United States of America

'Bomb Cyclone' Hits US With Blizzards, 350K Power Outages

Is climate science cherry-picking disasters, or are warming oceans and atmosphere genuinely intensifying extreme weather events like "bomb cyclones"?

Published DEC 30 2025

'Bomb Cyclone' Hits US With Blizzards, 350K Power Outages

Story

Above: A man shovels snow in Brooklyn after an overnight storm in New York City on Dec. 27, 2025. Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The Facts

A "bomb cyclone" — a rapidly intensifying storm marked by a sharp drop in atmospheric pressure — moved across the northern United States on Monday, bringing blizzard conditions, heavy snow and strong winds to the Midwest and Great Lakes before targeting the East Coast.
NPR
Syracuse
The Canadian Press
The National Weather Service issued wind advisories for Philadelphia and surrounding areas through Tuesday afternoon, with gusts reaching up to 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) per hour. Temperatures in Philadelphia dropped from 60°F (16°C) Monday to the 20s°F (-6 to -1°C) overnight.
National Weather Service
The Weather Network
Metro Philadelphia
Michigan's Upper Peninsula received up to 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow, while more than 350,000 customers lost power nationwide on Monday afternoon, with over a third of outages occurring in Michigan. A pileup involving nearly 60 vehicles shut down Interstate 75 in Detroit.
Detroit Free Press
The Canadian Press
New York Post
Blizzard warnings were issued for parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, where winds of at least 35 miles (56 kilometers) per hour combined with snow created visibility of less than one-quarter mile (0.4 kilometers). Wind chills plunged as low as -30°F (-34°C).
The Canadian Press
Accuweather
Nearly 6,000 flights were reportedly delayed and over 750 canceled as of Monday afternoon, with major disruptions at Chicago O'Hare and New York area airports. The storm hit during one of the year's busiest travel periods when airlines operate near capacity.
USA Today
The Weather Network
Freezing rain also created hazardous conditions across New England, with ice accumulations of up to one inch (2.5 centimeters) possible in parts of upstate New York and Vermont. More than 57,000 power outages were reported across upstate New York on Monday afternoon.
NPR
The Canadian Press

Sources Split

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The Spin

Climate-concerned narrative

Bomb cyclones are intensifying because global warming fundamentally alters the atmospheric stage where weather unfolds. Warmer oceans and air hold more moisture, fueling heavier snowfall rates, while Arctic warming weakens temperature gradients and makes jet streams more erratic. Rising seas amplify coastal flooding during these storms, creating compounding disasters that will only worsen without bold climate action.

University of Michigan

The Hill

Climate-skeptic narrative

Not every bomb cyclone is proof of escalating climate catastrophe. These storms long predate modern warming, and attribution science remains mixed on individual events. Scientists once warned in 2000 that children wouldn’t know snow in a few years — a claim reality never bore out. A quiet 2025 hurricane season with zero U.S. landfalls gets ignored, while major storms are highlighted, underscoring the need for analysis that weighs both reinforcing and complicating evidence.

Bjorn Lomborg on X