“Bomb Cyclone” Descends on Northeast, Closing Wayne Schools for Two Days

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Winds Batter the Jersey Shore near Atlantic City. Source: Washington Post; (Mark Makela/Getty Images)

By Joe Mezza, Junior Editor

A massive Nor’easter, referred to as a “Bomb Cyclone” by meteorologists, battered the East Coast on Wednesday night and into the day on Thursday, powdering places as far South as Florida with snow and causing hazardous blizzard conditions farther North.

“Bomb Cyclone” is actually a technical term; according to The Washington Post, a storm is classified as a bomb if air pressure drops “at least 24 millibars in 24 hours.” Air pressure ended up dropping an astonishing 59 millibars in 24 hours, making it one of the severest storms in East Coast history. The storm produced unusual sights everywhere it went, including snow in Florida and sharks frozen whole off the Massachusetts coast. Unfortunately, this meteorological marvel proved deadly; the storm and frigid temperatures associated with it have claimed 18 lives. 

The storm disrupted life all across the Eastern Seaboard, and Wayne was no exception. The Wayne Board of Education announced that all public schools would be closed on Thursday as weather conditions worsened, and snow continued to fall until early in the evening, totaling a substantial 4.7 inches. Although the storm had subsided by Friday, roads remained hazardous and temperatures fell into the single digits and teens, resulting in another day without school for Wayne students. 

The district-wide school closures came shortly after Schuyler Colfax Middle School closed following a pipe burst on Tuesday, damaging the school’s heating system and flooding some areas. 6th grader and Schuyler Colfax student Nicholas Mezza told the Patriot Press, “My dad drove me to the school, but when we got there, a woman told us to go back home because the school was closed. I was surprised but happy, and I spent the day ice skating with my friends.”

Many other Wayne students spent the snow days similarly, relaxing, hanging out with friends, and catching up on homework. Junior Dylan Catania remarked, “Over the two snow days, I shoveled a bunch of driveways and caught up on the latest season of ‘Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.”‘ Senior Laura Necsoi said, “I slept and wrote some music.”

Wayne schools will return to their regular schedules on Monday.

For the second consecutive day, Wayne school closures were announced on January 5 on the new district website.