NYC Weather Forecast: 'Bomb Cyclone' To Bring Snow, Deeper Freeze

NEW YORK, NY — It might sound like a supervillain's invention, but a "bomb cyclone" is very real — and it's on its way to New York City. The powerful, hurricane-like storm will drop five to eight inches of snow on the city before temperatures plummet to bone-chilling lows, the National Weather Service predicts.

The New York City area will be under a winter storm warning from late Wednesday night through Thursday evening. The snow will start falling mostly after midnight Thursday and continue to lash the city until 9 p.m. that evening.

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The weather service predicts the storm will drop six inches on Central Park and seven inches on John F. Kennedy Airport, though there's a slight chance of up to a foot.

"Plan on difficult travel conditions, including during the morning and evening commutes on Thursday," the weather service said Wednesday.

But the storm's worst effects will be the frigid arctic air that comes behind it, meteorologists say. Record-low temperatures could hit much of the northeast on Friday, when the high in New York City will be just 14 degrees.

"I'm just not seeing the enormous snowfalls we'd expect with a blizzard," Ryan Maue, a meteorologist with Weather.us, wrote on Twitter Tuesday night. "Again, it's the wind & extreme cold behind this storm that will be BRUTAL."

High winds will make for a dangerously cold Thursday — there could be gusts as strong as 50 MPH during the day and 36 MPH at night, forcing wind chill temperatures down to -5 degrees. That could break off some tree limbs and cause power outages, the National Weather Service says.

The weekend won't be much better. Friday could bring gusts as strong as 34 MPH during the day. Saturday's high will dip even lower, to just 12 degrees.

Here's a closer look at what to expect from the rest of the week's weather, according to the National Weather Service.

Today
Mostly sunny, with a high near 29. Wind chill values between 15 and 25. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the morning.

Tonight
Snow, mainly after midnight. Low around 22. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. Southeast wind 5 to 14 mph becoming north after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.

Thursday
Snow. Steady temperature around 24. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. Blustery, with a northwest wind 16 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

Thursday Night
A 40 percent chance of snow, mainly before 9pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 10. Wind chill values between -5 and 5. Blustery, with a northwest wind 17 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph.

Friday
Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 14. Breezy, with a west wind 18 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph.

Friday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 3.

Saturday
Sunny and cold, with a high near 12.

Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 5.

Sunday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 22.

Sunday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 20.

(Lead image: Pedestrians walk in the snow in Brooklyn in February 2017. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)