A POWERFUL "bomb cyclone" storm is on course to hit central and eastern parts of the United States this week and could impact the weekend.
The winter storm, named Winter Storm Quinlan by the Weather Channel, could bring heavy rain, thunderstorms, high winds, snow, and a blast of cold to the Eastern US in particular, AccuWeather reported.
"Confidence is growing for a significant storm that will bring wide-reaching impacts," AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex DaSilva said.
Parts of eastern Oklahoma to western portions of Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee, plus northern parts of Mississippi and Alabama could see a few inches of snow.
A bomb cyclone, also known as bombogenesis, "occurs when a mid-latitude cyclone rapidly intensifies," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Read our Winter Storm Quinlan path tracker blog for the latest updates…
- Josie Rhodes Cook
When will the storm end?
Winter Storm Quinlan is expected to be fast-moving.
It likely won’t last long, with rain quickly tapering off by Saturday night.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Lots of snow in the Northeast
The interior Northeast will see the worst of the weather onSaturday and could see half a foot of snow as part of Winter Storm Quinlan.
Northeast Pennsylvania through much of interior New York, Vermont, northern New Hampshire, and inland Maine are likely to see the majority of flurries.
However, no accurate snowfall forecasts have been made just yet.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Possible tornadoes
Parts of Florida, Georgia, and the eastern Carolinas could see a small tornado threat emerge Friday night into Saturday as part of the developing storm.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Winds in the DC area
The cold front will bring rain and possible thunderstorms to the mid-Atlantic Saturday morning as part of Winter Storm Quinlan.
Those downpours will also bring pockets of gusty winds along the front, with forecasters noting those winds are due to hit between 6am to 10am on Saturday, affecting the area between Washington and Baltimore.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Hurricane-level winds
Hurricane winds could develop over the Atlantic Ocean and Canadian Maritimes as part of Winter Storm Quinlan.
Widespread gusts are expected to reach more than 40mph.
And some localized gusts could hit 50 to 60mph, especially near coastal areas in the Northeast, on Saturday.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Merging storm patterns
The jet stream will be forced southward later this week as two disturbances, one in the Southwest and another over southern Canada merge over the Midwest.
This will drag bitterly-cold air toward the East Coast this weekend.
That will clear the way for a more robust disturbance to move southeast out of northern Canada on Friday, traveling over the Great Lakes and hitting New York, Pennsylvania, and New England.
The third disturbance is then expected to merge with the previous two, creating an area of low pressure and the formation of coastal storms along the East Coast, and that low-pressure zone is forecast to strengthen speedily enough to be classified as a “bomb cyclone”.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Plummeting temperatures
The cold air moving south from Canada will cause temperatures to plummet in the United States during Winter Storm Quinlan.
Forecasters are saying it could be 15-40 degrees colder than normal in the Rockies, the Plains, and the Midwest by Friday morning.
The Great Lakes, the Mississippi Valley, and the South could see a similar drop on Saturday morning, and the East Coast might by Sunday morning, too.
Minneapolis could see temperatures in single figures Friday.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Damaging winds
Wind gusts could vary between 40-50mph in the Mid-Atlantic as well as the Northeast during Winter Storm Quinlan.
AccuWeather predicts "gusty thunderstorms" will be part of this storm.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Snow on the way
Significant amounts of snowfall are forecast and blizzard conditions could develop in some areas of the United States as a result of Winter Storm Quinlan.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Blast of cold
An Arctic front is predicted to sweep in toward the East Coast late Friday and last into the weekend thanks to the winter storm.
Strong winds and plummeting temperatures are due to stretch from the central Appalachians to the interior Northeast.
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