Officials and meteorologists along the East Coast have alerted the public to a severe blizzard bringing powerful winds and significant snow accumulation, cautioning residents due to the storm’s “” characteristics.

On Monday morning, reports from CNN Weather and FOX Weather indicated the storm had developed into a “”, a phrase used by weather experts to describe a cyclone that strengthens quickly, defined as a vast rotating air mass centered on an area of low pressure.

Forecasters had already expressed concern about the winter storm’s possible destructive effects before it gained strength. Cody Snell of the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center noted that although the U.S. is familiar with —powerful coastal storms known for heavy snow and broad impacts—”it’s been several years since we saw one of this magnitude across this large of a region in this very populated part of the country.”

By Sunday night, storm-related alerts were in effect for over 65 million individuals, nearly 20% of the nation’s population, according to the . Approximately 35 million people, more than 10% of Americans, from to , were under blizzard warnings.

‘Bombing out’

AccuWeather meteorologists had previously forecast that the storm would undergo “bombing out” early Monday.

This intensification occurred through “bombogenesis,” a process where a cyclone’s atmospheric pressure plunges within 24 hours, leading to fiercer winds and more intense precipitation—here, snow. While bomb cyclones can form in any season, they are most common in fall and winter when frigid Arctic air collides with warmer air masses.

The criteria for “bombogenesis” differs based on location. The states that at New York City’s latitude, a pressure decrease of roughly 17.8 millibars is necessary.

The combination of heavy snow and strong winds is anticipated to topple trees and disrupt electrical lines. Data from as of 8:30 a.m. ET showed more than 500,000 customers without power, predominantly in Massachusetts and New Jersey.

The show cannot go on

East Coast state leaders have issued emergency declarations to address the impending danger.

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill stated this late-February storm could be the most severe the state has experienced since the , which was the last occasion blizzard warnings were activated for all 21 counties. During that event, Newark recorded 28 inches of snow, according to .

At a Saturday press conference, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the National Weather Service had issued its first blizzard warning for New York City since 2017 and the first for Long Island since 2022. Hochul cautioned Long Island residents a day before the snow started that the event might be “historic,” the “vulnerability is great,” and advised preparing for potential flooding and a “very dangerous situation.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, having declared a local state of emergency, said during a Sunday briefing that the city has “not faced a storm of this scale in the last decade.” He added that if predictions of up to two feet of snow prove accurate, this storm would enter the city’s top 10 snowfalls.

Although major snow events are not uncommon for the city—a substantial January storm, for example, left in Central Park—the forecast for this February storm rivals past benchmarks. A snowstorm in February 2006 blanketed New York City with . A decade later, in January 2016, a winter storm deposited on Central Park, setting a record for the heaviest snowfall since 1869.

The intense snowfall and associated travel bans have brought much of the city to a halt, with Broadway performances also canceled Sunday evening.