Hi there. Happy 2018. So glad you're here. Basically, the entire United States has turned into Siberia, people are losing their damn minds, and a bomb cyclone storm is engulfing the country. Welcome.
A short recap:
Everything is freezing.
Like the ocean.
This is a beach in Savannah, Georgia, covered in snow.
Waves are freezing in place.
So is snot.
Thick blizzards are causing massive pileups.
Cars are now ice hills.
I mean at least this person put their windshield wipers up.
Sharks are freezing to death.
Iguanas in Florida are apparently so cold they are falling out of trees.
Elk were getting caught in freezing water.
There are ICEBALLS on the shore. I'm sorry. This is insane.
States like Texas, Louisiana, and South Carolina are recording temperatures lower than Alaska.
Forecasters are projecting that places in Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida could see snow. It's been four years since the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for Florida.
This is snow. In South Carolina.
And Florida. NOPE.
It's like the country has just frozen over. But WAIT. Because this is the world we live in, it's going to get even colder. Much colder. Frigid wind, sleet, and snow are slated to smack the East Coast this week, causing millions of people to question why they are not living in California.
What's more — because there's always MOAR — experts are calling this powerful winter storm a "bomb cyclone" brought on by rapidly falling pressures, which will bring mind-numbing cold to a large swath of the country.
I'm sorry, wut.
So we asked weather experts to break this down for us. Here you go:
The winter storm is being described as a “bomb cyclone.” Yes, this is a real scientific term that's been around for decades and refers to a storm’s rapid intensification, meteorologist Ryan Maue told BuzzFeed News. If a storm’s central pressure drops 24 millibars or more in a 24 hour period, it’s known as a bomb or described as "bombing out."
The winter storm has other names, too: nor’easter or this other comforting one: a mid-latitude cyclone.
Surprisingly, winter cyclones aren’t exactly unprecedented, according to Jonathan Martin, a meteorology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. About 10 storms like this occur across the northern hemisphere every year, he said.
It’s possible this storm will set records for cold temperatures and snowfall in some areas, especially in the southeastern US. But these storms are unpredictable, said Martin, and “the jury is not in yet on where the storm is going to go.”
On Wednesday, the National Weather Service issued blizzard and winter storm warnings for a large chunk of the East Coast, from North Carolina to Maine.
Regardless, people are mildly panicking.
Taking it really well.
Many are pointing out similarities to the movie, "The Day After Tomorrow," when the US basically ended.
And just when you thought things might be looking up...
...a bomb cyclone of snow brings ice INSIDE your windows.
It's getting dire out there.
No.
It's already been a year.
And I leave you with this glass-half-full take. Good luck to the 92% of you not in California — we'll be thinking of you.
Zahra Hirji contributed to this report.