Winter isn’t over just yet as a potential “bomb cyclone” storm may make its way to the central and eastern U.S. this week, continuing on until Saturday.
- A “bomb cyclone” is considered a hurricane-like storm with wicked winds and heavy snow all at once, as Herb Scribner wrote for the Deseret News. It’s basically a winter hurricane.
“Confidence is growing for a significant storm that will bring wide-reaching impacts,” AccuWeather meteorologist Alex DaSilva said.
Details: Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, eastern Oklahoma, western Ohio and northern parts of Mississippi and Alabama have already received a few inches of snow. Meanwhile, the eastern U.S. will get heavier snow, as well as possible power outages and transportation issues.
- People can also expect rain, severe thunderstorms, high winds and a rapid freeze-up, according to USA Today.
- The temperatures are expected to return to normal across the central U.S. by Sunday, while the eastern U.S. will remain 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit below normal.
What they’re saying: “With this bomb cyclone, maybe what’s the biggest concern is how late in the season it's coming and that it’s traveling over inland areas,” said Judah Cohen, a winter storm expert for Atmospheric Environmental Research, a firm in the Boston area, per ABC News. A big concern is the crops and plants that have started budding, which might be seriously damaged by the freezing temperatures.
“Given the recent warm conditions we’ve had, the quick return of freezing temperatures could stress plants and animals,” the National Weather Service in Birmingham said.