Winter Storm Grayson brings 'whiteout conditions' to East Coast

Winter Storm Grayson buffeted the U.S. East Coast on Thursday, bringing blizzard-like conditions to several states. The storm, colloquially referred to as a "bomb cyclone" because of its rapidly plummeting pressure system, has brought snow showers and intense winds in locations as far south as North Carolina and as far north as Maine.

The National Weather Service advised that coastal areas of New Jersey and Delaware could experience "whiteout conditions," which The Weather Channel defines as "heavy snow and wind gust from 45 to 60 mph." Snow was rapidly blanketing New York's John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports Thursday morning, and blizzard warnings are in effect up and down the coast, The Weather Channel reports.

Wired notes that the storm is predicted to "explode up the East Coast" through Friday, bringing heavy snowfall as well as wind speeds akin to a Category 3 hurricane. "Grayson isn’t your typical bombogenerator," Wired explains. "It’s what happens when everything comes together just right (or just wrong)."

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