A ‘bomb cyclone’ is headed your way, East Coast. Brace for impact.

Scary but common phrases like “wintry blast,” “monster” and “brutal cold” are already being used to describe a storm headed to the East Coast.

But one meteorologist has come up with a more novel and frightening description: “bomb cyclone.”

The U.S. suffered horribly cold weather on New Year’s Eve and snow has blanketed parts of the country in recent days, but the worst is yet to come, forecasters say.

Just read this excerpt from an article in The Washington Post that is being shared on social media by East Coasters in disbelief:

“First, a very large and powerful storm will hammer coastal locations from Georgia to Maine with ice and snow. By Thursday, the exploding storm will, in many ways, resemble a winter hurricane, battering easternmost New England with potentially damaging winds in addition to blinding snow.

Forecasters are expecting the storm to become a so-called “bomb cyclone” because its pressure is predicted to fall so fast, an indicator of explosive strengthening. The storm could rank as the most intense over the waters east of New England in decades at this time of year.”

Yes, you did just read the words “winter hurricane” and “bomb cyclone.”

Meteorologist Ryan Maue notes that the pressure could get as low as what was experienced during Hurricane Sandy. The winter storm is expected to affect pretty much the entire East Coast.

Here are the details from the National Weather Service. Shots of “arctic air” will be blowing through the East half of the U.S. for the rest of the next few days keeping temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below average for this time of year.

An area of low pressure developing over the Bahamas by Wednesday morning will rapidly deepen and move north to the U.S. East Coast Wednesday and Thursday, allowing for “potentially significant wintery precipitation” from Florida to Maine.

Six inches of snow is predicted for eastern New England, and low visibility, dangerous ice, damaging winds and wind chills are expected Thursday across the coastal states. A mix of rain, sleet and snow is forecasted in the South, while snow and possible blizzard conditions are expected in the New England area. Flooding is also possible along the coast.

Winter storm watches and warnings were already in effect on Tuesday from north central Florida northward through southeast New England and even parts of Northern Florida was under a winter storm watch for the first time in four years, NBC News reports.

How serious should East Coasters be taking these forecasts? FEMA is offering ominous advice on Twitter like “what to do if you get stranded in your vehicle.”

All the impending doom and gloom in the forecast inspired tweets with concerns and jokes from Americans finding out about the weather to come.

For more information on current and predicted weather conditions, check out this page from the National Weather Service.