Is another snow storm bringing a ‘bomb cyclone’ to Mass.? Here’s what we know
Is Massachusetts about to be pummeled by another snowstorm?
Just days after some cities and towns saw more than two feet of snow in the biggest storm since 2022, forecasters are pointing to conditions off the coast that could signal another round of heavy snow and extreme weather conditions for Southern New England.
Torry Dooley, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said he is eyeing another storm that could hit Massachusetts this weekend.
"At this point, we want people to be aware of the potential for another coastal storm sometime in the Sunday to Monday timeframe," Dooley said.
Dooley said no storm has taken shape yet and that models are projecting ahead based on current conditions, but a consensus is forming among forecasters that a low-pressure area over the ocean could bring gusty winds, coastal flooding and snow — if the storm tracks toward New England.
There is also a chance it stays out to sea, which would greatly lessen the impact.
"There is still much uncertainty with how close or how far offshore the storm actually passes," Dooley said. "If the storm were to pass further offshore, it's maybe a glancing blow to Southern New England. If the storm were to track closer to New England, we could see higher-end snowfall, gusty winds and the potential for coastal flooding. Those are the two extremes."
Dooley said it's important for residents to continue monitoring weather forecasts. Models are still uncertain, but forecasts should become more reliable within 48 to 72 hours of the event.
By Thursday evening, forecasters should have a good idea of whether Bay Staters should brace for more stormy weather.
Adam Frederick, a New Hampshire-based amateur meteorologist of 20 years known as the New England Weather Guy to more than 135,000 social media followers, is also sounding alarms for storm potential, forecasting a possible bomb cyclone .
"Think of it as a winter hurricane," he wrote in a post Monday night. "We are talking high winds, heavy snow, blizzard conditions, power outages. It is a very large storm."
As a technical term, a "bomb cyclone" is a storm that has a central pressure drop by at least 24 millibars in 24 hours or less, according to NWS Boston. Essentially, a bomb cyclone is created when rapidly dropping pressure creates high-intensity winds and therefore, a potentially damaging storm. The storms can begin all on their own as the "rotation of the Earth causes a cyclonic effect," according to the New York Times .
The largest nontropical bomb cyclone to happen since 1958 took place over the northern Pacific Ocean a little over two years ago, in 2020 through 2021 on New Year's Eve, according to The Washington Post . The storm's pressure had dropped to 921 millibars on New Year's Eve — lower than extreme cyclones that formed in the same vicinity of the northern Pacific in 2014 and 2015, the Post wrote. The storm was also the strongest storm on record to hit Alaska, the Post said.
Massachusetts is still shoveling out from under a massive winter storm that dropped 26 inches of snow in Ipswich, 24 inches in Central Massachusetts and 20 inches in Boston. It was the state's highest recorded snowfall for a winter storm since 2022.
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