A bomb cyclone will bring low temperatures and strong winds all weekend
Photo: John Moore / Getty Images
A powerful winter storm forming in the central part of the country will quickly become a bomb cyclone as it moves east, bringing damaging winds, heavy rain and even snow
from Louisiana to Maine, according to CNN.
A bomb cyclone occurs when the pressure of a mid-latitude cyclone decreases by 24 millibars in less than 24 hours, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These strong systems create many hazards, but the most notable may be extreme winds.
A combination of extremely high winds and snowfall promises to wreak havoc on northeast as the bomb cyclone reaches hurricane strength off the Atlantic coast.
The National Weather Service (NWS) forecast temperatures to be well below normal across the US. from Wednesday to Saturday. With early greening in some places, this sudden cold snap could have a significant agricultural impact.
This storm will start with a powerful blast of cold air from southern Canada towards the plains and the Rocky Mountains. This cold blast could set several daily record lows in parts of the western and plains United States, according to weather.com.
“All Guidance models have surface waves (the storm) that rapidly intensify as it moves somewhere between corridor I-80 to Cape Cod, then along or just off the coast of Maine at least less than 970 mb,” the National Weather Service in Boston said.
A minimum of 970 millibars (mb) would be equivalent to a category 2 hurricane.
Snow Forecast
Heavy snow is forecast for parts of the Central and Southern Rocky Mountains and the Central Plains on Wednesday. Snow will cover the Rocky Mountains and parts of the Plains and the Midwest through Thursday.