bomb cyclone eastern US december 2022 blizzards hard freeze warning
© Ben Garver/The Berkshire Eagle
A bomb cyclone is expected to sweep the Midwest as temperatures will drop to near record lows in unlikely areas of the country, including the Sunshine State.

The blizzard will turn into a "bomb cyclone" as it sweeps the Midwest and Great Lakes region of the U.S. "Bomb cyclone" comes from the term "bombogenesis," which is used to describe the phenomenon of a storm's central pressure dropping at least 24 millibars in a 24 hour time period, according to Fox Weather.

The Weather Channel, specifically, warns of "rapid intensification possible in the Midwest beginning Thursday evening":





The National Weather Service is warning of "bitter cold and life-threatening wind chills over the northern Plains to surge southward today and swing towards the East Coast on Friday."


And while the storm will come with snow and rain, experts say the bitter cold will stand as one of the biggest threats, creating hazardous conditions. In fact, Wind Chill Warnings and Wind Chill Watches, at the time of the advisory, spanned 26 states. Further, it warns that wind chill values "could drop as low as minus 70 degrees throughout parts of the central High Plains" alone.

Per the NWS Weather Prediction Center:
The most widespread weather hazard over the next few days will be associated with the extremely cold airmass set to spread across the central and eastern two-thirds of the Nation. Wind Chill Warnings and Wind Chill Watches currently stretch from the U.S.-Canadian border to the Texas Gulf Coast, including portions of at least 26 states.

These headlines have been issued to highlight the dangerous and for some places record-breaking cold temperatures. Wind chill values could drop as low as minus 70 degrees throughout parts of the central High Plains. Widespread wind chills below zero are forecast to extend as far south as Texas and parts of the DeepSouth through the end of the week, as well as near the major cities across the Northeast. Cold of this magnitude could lead to frostbite on exposed skin within minutes, as well as hypothermia and death if exposure is prolonged. Livestock interests will also be severely impacted and dangers could be exacerbated if power outages occur.
In other words, the storm system is expected to bring in extremely cold temperatures throughout the country, reaching as south as Florida, as some areas of the state could see a hard freeze three nights in a row:



Some airlines, such as United Airlines, are offering travel waivers as a result of the massive winter storm.