More than 70 million prep for ‘bomb cyclone’ winter storm

by Maureen Breslin - 01/28/22 8:01 AM ET

Much of the East Coast is bracing for a nor’easter snowstorm that is set to slam the region over the weekend, according to The Weather Channel.

The storm will pummel the East Coast beginning Friday night into Saturday morning and will impact more than 75 million people, according to CNN.

Blizzard conditions are expected for more than 4 million people who live in coastal areas, including the Delmarva Peninsula and coastal New Jersey, notes The Weather Channel.

In some parts of New England, including Boston, 1 to 2 feet of snow is expected alongside powerful gusts of wind strengthening over 64 miles per hour, CNN reports.

Winter storm warnings have been issued up and down the East Coast, going as far south as South Carolina, while winter weather alerts are also issued as inland as Kentucky.

New York City could see as much as 8 to 12 inches of snow, while the Philadelphia region could get as much as 8 inches of snow, reports CNN.

“This storm is likely to strengthen at a rate, and to an intensity, equivalent to only the most powerful hurricanes, so the high-end potential of this storm cannot be overstated,” CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller said, according to the outlet. “But with nor’easters, like in real estate, it will all come down to location, location, location.”

By Friday morning, more than 1,200 U.S. flights had already been canceled for Saturday, according to CNN.

Timing that differs in as little as six hours could make a marked difference in the storm’s impact, CNN notes, as it is expected that the storm will strengthen through something called “bombogenesis,” also known as a bomb cyclone, which is what occurs when a storm loses atmospheric pressure in a day’s time.