A powerful storm tearing across the US could transform into a “bomb cyclone” over the Great Lakes and the Northeast right in time for New Year’s travel, forecasters warned.
The weather system swept across the Great Lakes on Monday, ushering in dangerous whiteout blizzard conditions and lake-enhanced snow, Bob Larson, a senior meteorologist with Accuweather, told The Post.
As it passes over the warmer lake waters, the storm may experience bombogenesis, a rapidly deepening area of low pressure that creates severe weather conditions.
“It’s a phrase that was coined several years back, basically it’s used to describe a rapidly intensifying storm, or a cyclone if you will, with explosive development, hence the ‘bomb’,” said Larson.
With millions of Americans traveling during the holiday week, winter weather could disrupt travel as a dangerous post-holiday storm sweeps across the Northern Tier. AP
The storm will move today through Tuesday, and portions of the Northern Tier have already seen inches of snow and strong winds, according to reports. AP
Upwards of 40 million people are under various winter weather alerts as the storm tracks across the Midwest, up into Canada and then back down into the Northeast.
Many of the storm warnings are expected to remain active through Tuesday, on top of high wind alerts issued for a staggering 114 million people across the East Coast.
Larson said the lake effect snow pushed into Buffalo, which also saw 79 mph winds Monday. Other cities east of Lake Ontario, like Syracuse, will see anywhere between 6 to 12 inches of snow.
More than 300,000 people nationwide have lost power, most notably in Michigan, with just over 78,000 customers. More than 15,500 people lost power in Buffalo, according to the National Grid’s power outage map.
The FOX Forecast Center says the storm’s rapid intensification will tighten the pressure gradient, generating powerful winds. FOX Weather
Scenes from a snowstorm that was due to drop anywhere from 6 to 10 inches of snow in the New York City metro area, as seen in Paramus, NJ, in the early hours of December 27, 2025. Christopher Sadowski
Ahead of the front, rain will spread across the Northeast today, as many areas, including the I-95 corridor, remain above freezing, limiting snow chances for the majority of the region. APHe said that the New York City-area likely won’t see much more snow beyond an “odd flurry” or two, but a wind advisory will remain in effect through Tuesday.
“By the time you get closer to the East Coast, it’s the wind and the cold more than anything else,” Larson said.
Larson said that the colder weather is “going to be an issue” for the Northeast that could persist through the end of January.
“This is not just a fleeting push of cold weather, now that it’s returning it’ll be cold through this week and what follows,” Larson said.
“This is going to hold for at least the first week of January.”
