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| Northeast ‘Bomb Cyclone’: Powerful Winds Knock Out Power to 500,000 | Northeast ‘Bomb Cyclone’: Powerful Winds Knock Out Power to 500,000 |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| BOSTON — Utility poles snapped, cruise ships sought shelter, boats broke from their moorings, trees were uprooted, and more than 500,000 customers in New England were without power early Thursday as winds gusting up to 90 miles an hour swept up the East Coast. | BOSTON — Utility poles snapped, cruise ships sought shelter, boats broke from their moorings, trees were uprooted, and more than 500,000 customers in New England were without power early Thursday as winds gusting up to 90 miles an hour swept up the East Coast. |
| Meteorologists described the storm as a “bomb cyclone,” sometimes known as a “winter hurricane,” which occurs when atmospheric pressure drops especially dramatically — by 24 millibars in 24 hours. | |
| A bomb cyclone can happen when a mass of warm air meets with a mass of cold air, and the air starts to move, with the rotation of the earth creating a cyclonic effect. The direction is counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, leading to winds that come out of the northeast — a Nor’easter. | A bomb cyclone can happen when a mass of warm air meets with a mass of cold air, and the air starts to move, with the rotation of the earth creating a cyclonic effect. The direction is counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, leading to winds that come out of the northeast — a Nor’easter. |
| The storm strengthened quickly as it moved up the coastline, and atmospheric pressure dropped from 1000 millibars to 975.3 millibars, said Benjamin Sipprell, a meteorologist based in Boston for the National Weather Service. | |
| A steep pressure drop of that kind can even affect the human body, causing headaches or flare-ups in pre-existing injuries, he said. Boston had its lowest atmospheric pressure on record for the month of October, according to the Weather Service. Pressure has been recorded in the city since 1872. | |
| The highest winds, of 90 miles an hour, were recorded early Thursday in Provincetown, Mass., and gusts of 70 and 80 miles an hour were buffeting parts of Cape Cod, according to Christopher Besse, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. | The highest winds, of 90 miles an hour, were recorded early Thursday in Provincetown, Mass., and gusts of 70 and 80 miles an hour were buffeting parts of Cape Cod, according to Christopher Besse, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. |
| As of 8:15 a.m., around 225,000 customers in Massachusetts were without power, mostly because trees or tree limbs had crashed down, snapping power lines. | As of 8:15 a.m., around 225,000 customers in Massachusetts were without power, mostly because trees or tree limbs had crashed down, snapping power lines. |
| Firefighters in Duxbury, around 35 miles southeast of Boston, published photographs of trees that had crashed onto roads and through the roofs of houses. | |
| “No school in Duxbury today!” the Fire Department announced at 5:26 a.m. | “No school in Duxbury today!” the Fire Department announced at 5:26 a.m. |
| Two cruise ships, the AIDAdiva and the Mein Schiff 1, sought shelter in Portland Harbor on Wednesday, as the storm approached Maine, said Jessica Grondin, a city spokeswoman. Two others, Norwegian Dawn and Seven Seas Navigator, sheltered at Ipswich Bay, Mass., said Petty Officer Nicole Groll, a Coast Guard spokeswoman, | Two cruise ships, the AIDAdiva and the Mein Schiff 1, sought shelter in Portland Harbor on Wednesday, as the storm approached Maine, said Jessica Grondin, a city spokeswoman. Two others, Norwegian Dawn and Seven Seas Navigator, sheltered at Ipswich Bay, Mass., said Petty Officer Nicole Groll, a Coast Guard spokeswoman, |
| Beginning at daylight, the Coast Guard began getting reports of boats that had broken from their moorings “from Rhode Island all the way up to Maine,” Ms. Groll said. She estimated their number as “more than 10 and less than 100,” and said the Coast Guard would track down their owners if they had drifted a great distance. | Beginning at daylight, the Coast Guard began getting reports of boats that had broken from their moorings “from Rhode Island all the way up to Maine,” Ms. Groll said. She estimated their number as “more than 10 and less than 100,” and said the Coast Guard would track down their owners if they had drifted a great distance. |
| An Amtrak Downeaster train, which runs between Brunswick, Maine and Boston, was canceled at 6:31 a.m. because of downed trees on the track, said Jason Abrams, an Amtrak spokesman. Service resumed after they were cleared. | An Amtrak Downeaster train, which runs between Brunswick, Maine and Boston, was canceled at 6:31 a.m. because of downed trees on the track, said Jason Abrams, an Amtrak spokesman. Service resumed after they were cleared. |
| In New York, the storm mainly hit north of New York City, in Westchester County, where about 3,000 customers were still without power on Thursday morning, according to Con Edison. An additional 800 customers in Queens also lost power. | In New York, the storm mainly hit north of New York City, in Westchester County, where about 3,000 customers were still without power on Thursday morning, according to Con Edison. An additional 800 customers in Queens also lost power. |
| Storm damage was widespread in Connecticut, especially shoreline towns in the southeast corner of the state. | Storm damage was widespread in Connecticut, especially shoreline towns in the southeast corner of the state. |
| “I’m looking at the map right now and I don’t see a single town that isn’t affected one way or another,” said Frank Poirot, spokesman for Eversource, a power company serving more than a million customers Massachusetts and Connecticut each, and more than half a million in New Hampshire. | “I’m looking at the map right now and I don’t see a single town that isn’t affected one way or another,” said Frank Poirot, spokesman for Eversource, a power company serving more than a million customers Massachusetts and Connecticut each, and more than half a million in New Hampshire. |
| Strong winds whipped up the coast of Southern Maine, gusting up to 60 miles an hour, said Kathleen Rusley, a spokeswoman for Maine’s Emergency Management Agency, who herself encountered strong wind and rain on her drive to work. | Strong winds whipped up the coast of Southern Maine, gusting up to 60 miles an hour, said Kathleen Rusley, a spokeswoman for Maine’s Emergency Management Agency, who herself encountered strong wind and rain on her drive to work. |
| “I’m trying to think of the correct word, I don’t want to use the word ‘exciting,’” she said. “It was pretty dynamic.” | “I’m trying to think of the correct word, I don’t want to use the word ‘exciting,’” she said. “It was pretty dynamic.” |
| Nearly 200,000 customers in Maine were without power, but no injuries had been reported, she said. | Nearly 200,000 customers in Maine were without power, but no injuries had been reported, she said. |
| There was some grumbling this week because, in some places, the storm dislodged autumn leaves just as they reached their most vivid tones, leaving them in damp mounds on the ground. | There was some grumbling this week because, in some places, the storm dislodged autumn leaves just as they reached their most vivid tones, leaving them in damp mounds on the ground. |
| Loose items, like roof awnings and Halloween decorations, also went flying. But the vast amount of damage was done by falling trees, including large ones that were uprooted by the force of the winds. Social media on Thursday was flooded with photographs of downed trees and tangled utility poles. | |
| One of the most spectacular images was captured by a man in Biddeford, Maine, who recorded the explosion of a transformer outside his home at 5:30 a.m., in what looked like a Fourth of July fireworks display. | One of the most spectacular images was captured by a man in Biddeford, Maine, who recorded the explosion of a transformer outside his home at 5:30 a.m., in what looked like a Fourth of July fireworks display. |
| Azi Paybarah contributed reporting from New York. | Azi Paybarah contributed reporting from New York. |