'Bomb Cyclone' To Clobber Long Island With Snow, Powerful Winds

UPDATE: Hour-By-Hour 'Bomb Cyclone' Snowstorm Forecast

You know things are getting serious when you hear the term "bomb cyclone" being thrown around. But it's apparently a real thing that is about to cause some major problems up and down the East Coast.

Essentially a winter hurricane, the "bomb cyclone" is expected to form off the coast of Florida on Wednesday, according to the Washington Post. Parts of northern Florida are under a winter storm warning, the first such warning issued in Florida in nearly four years.

Snow arrives on Long Island early Thursday. The worst of the storm is expected to hit parts of New England, but snow total estimates continue to rise locally. Stay tuned for updates on the storm and sign up for Patch news and weather alerts if you aren't already subscribed.

A winter storm watch will be in effect all day Thursday for Suffolk County, where 5-8 inches of snow is likely to accumulate. Near-blizzard conditions are possible in Suffolk during the afternoon and evening as winds gust up to 40 mph, causing blowing and drifting snow.

Nassau County is expected to see 4-6 inches of snow and wind gusts could also approach 40 mph along the coast.

There's about a 40-50 percent chance of more than six inches of snow accumulating across the island. There's a 10 percent chance of a foot of snow or more, according to the latest snowfall total estimate maps from the National Weather Service.

What does that all mean: incredibly poor visibility on the roadways. It's almost a guarantee at this point that most local schools will either be closed or dismissed early on Thursday.

The snow should end by Thursday night, but it won't be melting anytime soon. The high temperature on Friday will be around 15 degrees. It will be even colder on Saturday with a high near 11. The predicted wind chill temperature at 8 a.m. Saturday: 15 degrees below zero.

Also Watch: Severe Cold Continues To Assault Large Portions Of The US

The full forecast:

Tuesday Night- Clear, with a low around 16. Wind chill values between 5 and 10. West wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Wednesday- Sunny, with a high near 29. Wind chill values between 5 and 15. West wind 6 to 9 mph becoming south in the afternoon.

Wednesday Night- Snow likely, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a steady temperature around 27. Wind chill values between 15 and 25. Southeast wind 5 to 11 mph becoming north after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Thursday- Snow. Steady temperature around 26. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. Blustery, with a north wind 16 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.

Thursday Night- A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly before 10pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 10. Blustery, with a northwest wind 22 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph.

Friday- Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 15. Breezy.

Friday Night- Partly cloudy, with a low around 3. Blustery.

Saturday- Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 11.

Saturday Night- Mostly clear, with a low around 5.

Main image: Source: windy.com