What Is A Bomb Cyclone: Powerful Storm, Polar Vortex Brew

As a fierce weather system meteorologists are calling a “bomb cyclone” builds, at least one airline is proactively warning travelers that flights in several cities could be cancelled or delayed Wednesday and Thursday as the storm makes its way up the Eastern Seaboard, from Florida to Maine.

The term “bomb cyclone” is new to the winter weather vernacular, which includes terms like “polar vortex” that scare the living daylights out of people. And if this storm develops to its full potential, a healthy fear is in order. At its worst, it could carry hurricane force winds, blinding snow and a bomb-like drop in pressure.

And after the snow exits, the temperatures will dip into the polar vortex range with some of the coldest air of what has, at just two days old, already been a bone-chilling year.

As summer hurricanes do, the storm is expected to gather strength off the coast of Florida Wednesday, where it may bring snow and ice to areas not accustomed to such weather, then move on to the New England coast, where some areas could see up to 8 inches of snow.

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“It will be massive,” National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Maue warned on Twitter Tuesday, saying coastal low pressure could rival low pressure during devastating Hurricane Sandy, the fourth-costliest hurricane in U.S. history. Maue said meteorologists will be glued to satellites Thursday watching the “bomb cyclone” off the New England coast.

Snow amounts are uncertain, the National Weather Service in Boston tweeted Tuesday, but the biggest threat is the potential for damaging wind gusts, especially near the southeast New England coast, and the potential for power outages in brutally cold weather.

The storm could shift, but wicked cold temperatures are forecast in its wake as a mass of frigid air from the North Pole, Siberia and Greenland blows into the region. By Saturday, cities along the Eastern Seaboard could see temperatures in the sub-zero range. Some of the forecast lows are minus 28 degrees in Boston, minus 22 in Virginia Beach, minus 21 in New York City, minus 17 in Savannah, Georgia, and minus 16 in Jacksonville, Florida. The wind could make it feel 20 to 30 degrees colder.

The shivering Midwest, which saw record-low temperatures New Year’s weekend, is expected to plunge again into the deep freeze by Saturday. Some forecast models call for it to be minus 28 degrees in Detroit, minus 27 in Peoria, Illinois, minus 25 in Indianapolis, and minus 23 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Des Moines, Iowa.

Check Flights Ahead Of Time

No matter where you live, if you plan to travel by air from Wednesday on, it’s a good idea to call the airport to check on the status of your flight — or check a flight tracking website like flightaware.com.

Delta Airlines is getting ahead of the storm, warning travelers the storm could cripple airports in Georgia, the Carolinas and Florida, which are expected to get ice and several inches of snow from the powerful storm system. That could snarl travel plans in the rest of the country as well.

Here are the airports Delta is keeping an eye on:

Florida: Gainesville Regional Airport, Jacksonville International Airport and Tallahassee International Airport.

Georgia: Augusta Regional Airport, Brunswick Golden Isles Airport, Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport and Valdosta Regional Airport.

North Carolina: Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Fayetteville Regional Airport, Raleigh-Durham International Airport and Wilmington International Airport.

South Carolina: Charleston International Airport, Columbia Metropolitan Airport and Myrtle Beach International Airport.

Delta said it will waive change fees on flights rescheduled after Jan. 7, but a difference in fare may apply. Final travel must be completed by the end of ticket validity, which is a year from the date the ticket was originally issued. If travel is not rescheduled, Delta’s customers may cancel their reservation and apply the unused value of the ticket toward the purchase of a new ticket. Those tickets must also be purchased within a year of the date the original ticket was issued.

(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan: File)