the bar areas on Emirates and Virgin Atlantic, has created a social space concept called ‘Ultraflex’ (pictured). It’s reminiscent of Virgin’s sofa-clad ‘loft’ area for the A350 – but is even more radical

Ace: This rendering shows the Ultraflex pop-up ‘perch bar’ area, which features a big screen. An ideal space for the communal watching of sports events 

The deli galley, where passengers can grab a healthy snack or two from a floor-to-ceiling fridge 

A cutaway graphic showing the overall size of the Ultraflex zone. Mr Burns said that some carriers have expressed keen interest in the design 

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The aim is to create the ultimate communal space at 38,000ft, where passengers can stretch their legs, move around and socialise.

With health and wellness at the forefront of many passengers’ minds, especially on flights over 12 hours, Mr Burns says spaces such as these could become more and more important on aircraft.

He told MailOnline Travel: ‘We have been working on the Ultraflex concept for about 10 months now after looking at the emerging trend of ultra-long-haul travel of between 12 and 20 hours.

‘We have spent the past year looking at the one or two airlines that have really taken ultra-long-haul travel on board and finding out exactly its effect and what it does to your body.

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‘When travelling ultra long haul, we know that at some point, passengers are going to want to get up, have a change of scenery and stretch their legs as we know that sitting down for too long is not healthy.

‘So we wanted to create a place where people can stand, stretch their legs and socialise that would be in the business class area of the plane.

‘We’ve concentrated on wellness and health and increasing social interaction and it could be an area for small groups to have a meeting or for friends to have a drink.’

The Ultraflex cabin can be broken down into five areas.

The exercise station, a row of single-seat window-facing booths where passengers can sit and work and do low-resistance exercises at the same time, using step plates on the floor 

The flex booth is, like its name suggests, multi-purpose. In standard set-up mode it has two seats facing each other with a table in between, perfect for meetings or a cosy meal for two

The flex booth table and seats can be folded away, transforming it into a quiet space for yoga or prayer 

The main area is the ‘community space/perch monument area’, where passengers can congregate and chat.

It contains rounded waist-height furniture – ideal for leaning on – and sofas.

Then there’s the deli galley, where passengers can grab a healthy snack or two from a floor-to-ceiling fridge.

Mr Burns explained: ‘We have tried to design it to be an approachable area with fridges people would be used to seeing in a cafe or a shop.

‘Quite often the galleys on planes are quite harsh and stark and a place where cabin crews are working so often people don’t want to approach them.’

A third area is the flex booth and, like its name suggests, it’s multi-purpose.

In standard set-up mode it has two seats facing each other with a table in between, perfect for meetings or a cosy meal for two.

Cunningly, though, the table and seats can be folded away, transforming the booth into a quiet space for yoga or prayer.  

The booths could be bookable on board from the IFE (in-flight entertainment) or in advance online, suggests Aim Altitude. 

Next there’s the exercise station, a row of single-seat window-facing booths where passengers can sit and work and do low-resistance exercises using step plates on the floor, ‘a fun way to keep blood circulating and reduce discomfort’, says Aim Altitude. 

Mr Burns admits that the Ultraflex concept won’t be for every airline, as some would rather maximise revenue by packing in as many seats as possible on to an aircraft. Pictured is the flex booth in prayer mode 

Mr Ross Burns, the lead designer of cabin interiors at Bournemouth-based Aim Altitude

Finally, there’s a pop-up ‘perch bar’ with a big screen – ideal for the communal watching of sports events. 

Here bottles would be stored in the bar’s central trough.  

How access would be granted to this area would be up to the individual airline, said Mr Burns.  

He suggested that it could be built into the price of the ticket for premium customers or only available to those those who pay extra.

Access could also be given to passengers at an allotted time.

Mr Burns admits that the Ultraflex concept won’t be for every airline, as some would rather maximise revenue by packing in as many seats as possible on to an aircraft.

But there’s definitely interest from some carriers keen on making ultra-long-haul bearable.

Mr Burns said: ‘Some of the airlines we have spoken to have really embraced this idea and want to offer something different.

‘With ultra-long-haul travel, it can be a massive ordeal on the body and if the experience of this is not good, a passenger might not do it again.

‘This concept tries to help make things a bit more bearable on planes and possibly give airlines repeat custom.’

