Bomb Cyclone Affects East Coast

Bomb Cyclone Affects East Coast

By Kristine Li and Pradipti Lama

        A bomb cyclone or bombogenesis, an enormous snow blizzard, is a natural disaster. The blizzard started around December 26th, from Florida up to New England. A bomb cyclone happens when powered by a rapid plunge in the barometric pressure. This carries high winds and thick snowfall. If you had once lived in a cold climate or lived where snow falls regularly, you’ll understand that it is completely different from climate in San Francisco. The people in the East Coast, who have never experienced with snow, are troubled by the sudden temperature drops.

        People who do decide to stay inside all day could be enjoying the storm. As Wa Kun, a sixth grader here at Marina says, “I’d just stay home all day and play video games.” Those who'd rather enjoy themselves indoors have no reason to be yelled at. The freezing temperatures could be potentially dangerous as temperatures in the East Coast are dramatically below average, while in the West Coast and the rest of the world, it’s abnormally warmer. For example, half of Texas snowed from about half an inch to seven inches, while the other half was experiencing temperatures hotter than usual.

        Although quite a few people are concerned a bomb cyclone will hit the bay area, they’d be very excited since there hasn’t been snow in almost half a century. Rachel Leung, a seventh grader said, “I am worried that San Francisco is not ready for a snow blizzard, for me I would probably scream then die. But, I think we should be prepared because anything could happen in San Francisco.” Mentioned in Rachel’s idea, we also believe that San Francisco is not ready for a snow blizzard but we should be prepared since anything could happen. So, make sure you have warm clothes, stay indoors at all times, and wear many layers while making sure they are light-weighted.

        This may not seem true, but 26 people have actually died in this event. Some due to sliding off of the slippery roads and some due to hypothermia. Hypothermia is when your body loses heat quicker than one could produce. The few that died by sliding off of the icy roads either died by impact, or could have died because of the cold exposure after slipping off. This disaster have cause quite a few deaths in the East Coast has varied incidents.

        This storm has already brought in destruction for these states. Some roads are being closed down because of the ice. A few thousands of flights have been delayed, and some have also been completely abandoned. Many electrical wires broke down and needs repairing along with many other utility lines. The winds of the bomb cyclone also brought in high tides which led to a flood in Boston. The flood stranded tons cars and flooded into many crowded buildings.