Snow 'bomb' unleashes blizzard in eastern US

Blinding snow whipped up by powerful winds pummeled the eastern United States on Saturday, as one of the strongest winter storms in years triggered transport chaos and power outages across a region of some 70 million people. With multiple blizzard warnings in effect, cities like New York and Boston bore the brunt of the storm, which the National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed Saturday morning had intensified into a "bomb cyclone" -- characterized by the explosive power of rapid drops in atmospheric pressure. Coastal areas were expected to receive more than one foot (30 centimeters) of snow by the end of the day, and as much as three feet in parts of Massachusetts, where nearly 117,000 homes were already reported without power.

Major cities like New York and Boston bore the brunt of the blizzard, which the National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed intensified Saturday into a "bomb cyclone" -- characterized by the explosive power of rapid drops in atmospheric pressure. The heaviest-hit parts of New York and Massachusetts received two feet (61 centimeters) of snow by early evening, with more than 95,000 homes in Massachusetts reported without power. Cold weather stretched as far south as Florida, where the NWS warned of "scattered to isolated falling iguanas from trees" as plunging temperatures temporarily paralyzed the large lizards. Residents in towns and cities across the eastern seaboard were urged to avoid all unnecessary travel for a second night of whiteout conditions, with additional snowfall expected to be heaviest across New England.