A low pressure storm system known as a "bomb cyclone" forms off the coast of the U.S. Pacific Northwest and western Canada in a composite satellite image on Nov. 19, 2024. CIRA/NOAA/Handout via Reuters
A dangerous weather phenomenon called a bomb cyclone that occurs in mid-latitudes—between Earth’s tropics and the polar regions—can bring strong and damaging winds, torrential rains, heavy snowfall, flooding and frigid temperatures. It displays some traits of a hurricane, but it is not one.
Here is an explanation of bomb cyclones.
What Is a Bomb Cyclone?
A bomb cyclone, also referred to as explosive cyclogenesis or bombogenesis, is a mid-latitude cyclone that has rapidly intensified. A cyclone is a low-pressure weather system—one where the atmospheric pressure is lower at its center than in surrounding areas—with winds rotating inward. It circulates in a counterclockwise direction in the northern hemisphere and a clockwise direction in the southern hemisphere.
