The Bomb Cyclone

Emergency Alert
How to prepare now:
Stay indoors during the storm. Prolonged exposure to cold can cause hypothermia.


But what about the squirrels?

Don't they get hypothermia?


Nature has given them the most marvelous ability to withstand very cold temperatures. I have been amazed watching them. The squirrels have been little soldiers throughout ten days of horrific cold.  They just keep going with no complaints. They need to eat in order to produce energy, to produce heat to keep them warm. Yesterday was the first time I heard a squirrel crying  It was high up in the tree, so I couldn't see which one it was, but it was one of my squirrels. A member of my family.

Squirrels have various cries for different occasions. This was not the warning cry made when they see a predator. It was not a mating cry. It was just a simple cry of anguish. And that made my heart ache. 


Today was actually a great relief. It almost felt spring-like, when the temperature soared to 30 degrees.  Hah! Still below freezing, but I guess it's all relative. I could tell the squirrels were feeling a little bit better today. But they didn't know what I knew -- that  the Bomb Cyclone was on the way.


I knew that the Bomb Cyclone was traveling up the coast from Florida and is due to arrive here tomorrow. A Bomb Cyclone is a collision between two air masses -- one warm and one cold --  which sets up currents of rotating air -- and this occurs when the the air pressure drops really fast, like within  24 hours. The drop in barometric pressure occurs when a region of warm air meets a region of cold air -- in this case, the warm air over the ocean meets up with the cold polar air hanging over the East Coast right now.  The direction is counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, causing winds to come out of the northeast — so it's basically a Nor’easter.


So, my poor little friends, you are in for it tomorrow. Glad I had the chance to feed you two bags of peanuts today, plus assorted walnuts, cashews and almonds. And a few peanut butter crackers. They really seem to like those.


So now we just sit and wait.