Blizzard blanketing East Coast likely to become bomb cyclone

The first major blizzard to hit the region in four years struck the northeastern United States Friday night. By Saturday afternoon, up to two feet of snow had blanketed Boston in what AccuWeather predicted could turn out to be the biggest snowstorm ever to hit the city; over 80,000 Massachusetts homes were without power; and airlines had canceled more than 5,000 U.S. flights, BBC reported.

Amtrak service along the Boston-to-Washington corridor was suspended or limited, and five states declared emergencies. Wind gusts of up to 75mph lashed parts of the coast.

The National Weather Service in Boston said travel "should be restricted to emergencies only" and that anyone who must travel should prepare for the possibility of becoming stranded, a warning that was echoed up and down the East Coast, The Associated Press reported.

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According to Business Insider, "Forecasters said [the storm is] developing bombogenesis conditions ... eventually leading to the formation of a bomb cyclone."

The New York Times explains that "the barometric pressure must drop by at least 24 millibars in 24 hours for a storm to be called a bomb cyclone." The drop in barometric pressure combined with the Earth's rotation create a cyclone that produces a nor'easter — a storm with winds coming from the northeast.

The storm is expected to subside by Sunday morning.