Bomb Cyclone: Here Are 5 Things You Need to Know

By Stoyan Zaimov, Christian Post Reporter
Friday, January 05, 2018

What is a 'bomb cyclone'?

Ahead of an incoming winter snow storm, a Jet Blue flight waits to take off from Logan International Airport next to the frozen waters of the Atlantic Ocean harbor between Winthrop and Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., January 3, 2018. | (Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

The extreme weather conditions hitting the U.S. this past week have been called many names, including "bombogenesis" and "bomb cyclone."

The New York Times explained the details behind the name:

"What makes a storm a 'bomb' is how fast the atmospheric pressure falls; falling atmospheric pressure is a characteristic of all storms. By definition, the barometric pressure must drop by at least 24 millibars in 24 hours for a storm to be called a bomb cyclone; the formation of such a storm is called bombogenesis."

The deep drops in the barometric pressure occurre when warm air meets cold air, creating a cyclonic effect with the rotation of the earth.

Reuters noted that as many as 500 members of the National Guard were activited in the East Coast to assist with emergency response.