'Nine months from now, there will be a lot of people on the East Coast getting no sleep': Predictions fly for blizzard baby boom after Jonas leads to a spike in dating app activity

This weekend's Winter Storm Jonas forced East Coasters inside, and in nine months' time it may be the reason to blame for many losing a lot of shut-eye. 

With record snowfall and power outages hitting the Eastern states, jokes were flying on social media about an impending 'blizzard baby boom'.  

This wouldn't be the first time a storm has led to a spike in births on the East Coast. 

After Superstorm Sandy trapped hundreds in their homes without power for days, hospital officials anticipated a 10 to 30 percent increase in midsummer births compared to the year before, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Predictions are already flying that a 'blizzard baby boom' will hit the East Coast in nine months after Jonas shut down major cities, shut down power and closed roads over the weekend 

Popular dating app Hinge made sure to remind female users that 'blizzard boyfriends' were available with just a simple swipe right.

The popular myth is even backed by science. A 2008 study found that in areas that experienced 'low-level, low-severity storm advisories', there was a spike in births nine months later. 

Richard Evans, an economics professor at Brigham Young University, found that, unsurprisingly, severe storm warnings tend to have the opposite effect, with an equal decrease in births. 

'The story there is if you're running for your life, you can't make babies,' Evans told NPR.  

But in most areas this weekend, people were merely advised to sit tight at home - which Evans said is the perfect atmosphere for some potential baby-making.

'If the lights go out and there's no TV, it kind of sets the table for romance,' he said. 

The myth that bad weather leads to more babies is backed by science. A 2008 study found that in areas that experienced 'low-level, low-severity storm advisories', there was a spike in births nine months later

And in the twenty-first century, there are plenty of options for people who don't already have someone waiting to snuggle at home. 

Some New Yorkers took to Craigslist to try and find a snow-mate, with ads like 'Fun personal guy seeking snow cuddle buddy' popping up on the website. 

'Let's break out of snow prison,' wrote another one claimed to be written by a 'six-foot laywer' looking for a dinner date. 'I uber to you', it promised.  

And popular dating app Hinge made sure to remind female users that 'blizzard boyfriends' were available with just a simple swipe right. 

Jokes were flying on social media over the weekend warning of the impending baby boom 

'They're 82 percent more likely to respond during a snow storm,' Hinge sent in a pop-up notification to users, before chiding them to 'Get on it'. 

Those statistics aren't coming from thin air. Last year Hinge reported a 47 percent hike in activity amid the worst of the East Coast's Storm Juno, according to NBC. 

Users logged in an average of five times a day, up from three, and the app saw a 96 percent increase in two-way conversations and a 56 percent increase in phone number exchanges. 

And some even changed their profiles to try and find like-minded individuals who wanted help staying warm. 

'Not looking for a Jonas cuddle buddy,' read one user's profile on dating app Bumble. 

'But not not looking for a Jonas cuddle buddy.'