Bomb cyclone? Bombogenesis? Scary-sounding weather terms explained
Don’t be alarmed if your social media feeds explode with scary-sounding weather terms like “bomb cyclone,” “bombogenesis” or “bombing out” for a potentially strong winter storm in the forecast for the U.S. Northeast this weekend.
Those are actual terms used by meteorologists when storm systems rapidly intensify as cold air collides with warm air.
And the coastal storm that’s expected to form in the southeastern United States this Friday, potentially bringing heavy snow and fierce winds to East Coast states, might become strong enough to qualify as a bomb cyclone, according to forecasters from AccuWeather and the National Weather Service.
“It actually does look likely that it will be a bomb cyclone,” Paul Fitzsimmons, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s forecast office in New Jersey, said Wednesday morning. “The confidence is pretty high that this storm is going to develop and is going to be significant and is likely to become a bomb cyclone.”
Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
A snow truck puts salt on a street Monday in Ben Avon, Pa.
Bombogenesis and bomb cyclones
This is how the National Weather Service describes bombogenesis and bomb cyclones:
“Bombogenesis, a popular term used by meteorologists, occurs when a mid-latitude cyclone rapidly intensifies, dropping at least 24 millibars over 24 hours. A millibar measures atmospheric pressure. This can happen when a cold air mass collides with a warm air mass, such as air over warm ocean waters. The formation of this rapidly strengthening weather system is a process called bombogenesis, which creates what is known as a bomb cyclone.”
Although a bomb cyclone can occur in the spring or autumn, it is more common during the winter season, when nor’easters tend to develop along the Atlantic coast and quickly intensify into a major snowstorm or a blizzard.
Bomb cyclones rarely form in the summer, according to the National Weather Service, which notes this weather term is not used for hurricanes and other storm systems that originate in the tropics. When hurricanes strengthen — when their central pressure drops and their wind speeds get stronger — the process is typically known as “rapid intensification.”
What is cyclogenesis?
Another weather term that often pops up on social media is cyclogenesis, which is defined as “the formation or intensification of a cyclone or low-pressure storm system.”
Cyclogenesis is a more general term than bombogenesis because it does not require a specific threshold of a storm’s pressure dropping over a certain time frame.
In short, bombogenesis is a specific type of cyclogenesis, and it has to meet the threshold of having its atmospheric pressure drop 24 millibars in 24 hours. As one weather website explains it, “Bombogenesis is cyclogenesis taken to the extreme.”
What is the origin of these strange-sounding words?
“The term bombogenesis comes from the merging of two words: bomb and cyclogenesis,” AccuWeather explains. “All storms are cyclones, and genesis means the creation or beginning. In this case, bomb refers to explosive development. Altogether the term means explosive storm strengthening.”
-
Feeling the winter blues? Here are some reasons whyMilos Batinic // Shutterstock
With winter comes cold weather, a reduction in sunlight, and the potential to feel a bit down. The winter blues are common and can cause tiredness and a shift in mood, though they don't normally hinder your ability to find enjoyment in life. Winter blues normally clear up on their own or can be aided by getting more exposure to daylight, vitamin D supplements, or by adding certain foods such as omega-3 fatty acids and protein to your diet.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is much more than winter blues, it is a form of depression related to the change in seasons and the shortening of daylight hours. It occurs in areas of the world where there is less sunlight during specific seasons. This lack of sunlight can throw circadian rhythms—which influence our sleep-wake cycle—out of whack, and cause deficiencies in certain vitamins and hormones in the brain such as serotonin, which helps to regulate mood.
SAD is much more prevalent in northern latitudes of the world than southern areas. It usually occurs during the late fall and winter months. Symptoms include changes in mood, fatigue, depression, feelings of hopelessness, and social withdrawal. The link between seasonal depression and light was first identified by National Institutes of Health researchers in the early 1980s. . Treatment includes behavioral changes such as increasing access to daylight or clinical approaches such as light therapy (phototherapy), talk therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy, and medications such as certain antidepressants.
Citing studies from Mount Sinai’s REVOLV Study, which was sponsored by View Inc.; the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience; the Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America; and other health organizations, View compiled a list of reasons you might be feeling the winter blues and how you can combat it.
Milos Batinic // ShutterstockWith winter comes cold weather, a reduction in sunlight, and the potential to feel a bit down. The winter blues are common and can cause tiredness and a shift in mood, though they don't normally hinder your ability to find enjoyment in life. Winter blues normally clear up on their own or can be aided by getting more exposure to daylight, vitamin D supplements, or by adding certain foods such as omega-3 fatty acids and protein to your diet.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is much more than winter blues, it is a form of depression related to the change in seasons and the shortening of daylight hours. It occurs in areas of the world where there is less sunlight during specific seasons. This lack of sunlight can throw circadian rhythms—which influence our sleep-wake cycle—out of whack, and cause deficiencies in certain vitamins and hormones in the brain such as serotonin, which helps to regulate mood.
SAD is much more prevalent in northern latitudes of the world than southern areas. It usually occurs during the late fall and winter months. Symptoms include changes in mood, fatigue, depression, feelings of hopelessness, and social withdrawal. The link between seasonal depression and light was first identified by National Institutes of Health researchers in the early 1980s. . Treatment includes behavioral changes such as increasing access to daylight or clinical approaches such as light therapy (phototherapy), talk therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy, and medications such as certain antidepressants.
Citing studies from Mount Sinai’s REVOLV Study, which was sponsored by View Inc.; the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience; the Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America; and other health organizations, View compiled a list of reasons you might be feeling the winter blues and how you can combat it.
