A storm known as a ‘bomb cyclone’ knocked out all power and disrupted all travel in New England. The storm has now passed Southern New England, and the current pressure is equivalent to a category 2 hurricane.

A ‘bomb cyclone’ is a storm that strengthens rapidly. To earn this title, its pressure must drop 24 millibars (a unit that measures pressure) within the span of 24 hours. The word “bomb” in ‘bomb cyclone’ is used because of the explosive power these storms derive from rapid pressure drops.

More than 500,000 people in Maine and New York are without electricity. At least 60 flights have been cancelled in several airports in Maine and New York, and more delays and cancellations expected throughout this weekend.

Wind gusts of 60-70 mph are expected to hit New England for much of Saturday, while New York City, Boston, Portland may feel wind speeds of at least 50 mph.

Province town, on Massachusetts’s Cape Cod, already has been hit with wind speeds around 90 mph. Boston Logan had recorded winds of 70 mph overnight into Saturday, and winds among Mount Washington in New Hampshire were clocked at 125 mph.

The storm now hammering the Northeast blew well past meteorologists’ standard, its pressure dropped 24 millibars in just 14 hours and plummeted 35 millibars in 24 hours. The system broke low-pressure records for October in Boston. The storm’s heaviest rain fell upon upstate New York, where up to 6 inches was recorded. The mid-Atlantic states and much of the Northeast got to about 4 inches of rain total.

This storm is breaking low-pressure records for this month. This storm will be hitting throughout the weekend and part of next week.