A strong winter storm, moving up the Northeast Coast, is producing high winds, heavy snow and coastal flooding from the Mid Atlantic States to New England and beyond. Blizzard conditions are forecast for Long Island and the New England Coast and hurricane-force winds may develop by later this afternoon.
Known as a "bomb cyclone" due to its rapid intensification (and falling central pressure), this large storm is fueled by a dramatic temperature difference across the cold front which aligns with strong jet stream winds. Copious Atlantic moisture, swept across the cold front by counter-clockwise winds, produces the heavy snow and the windfield is broad enough that the storm's effects will persist for twelve hours or more. Since snowfall rates will range from two to five inches per hour, snow depths will reach three feet in some areas, especially in coastal Maine.
Such "Nor-Easters" are common in New England but their intensity will surely increase as the climate warms. This bomb cyclone is a warning of challenges that will confront coastal regions across the globe in the coming decades.
