A massive bomb cyclone orWinter Storm Hernandois currently walloping the U.S. Northeast, bringing record-breaking snowfall and hurricane-force winds that have paralysed the region.
This rare and extremely dangerous ‘bomb cyclone’ has covered areas from Virginia to Maine with a thick layer of snow. All you need to know.
A bomb cyclone, known scientifically as ‘bombogenesis’, is a storm whose intensity increases explosively in a very short time. When a storm’s central air pressure drops by at least 24 millibars in 24 hours, it is classified as a bomb cyclone. The faster the pressure drops, the stronger the storm becomes. Simply put, it’s like a winter hurricane.
This specific storm was triggered by a clash between frigid Arctic air diving south from Canada and warm, moist air over the Atlantic Ocean.
A rapidly spinning low-pressure system pulls in cold Arctic air, creates blizzard-like winds, and dumps so much snow that city systems struggle to cope. For a storm to be officially declared a blizzard, winds must exceed 56 kilometers per hour, there must be heavy snowfall, and visibility must be less than a quarter mile for at least three hours. The current storm has surpassed all these criteria.
New York City’s skyline is covered in snow, andheavy snowfalland strong winds have nearly stopped movement on the streets. Experts say this is one of the most powerful storms in decades, and its effects are not over yet.
Parts of the Northeast have seen up to 36 inches (3 feet) of snow. Warwick, Rhode Island reported 91 centimetres (approx. 36 inches), while Providence saw its biggest snowstorm on record.
At the height of the storm, over 600,000 customers lost power. As of Tuesday morning, roughly 450,000 homes remain in the dark, primarily in Massachusetts and New Jersey.
More than 11,000 flights have been cancelled since Sunday. Over a thousand flights have been canceled at New York City’s three major airports—LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy International, and Newark Liberty International. Two-thirds of incoming flights at JFK have been cancelled. Regional rail services have also been suspended. Major hubs like JFK and LaGuardia in New York, and Logan in Boston, faced near-total shutdowns.
Hurricane-force wind gusts up to 84 mph were recorded in New York and Massachusetts, creating dangerous whiteout conditions.
Source: World News in news18.com, World Latest News, World News
