Snowstorm Could Hit RI & New England Hard This Weekend - "Bomb Cyclone" Possible, Says AccuWeather

Snowstorm Could Hit RI & New England Hard This Weekend - "Bomb Cyclone" Possible, Says AccuWeather

A significant snowstorm could hit Rhode Island and New England starting this weekend. 

There is every indication that a storm will develop and strengthen off the southern Atlantic coast late this week, says AccuWeather, adding that the storm could "intensify enough from Friday to Saturday to be classified as a bomb cyclone as it moves northward toward New England."

"There's a snowstorm brewing for the East Coast this weekend," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.

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A bomb cyclone, or bombogenesis, occurs when the central pressure of a storm crashes by 0.71 of an inch (24 millibars) or greater within 24 hours.

When the pressure plummets, winds rush in toward the center of the storm at a faster pace. The winds can carry a great deal of moisture with them and unleash that in the form of copious amounts of precipitation. If the air is cold enough, heavy snow and blizzard conditions can unfold.

"The time of the year and the current pattern is ripe for an East Coast snowstorm this weekend," Rayno said.

Late January through early March are prime time for snowstorms in the coastal Northeast. There is usually a strong jet stream in place, and storms usually make the northward turn along the Atlantic coast. Colder waters compared to early January and December tend to allow storms to track in such a way as to raise the probability of heavy snow along the I-95 corridor, rather than moving too far to the west and causing rain or a wintry mix.

"Much of this winter, including the past two weeks, there have been multiple dips in the jet stream over the Midwest and Northeast. Most of the storms that have developed near the southern Atlantic coast have been pushed out to sea. The late-week pattern looks a little different in that the jet stream dip will orientate in such a way as to help guide the storm northward along the coast and not out to sea," Rayno explained.

Read more on AccuWeather here.