If you live on the East Coast and have been experiencing the brutal cold that hit the region over the last week, there's more bad weather news in store for you. According to The Washington Post, a vicious winter storm is heading up the East Coast beginning on Wednesday — and it looks like New England and Florida already are showing signs of that frigid cold. These bomb cyclone tweets revealing frozen fountains, snowfall in the Sunshine State, and much more show just how serious the storm is.
For decades now, weather scientists have used apocalyptic terms for intense weather systems. "Bomb" is one of those big and understandably scary words. Bombogenesis refers to the weather system when a storm's pressure loses at least 24 millibars within the time frame of 24 hours. The more millibars the pressure loses, the more violent the storm's wind gets.
"Bomb cyclone" is just a more mainstream term for bombogenesis that weather forecast channels and reporters made popular. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. the storm whirling its way up the East Coast indeed is expected to lose 45 millibars in pressure. So it makes sense that people are nervous about the storm, but the tweets below will give you guidance on how to keep yourself safe and warm, too.
1. It Will Be "Massive"
This model meteorologist Ryan Maue shared didn't look too reassuring.
2. Snow In Tallahassee, Florida
Snow is normally a rarity in the Sunshine State, but it wasn't on Wednesday, when social media users shared videos of light snowfall there.
3. Frozen Massachusetts
There's frozen terrain up in Massachusetts where one Twitter user said "[I] guess I won't be collecting any seashells today."
4. Frozen North Carolina
This frozen fountain in North Carolina is stunning(ly cold).
5. Snowfall In Florida
More snow in Tallahassee, Florida. Weird, right?
6. It's A Popsicle Out There
If North Carolina got a frozen fountain, Florida made sure it got one as well.
7. A Rare Sight
A meteorologist for The Weather Channel, Mike Seidel, noted this was the first snowfall in 28 years in Tallahassee.
8. Blizzard Criteria
According to the weather model ensemble shared by meteorologist Michael Ventrice, the bomb cyclone met "blizzard criteria in some locations in Southern New England with heavy and 'tropical storm' force winds."
9. Snow In Savannah, Georgia
Covered in sheets of snow.
10. Making The Most Of It
For some, the rarity of snowfall in their state was amusing.
11. The Next 48 Hours
Play the GIF and get an idea of where the gusts of wind may be going.
12. Frozen Baltimore
These photos out of "#subzero Baltimore" really show how cold it is on the East Coast.
13. How To Prepare Yourself
The U.S. Coast Guard shared a handy guide on how to prepare yourself, from signing up for timely alerts to dressing in layers to limiting your outdoor activities.
While some may be worried about the cold, it's worth remembering that this isn't the first time that a bombogenesis has hit the East Coast. There was a similar case with Winter Storm Stella in March 2017. The best thing you can do is keep yourself updated with help from the National Weather Service, dress sensibly, and stay indoors until the unbearable cold lessens.
