The storm could cause power outages and travel problems in large parts of the Eastern United States, with snowfall amounts ranging from 4 inches (10 cm) in the northern part of Alabama and Mississippi to 13 inches (33 cm) in northern Maine.
Some refer to the system as an ominous-sounding ‘bomb cyclone.’
Judah Cohen, a winter-storm expert at Atmospheric Environmental Research (a commercial company based outside of Boston), said that the main concern with this bomb cyclone is its timing and travel over inland areas. This is bad news for plants who acted as though spring was already here.
Cohen stated that many crops and plants have budged in the Southeast due to warmer temperatures. However, the blast cyclone’s freezing cold temperatures (possibly record lows) can cause serious damage.
Except for how explosive a storm becomes, a bomb cyclone does not have anything to do with explosives. This is when a storm intensifies quickly by rapidly losing pressure, and drops at least 24 millibars within 24 hours. Cohen stated that computer models predicted this storm would drop to approximately 1006 millibars (Alabama), then to 976 in Boston, and to reach Canada in the 960s.
Cohen stated that although there are often several bomb cyclones in the East during winter, many of them are far away and so no one is directly affected. He said that this is at most the third bomb cyclone for the East Coast this year.
Cohen stated, “This one is occurring a little closer towards land so it gets some more attention because if it was just a fishstorm, who cares?” It’s not unusual.
Cohen stated that it’s too late in the season of bomb cyclones, so this will likely be the last at least for the Southeast and possibly the rest of the coast.
The National Weather Service issued an advisory for winter storms from the Deep South to northern Maine.
A St. Patrick’s Day parade in Albany, New York was delayed by the approaching storm. Co-chair Tim Carey stated that after two years of cancellations due to coronavirus, the Parade Committee wanted to wait one week so they could enjoy the event together.
