Science

Tips on How to Survive the "Bomb Cyclone"

Jan 4, 2018

The “Bomb Cyclone” whipped the East Coast Thursday, with winds of up to 60 mph and snow falling at the rate of two inches per hour. One meteorologist told Cheddar the arctic blast dubbed “Grayson” is even more powerful than 1993’s “Storm of the Century.” “Fortunately is located just off-shore, so we are not seeing the very worst of it,” said Bob Henson, blogger at Weather Underground. “It’s also moving so quickly that the snowfall amounts, the totals, are not going to be as high as they were in that 1993 storm. However, the winds are going to be hellacious.” The 1993 storm caused the equivalent of $9.3 billion in damages from the Deep South through the East Coast. But this year’s blizzard, despite its ominous-sounding descriptor, may be less scary than it sounds. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration notes the term “Bomb Cyclone” comes from the term “bombogenesis,” which describes pressures that drop to at least 24 millibars over 24 hours. Still, Henson points out, Grayson has already claimed some victims. “We just had a couple of fatalities in North Carolina of people out on the roads and their trucks slid of the roads,” he said. He added that the cold temperatures can also be deadly. In order to stay safe, Henson suggests staying in a warm place, avoiding travel, and keeping off the road as the most important steps. For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/climate-changes-role-in-winter-storm-grayson).