Bomb Cyclone Causes Jet To Almost Stall 37,000 Feet Over Colorado
DENVER (CBS4) - Wednesday's explosive development of a late winter storm over eastern Colorado created rough times for people both on land and in the air. A CBS4 viewer sent video showing what it was like flying into Denver as the bomb cyclone was gaining strength over the eastern plains.
For passengers on a different flight it was an extremely rough ride about 100 miles east of Denver.
According to the pilot report marked with a yellow star in the image below, a Boeing 737-800 encountered severe turbulence while 37,000 feet over the small town of Cope in extreme southeastern Washington County. In addition to the turbulence pilots also reported a 20 knot loss of airspeed due to a severe mountain wave which almost caused the plane to stall.
The event happened at 10:32 a.m. as the storm was nearing peak intensity. Thankfully no injuries were reported.
A mountain wave is an area of extremely turbulent air found on the lee side of a mountain barrier like the Rockies when there is a strong flow of wind present. You can read more about mountain waves here.
