A potent storm known as a bomb cyclone, that swept across the East Coast on Wednesday has left over half a million customers without power on Thursday morning, as winds from the back side of the storm system continue to whip across the region.
As the storm underwent rapid strengthening, it unleashed drenching rain, hurricane-force winds and even some high-elevation snow to the northeastern United States. The storm packed a heavy punch with travel disruptions, tree damage, coastal flooding in addition to the power outages.
The storm strengthened at a fast enough pace into Thursday to be classified as a bomb cyclone. For a storm to meet bomb cyclone criteria, the barometric pressure has to fall at least 24 millibars, or 0.71 of an inch of Mercury, in 24 hours. On Wednesday, AccuWeather meteorologist Jesse Ferrell predicated that this storm may allow new pressure records to fall.
At least one weather record was broken as areas when Providence, Rhode Island, set a new monthly record reaching 976.3 mb at 3:54 a.m. Thursday. October records were also set in Boston and Concord, New Hampshire.
“NOAA lists records which are over 980 mb for stations in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts New Hampshire, and southern Maine.” Ferrell said on Wednesday.
Since winds on the front side of the storm were from the east or southeast, instead of the northeast for New England, the system is not being considered as a true nor’easter.