Henry Red Cloud

Bomb cyclone storm hammering central US, disrupting travel

This March 2019 photo provided by Henry Red Cloud, shows flooding on Cloud’s Lakota Solar Enterprises property on the Pine Ridge Reservation in southern South Dakota. Red Cloud estimates flood damage at $250,000. Plains and Midwest states are bracing for another massive winter storm Wednesday and Thursday and the prospect of renewed flooding when the snow melts.

Henry Red Cloud

Bomb cyclone storm hammering central US, disrupting travel

In this undated March 2019 photo provided by Henry Red Cloud, shows flooding on Cloud’s Lakota Solar Enterprises property on the Pine Ridge Reservation in southern South Dakota. Red Cloud estimates flood damage at $250,000. Plains and Midwest states are bracing for another massive winter storm Wednesday and Thursday and the prospect of renewed flooding when the snow melts.

Chris Machian

Bomb cyclone storm hammering central US, disrupting travel

A calf runs through an ice field on a ranch outside of Kilgore, Neb., Wednesday, April 10, 2019. A bomb cyclone storm bringing heavy snow and strong winds to several Rockies and Plains states is making travel difficult in many areas and impossible in others. Officials have closed Interstate 29 in northeastern South Dakota and say other stretches of interstates are likely to close later.

Chris Machian

Bomb cyclone storm hammering central US, disrupting travel

Ice forms on a calf at a ranch outside of Kilgore, Neb., Wednesday, April 10, 2019. A bomb cyclone storm bringing heavy snow and strong winds to several Rockies and Plains states is making travel difficult in many areas and impossible in others. Officials have closed Interstate 29 in northeastern South Dakota and say other stretches of interstates are likely to close later.

Posted: Thursday, April 11, 2019 2:43 am
|


Updated: 5:31 am, Thu Apr 11, 2019.

The Latest: Bomb cyclone storm hits US interior

Associated Press |

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The Latest on severe weather impacting the central U.S. (all times local):

4:58 p.m.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has activated the National Guard in case troops are needed to rescue stranded motorists as they did during last month’s blizzard.

Guard officials said Wednesday that 50 soldiers and 24 vehicles will be positioned in the eastern part of the state, including vehicles with tank-like tracks for negotiating deep snow.

The Colorado Department of Transportation says highway closures are likely with a blizzard warning in place through Thursday morning.

The March blizzard paralyzed many of the same areas that are under the current warning.

Troops searched through the night and rescued 75 people and two dogs from vehicles, mostly in four counties southeast of Denver.

3:47 p.m.

State officials in flood-ravaged Nebraska are bracing once again for a major snowstorm that threatens to disrupt travel and endanger motorists.

The state Department of Transportation closed Interstate 80 in western Nebraska Wednesday afternoon from the intersection of Interstate 76 to the Wyoming border.

The Nebraska State Patrol is sending additional troopers into the state’s panhandle to help with any storm-related needs.

Gov. Pete Ricketts announced that he has extended five weather-related executive orders until May 15 to help communities gain fast access to the state’s emergency resources.

Officials say it’s too early to know whether the storm will lead to additional flooding in the state, which is still recovering from last month’s record disaster

———

1:55 p.m.

A storm bringing heavy snow and strong winds to several Rockies and Plains states is making travel difficult in many areas and impossible in others.

Officials have closed Interstate 29 from Brookings in east central South Dakota to the North Dakota border. They say the stretch of I-29 between Brookings and Sioux Falls is likely to be closed later in the day, and conditions on I-90 across southern South Dakota are rapidly deteriorating.

Transportation officials in Colorado say highway closures also are likely in that state. Local governments, including in Denver and Cheyenne, Wyoming, and state government in the Denver area are closing offices early to give workers time to commute before conditions worsen.

About half of the daily flights at Denver International Airport have been canceled.

———

12:17 p.m.

A storm impacting Rockies and Plains states has met the scientific definition of what’s commonly known as a “bomb cyclone.” It’s the second such blast to hit the region in less than a month.

The weather phenomenon is difficult to explain in layman’s terms. Essentially, air pressure drops rapidly and a storm strengthens explosively.

Forecaster David Roth at the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center says what’s more important than the scientific term is the impacts. He says this week’s storm likely will be similar to the one that hit in mid-March. That one dropped heavy snow and led to massive flooding in the Midwest.

Weather service meteorologist Mike Connelly in South Dakota says the latest storm could be “historic” in terms of widespread heavy snow. He expects some records to be set.

———

11:05 a.m.

