Winter Storm Grayson has recently walloped nearly the entire eastern seaboard, a “bomb cyclone” of major proportions. Grayson has dumped feet of snowfall and sent temperatures into single or negative digits in places that have never registered such low temperatures. The storm is blowing snow at gale force.

If you’re in the path of a bomb cyclone, you need to know what it’s going to cause and what to do, both during the storm and after it. We’ve got you covered. Read on.

What on Earth Is a Bomb Cyclone?

Weather forecasters and news anchors love the term “bomb cyclone” because it sounds so dramatic. But even the staidest meteorologists have called certain events bomb cyclones for years. They just don’t occur very often, so it’s likely you’ve never heard the phrase.

Though it sounds kind of silly, “bomb cyclone” is a highly specific weather term. It means an area will suffer an abrupt fall in atmospheric pressure in a compressed time frame — a drop of 24 millibars in a 24-hour period.

So, it’s not technically a bomb — but it is a cyclone. Roughly 10 winter cyclones occur annually, but they don’t always bring a steep drop in pressure.

Whenever the conditions to create a bomb cyclone occur, the result will be an extreme storm. If it occurs in the winter, it will have frigid temperatures and can bring snow, sleet and ice, like a Nor’easter. Another hallmark of this type of storm is the winds associated with a cyclone, up to 55 to 60 miles per hour.

In Grayson’s case, it has had an unusually wide reach, from Florida to Maine.

A Bomb Cyclone’s Effects

Now that you know what a bomb cyclone is, you should have a sense of its effects. There is extreme cold, which can be dangerous to life and limb. There will likely be large amounts of snow, sleet, ice or a combination of all three. Additionally, the strong winds can be very hazardous for both people and property.

Snow, ice and high winds can affect communities enormously. Power outages can take days and even weeks to fix, depending on the cause and the area affected. Telephone lines and towers can be affected by ice and wind.

Damaged property, whether residential or commercial, can also take weeks to restore to working order or habitable conditions. People whose homes are affected may have to move temporarily, staying with friends, family or in community shelters.

Public transportation and roadways can become impassable, making it difficult to go to work or school. Hospitals may be difficult to get to, or experience challenges with power and supplies.

To top it all off, Winter Storm Grayson is hitting many areas that do not receive cold, snow and high winds often, it at all. People and businesses in the area may lack the preparation people who live in cold climes are familiar with, even with such basic equipment as car antifreeze and snow shovels.

How to Prepare

When a bomb cyclone approaches, you need to prepare your loved ones and home against the effects of cold, snow, ice and high winds.

Above all, stay safe. Keep the heat on indoors. If your power goes out, relocate to an area with heat as quickly as possible. Do not drive unless you absolutely have to. If you must go out, wear adequate outerwear, including gloves, a winter hat and wool socks.

Weather-strip windows and doors to protect against heat escaping. If you don’t have weather stripping, place towels along crevices and openings.

Wrap winter pipes to keep them from freezing. If the water freezes, your pipes may burst.

Keep a three-day supply of food.

Prepare an emergency kit with snacks, water, bandages, antibacterial ointment, extra blankets, candles and a flashlight with working batteries.

Secure anything that might blow around outside in high winds, such as lawn furniture. A wicker chair can go through your or a neighbor’s patio door, for example, in the event of high winds. Outdoor debris can cause injury or even death.

Put together a communication plan for your family. Know where everyone is at all times. Make sure all your loved ones have a designated contact person to call if they are going to be away for longer than planned.

What to Do If Your Home Is Damaged

The effects of snow, sleet, ice, frigid temperatures and high winds can damage your home. The damage may be cosmetic, requiring new paint or a few new shingles. But the damage can also be dangerous, such as lack of power, broken windows, collapsed roofs and more.

If the damage to your home has caused dangerous conditions, don’t try to stay. Don’t freeze to death waiting for the electric company to restore your power, and thus your heat. Relocate temporarily until the situation gets resolved.

Report your damage to your insurance company as soon as you are safe. The sooner you report, the sooner they can process your claim.

Homeowners and renters both should know the United States Small Business Administration offers loans to repair damage to property if your area has been declared a disaster area. While their name implies they only serve small businesses, they help private individuals as well.

Homeowners can get a loan to restore their property to the state it was in before the storm. Renters can get a loan to replace damaged or vanished property that is not part of the structure of their dwelling, like furniture. A maximum of $40,000 could be available from the Small Business Administration.

A bomb cyclone sounds terrifying, doesn’t it? But it doesn’t have to be if you know what it is and what the effects are likely to be. Follow the steps above for how to prepare and recover, and you’ll be all set.