Bomb Cyclone Buries Southeast in Heavy Snow and Cold

A powerful bomb cyclone hit the Southeast on Saturday, dropping heavy snow on parts of the Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia while bringing bitter cold to the entire East Coast. The storm, which started forming Friday night, rapidly strengthened off the coast, packing strong winds and leading to blizzard conditions in areas not used to such weather.

Background

The East Coast has faced back-to-back winter storms. Last week, an icy storm left tens of thousands of homes and businesses without power from Texas to New Jersey. That event caused more than 100 deaths, with about half in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Some deaths came from hypothermia, while others involved carbon monoxide exposure from improper heating. Power outages lingered into this weekend as the new storm arrived.

This bomb cyclone formed as a low-pressure system off the Southeast coast. Meteorologists call it a bomb cyclone because its pressure dropped sharply—at least 24 millibars in 24 hours—much like a hurricane intensifying. The storm pulled in moisture from the Atlantic, fueling heavy snow and high winds. Unlike the previous storm, which had little wind, this one brought gusts up to 40 miles per hour, making conditions worse with wind chills near zero or below.

Areas like the southern Appalachians saw their first big snow of the season. North Carolina, Georgia, and southern Virginia, which rarely get heavy accumulations, braced for impacts. The storm's path remained uncertain early on, with models showing it could track inland toward the I-95 corridor or veer out to sea. By Saturday, it focused on the Southeast before moving north.

Key Details

Snowfall varied by location. Parts of the Carolinas and Georgia picked up 6 to 10 inches, with some spots in north-central North Carolina and southeastern Virginia seeing 6 inches or more. Even 1 inch caused big problems in these warmer areas, where roads turn slick fast. Atlanta got a coating to 1 inch, enough to snarl flights and highways.

Blizzard Conditions and Winds

Blizzard warnings hit the Carolinas, where heavy snow mixed with winds reduced visibility to near zero. The storm strengthened Saturday along the mid-Atlantic coast, affecting areas from North Carolina to Massachusetts. Strong winds raised seas, causing coastal flooding and beach erosion in places like North Carolina's Outer Banks. In Dare County, empty homes in Rodanthe and Buxton faced collapse risks into the ocean from pounding waves.

Travel ground to a halt. Major airports from Charlotte to Boston saw delays and cancellations. Interstates like I-95, I-85, I-81, I-77, I-64, and I-40 became treacherous. Nashville, still recovering from last week's ice, expected a few more inches Friday into Saturday.

Temperatures plunged. West Virginia hit minus 27 degrees Fahrenheit Saturday morning. Cold air pushed south, even into Florida, threatening citrus crops and strawberries. Wind chills made it feel much colder across the Midwest and East.

States mobilized. In North Carolina, hundreds of National Guard members stood ready to assist. State workers salted roads and cleared paths. Residents stocked up on propane for heat. At a gas station in Wake Forest, people lined up despite the chill.

"I'm here in this cold weather, and I don't like it," said José Rosa, holding a 20-pound propane tank after failing to find fuel elsewhere.

Power crews worked around the clock, but tens of thousands stayed in the dark. The storm added to the strain from last week's outages.

What This Means

The bomb cyclone marks a shift in winter patterns. Arctic air has locked in over the East through mid-February, with below-normal temperatures and little warmup. Florida's cold snap could damage agriculture, hitting strawberries and citrus hard. Coastal areas face erosion that may take months to repair.

Travel disruptions will last days. Airlines canceled hundreds of flights, stranding passengers. Highways closed in spots, slowing emergency responses. Schools and businesses shut down, with remote work or closures extending into next week.

More storms loom. Another system could arrive by the end of the first week of February. The pattern of cold air dives and warm Atlantic water keeps feeding these events. From D.C. to New York, uncertainty remains on exact snow totals, but a 50-mile shift in the storm's path could mean the difference between a dusting and a foot.

Residents in the Southeast, unaccustomed to blizzards, learned quick lessons. Plows worked overtime on unfamiliar terrain. Heating demands spiked, raising risks of carbon monoxide poisoning. Officials urged safe practices, like cracking windows when using generators.

The East Coast digs out while watching the sky. Cold lingers, and the next front builds. Power restoration could take weeks in hard-hit spots. National Guard presence expands if needed, focusing on food delivery and welfare checks. Beaches battered by waves may see long-term changes to shorelines.

In the Carolinas, snow piled high on roofs not built for weight. Virginia's southern areas shoveled out, eyes on flooding from melting. Georgia drivers slid on fresh ice, a rare sight. The storm's legacy is disruption in places that dream of spring year-round.