Flights, baseball and school classes are being canceled ahead of a looming spring blizzard in the Rockies.

About 40 percent of Denver International Airport’s daily flights have been scratched, most of them in the afternoon when rain is expected to turn into snow.

The Colorado Rockies were supposed to play the Atlanta Braves at about that time but announced they are postponing the game until August.

Blizzard warnings have been issued for the northern half of Colorado’s heavily-populated Front Range region, including Denver, as well as the state’s northeastern plains from noon through midday Thursday. Blizzard warnings also are posted for southeastern Wyoming, including Cheyenne, from Wednesday into Thursday.

A few school districts canceled classes in Colorado and Wyoming but many decided to have a shortened day and cancel evening activities instead.

———

10:55 a.m.

Strong winds associated with a weather system moving out of the Rockies and into the Plains are creating dangerous wildfire conditions in New Mexico and Texas.

The National Weather Service says winds in excess of 50 mph (80.46 kph) will combine with low humidity and an unstable atmosphere to create critical fire conditions.

Weather Prediction Center forecaster David Roth says wind gusts have already exceeded 60 mph (96.56 kph) in west Texas.

Forecasters in New Mexico also say the winds will make travel difficult on north-south oriented roads such as Interstate 25, particularly for high-profile vehicles, and cause loose objects to become airborne.

In southern New Mexico, the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range closed Wednesday because of high winds, with only emergency essential personnel told to report to work.

———

9:43 a.m.

Blizzard warnings are posted from Colorado to Minnesota as a storm develops that could rival last month’s bomb cyclone.

The National Weather Service says up to 2 ½ feet (0.61 meters) of snow could fall in parts of eastern South Dakota and southwestern Minnesota.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has closed state government offices in 52 counties. Numerous schools around the state have closed. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says “the National Guard stands ready” to rescue any stranded motorists.

A bomb cyclone is an unusual weather phenomenon in which air pressure drops rapidly and a storm strengthens explosively. Last month’s storm led to massive flooding in the Midwest that caused billions of dollars in damage.

Forecasters say this week’s storm will swell rivers again, but maybe not as much.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

© 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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An anonymous Swedish Instagram account created in December has been shaming social media profiles and influencers for promoting trips to far-flung destinations, racking up more than 60,000 followers.

“I’m certainly affected by my surroundings and flygskam has affected how I view flying,” Viktoria Hellstrom, a political science student in Stockholm, said. 

Last summer, she took the train to Italy, even though the friends she was meeting there went by plane, as that would have been her second flight within a few weeks. “The only way I could justify going there was if I took the train,” she said.

Train bookings up

The Scandinavian country’s location far north — it is 4,000km from the northern-most town of Kiruna to France’s Côte d’Azur — as well as its robust standard of living, the popularity of charter trips and the rise of low-cost airlines have all contributed to making Swedes big flyers.

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg in 2019 found that Swedes’ per capita emissions from flying between 1990 and 2017 were five times the global average. Emissions from Swedes’ international air travel have soared 61% since 1990, their study said.

Swedes’ concerns rely on solid data: the Swedish Meteorological Institute said last week that the average annual temperature was rising twice as fast in the country as the global average. In March, the World Wildlife Foundation published a survey indicating that nearly one in five Swedes chose to travel by rail rather than by air to minimise their environmental impact.

The trend is most noticeable among women and young people, it said. 

Meanwhile, a survey published in Sweden’s leading travel magazine Vagabond said 64% of those who travelled abroad less  in 2018 did so because of climate reasons.

National rail operator SJ reported a 21% boost in business travel this winter, and the government has announced plans to re-introduce night trains to major European cities before the end of its mandate in 2022.

The number of domestic flight passengers was projected to be down by 3.2% in 2018, the transport authority said in its latest figures from September, though the number of passengers on international flights rose 4%.

So far, the flight-shame trend hasn’t had the same traction among Sweden’s neighbours, although Finland has spawned its own version of the expression, calling it lentohäpeä .

Is flight shame real?

Other parts of the developed world may not have a word that’s quite as catchy — making do with #flyingless or #StopFlying —but average CO₂ emissions of 285g per air kilometre, compared with 158 for cars and 14 for trains, have given many pause.

Fausta Gabola, a French-Italian student in Paris, is no longer sure that she should take up an offer to study in Australia on a scholarship. “It’s my dream to go there,” she said. “I applied without thinking too much about it and now I have a dilemma. I would feel like a hypocrite if I went.”