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When forecasts predict turbulent weather with fierce winds and heavy snowfall, meteorologists may issue warnings about a storm potentially “bombing out” or transforming into a bomb cyclone. But what does this entail?
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration explains that some storms experience a process known as bombogenesis, which occurs when a storm’s central pressure decreases by at least 24 millibars over a 24-hour period. These rapidly intensifying storms are often referred to as bomb cyclones. The strength of a storm is determined by its central pressure; hence, a lower pressure indicates a more powerful storm.
These swiftly escalating storms can unleash heavy rainfall, blizzard-like conditions, and severe winds, leading to hazardous situations such as fallen trees and widespread power outages.
“If you’re watching the evening news and hear ‘bomb cyclone’ mentioned in the weather report, it typically signals a significant amount of active weather,” stated Andrew Orrison, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service based in College Park, Maryland.
While bomb cyclones can develop in any season, they are most common during the fall and winter months when cold Arctic air descends southward and clashes with warmer air masses.
“It’s really the clash of those air masses that really kind of helps to generate the areas of low pressure in the first place,” said Orrison.
Regions in North America that are prone to seeing bomb cyclones include Alaska, the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes region.
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