East Coast to be Slammed by 'Bomb Cyclone' made up of an Atmospheric River

East Coast to be Slammed by ‘Bomb Cyclone’ made up of an Atmospheric River

Storms will strengthen rapidly as they move northward from the United States to Canada at midweek.

Meteorologists believe the looming bomb cyclone will cause torrential rains and strong winds that could cause traffic jams, flooding, and power outages.

During Monday and Tuesday, parts of the southeast were hit with torrential downpours and tornado warnings due to the storm’s beginnings.

It began raining in the southeast on Tuesday night, then spread northward to soak central Appalachia, the mid-Atlantic, and southern New England.

Toward the upper mid-Atlantic coast, the storm will rapidly reorganize and intensify.

Winds will rush into the storm’s middle as the central pressure plummets, creating a giant vacuum in the atmosphere.

It is believed that this storm will produce a bomb cyclone if the central pressure drops by 0.71 of an inch (24 millibars) in 24 hours or less.

Rain intensity ranges from light (green) to intense (red) on Wednesday morning, Dec. 11, 2024. Weavers.

Heavy rain and strong winds will cause major travel delays along the Interstate 95 corridor on Wednesday.

The rain is going to act like a giant firehose and organize into a crawling squall that moves north to south and west to east.

An average of 1 to 4 inches of rain will fall, causing streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs to rise. Southeast Rainfall MaxTM is 6 inches, Northeast Rainfall MaxTM is 8 inches.

“The plume of moisture will likely spread from the northeast of the United States to the Caribbean Sea,” Rayno said.

Several airports may experience ground stops because of this advancing squall. Along Interstate 95, squalls can bring ponding, reduced visibility and thunder.

Until Wednesday night, fog alone will cause delays in some locations.

“A few tornadoes could occur in part of the mid-Atlantic on Wednesday,” Rayno said. Rain could cover the tornadoes, making them difficult to see.

Heavy rain will mostly fall east of the Great Lakes, but some downpours will reach northern New England.

Snowpacks of several inches cover the ground in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine where flooding is more likely.

Rapidly melting snow can cause up to 2 inches of liquid water to runoff and exacerbate life-threatening flooding, said AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter.

Uncleared snow roofs are also susceptible to rain. Roof failure could result from this added weight.

Rain alone can flood cities and small streams from Delmarva to New England even without snow on the ground, including Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Providence, Rhode Island, and Hartford, Connecticut.

Flooded roads can ruin vehicles and potentially put lives at risk. Despite no thunder or lightning, this storm can produce powerful wind gusts.

Wednesday afternoon to Wednesday evening will see the strongest winds along the Atlantic coast.

Wind gusts will frequently range from 50 to 70 mph in this zone, with an AccuWeather Local Storm Max TM gust of 85 mph.

West of the Appalachians, winds are likely to be light most of the time. Nevertheless, strong winds will range from 30-50 mph as the storm moves toward Canada and bombs out.

Atlantic Coast gusts are expected later Wednesday and Thursday. As the storm strengthens in the Midwest and Northeast, sporadic power outages are possible.

However, the greatest risk is to coastal regions of the Northeast and eastern New England.

Storm will have the impact of a hurricane or tropical storm in the Northeast coastal areas.

Holiday decorations, trash cans, recycling bins, tarps, and trampolines should be secured to prevent them from becoming airborne projectiles.

Storm’s moisture can be reabsorbed by Arctic air that rushes in from the Midwest.

From Wednesday night to Thursday, an early burst of snow can quickly cover the east coast of the Ohio and Tennessee valleys as well as the Appalachians.

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