Hi there. Happy 2018. So glad you're here. Basically, the entire United States has turned into Siberia, people are losing their damn minds, and a bomb cyclone storm is engulfing the country. Welcome.
This 6 AM PST temperature map shows bitter cold across much of the Lower 48. The only mild conditions exist across… https://t.co/zu6QbbHdsY
A short recap:
i’m done with winter. i’m done with being cold. i’m done brushing off my car every time i wanna go somewhere. im do… https://t.co/L1JeeypRBg
Everything is freezing.
Almost half of America woke up to temperatures below zero. We want to know how cold is it where you are and how are… https://t.co/rVdpubkuaR
Like the ocean.
Greetings from Far Rockaway WHERE THE ACTUAL OCEAN IS FREEZING
This is a beach in Savannah, Georgia, covered in snow.
Snowing on #Tybee!!! #Savannah @WSAV @KyleDennisWx @WSAVBenS @WSAVTinaTS
Waves are freezing in place.
Jan 2, 2018 - Lake Thunderbird, OK - Cool ice formations from waves splashing over the branches and freezing. #okwx
So is snot.
#FrozenAmerica it is so cold here my husband can make his own "snotsicles"
Thick blizzards are causing massive pileups.
JUST IN: Video of ~100 car pileup on I-90 outside #Buffalo - shot by Kadire Flowers
Cars are now ice hills.
Intersection of S. Wolfe & E. Lombard St. in #Baltimore...drivable but tricky. Some vehicles caked in ice. 😳❄️ #GMM2
I mean at least this person put their windshield wipers up.
Revere, Beachmont area, thanks Sharyn Woodman
Sharks are freezing to death.
It's so cold in Massachusetts that sharks are freezing to death: https://t.co/zo9Xx3Xqb4
Iguanas in Florida are apparently so cold they are falling out of trees.
It's so cold in Florida that iguanas are falling from their perches in suburban trees https://t.co/hVARp8LMkW
Elk were getting caught in freezing water.
Wyoming state officials and dozens of volunteers join forces to rescue several elk trapped on thin ice, pulling som… https://t.co/w6oLmWXa36
There are ICEBALLS on the shore. I'm sorry. This is insane.
These iceballs that form on the shores of freezing lakes in Michigan and Estonia are superweird and beautiful.… https://t.co/h3Ol1KGhPQ
States like Texas, Louisiana, and South Carolina are recording temperatures lower than Alaska.
Forecasters are projecting that places in Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida could see snow. It's been four years since the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for Florida.
Tallahassee under a Winter Storm Warning in North Florida as freezing rain, sleet, and snow intensifies by early We… https://t.co/D94jx5pTG7
This is snow. In South Carolina.
@ABCNews4 Isle Of Palms!
And Florida. NOPE.
I know I know it’s only snow... but this is Florida. Next is Big Foot
It's like the country has just frozen over. But WAIT. Because this is the world we live in, it's going to get even colder. Much colder. Frigid wind, sleet, and snow are slated to smack the East Coast this week, causing millions of people to question why they are not living in California.
What's more — because there's always MOAR — experts are calling this powerful winter storm a "bomb cyclone" brought on by rapidly falling pressures, which will bring mind-numbing cold to a large swath of the country.
All day Thursday meteorologists are going to be glued to the new GOES-East satellite watching a truly amazing extra… https://t.co/EBPlt59Mwk
I'm sorry, wut.
So, if central central pressure of a LOW drops twice the rate of "bombogenesis" is that "hyper-bombogenesis"?? GFS… https://t.co/nW7aCV4Lxd
So we asked weather experts to break this down for us. Here you go:
The winter storm is being described as a “bomb cyclone.” Yes, this is a real scientific term that's been around for decades and refers to a storm’s rapid intensification, meteorologist Ryan Maue told BuzzFeed News. If a storm’s central pressure drops 24 millibars or more in a 24 hour period, it’s known as a bomb or described as "bombing out."
The winter storm has other names, too: nor’easter or this other comforting one: a mid-latitude cyclone.
Surprisingly, winter cyclones aren’t exactly unprecedented, according to Jonathan Martin, a meteorology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. About 10 storms like this occur across the northern hemisphere every year, he said.
It’s possible this storm will set records for cold temperatures and snowfall in some areas, especially in the southeastern US. But these storms are unpredictable, said Martin, and “the jury is not in yet on where the storm is going to go.”
On Wednesday, the National Weather Service issued blizzard and winter storm warnings for a large chunk of the East Coast, from North Carolina to Maine.
Blizzard Warnings are now in effect along the coast from the Tidewater area of VA to southern Delmarva, eastern NJ,… https://t.co/lXWoWxmb4O
Regardless, people are mildly panicking.
No, but for real. How am I supposed to deal with a storm called "Bomb Cyclone?" HOW DOES ONE PREPARE? There ain't e… https://t.co/Ak74hix986
Taking it really well.
@njdotcom DO I NEED TO BUILD A SHELTER?bomb cyclone, oh my god.
Many are pointing out similarities to the movie, "The Day After Tomorrow," when the US basically ended.
Y'all remember when the plot to #TheDayAfterTomorrow was far-fetched? #BombCyclone #PolarVortex
And just when you thought things might be looking up...
*looking at 2018 planner* January 1: A new year! Good things around the corner! :) January 2: Buy groceries before bomb cyclone hits
...a bomb cyclone of snow brings ice INSIDE your windows.
#FrozenAmerica Condensation on the window? Nope how about ice on the inside of the window instead!!! #ilwx… https://t.co/rFsRhbUSAr
It's getting dire out there.
I’m freezing to death on this train & the dude next to me is straight up watching porn on his phone. At least one o… https://t.co/bD8AV66YiZ
No.
when you resort to putting drinks in the refrigerator to keep them from freezing, it's too fucking cold
It's already been a year.
2018 is not off to a good start. As a Korean American living in NYC I am now worried about a #BombCyclone and which… https://t.co/JeE2YZCwrF
And I leave you with this glass-half-full take. Good luck to the 92% of you not in California — we'll be thinking of you.
a "bomb cyclone" sounds like a pretty cool way to leave this earth, bring it on https://t.co/N8fabBO5ub
Zahra Hirji contributed to this report.