It Sounds Scary, But What Exactly Is A Bomb Cyclone?

Will we or won't we? That's the discussion with my co-workers as to whether we will see a significant snowstorm sometime this weekend or maybe Sunday into Monday. It's winter, it's the Northeast, and you know anything can happen or not. We've been through this so many times in the past.

I read on social media from a WNEP-TV meteorologist from the Scranton area mention not to believe any forecast until at least Friday (January 14th) because we could receive anywhere from significant to nothing. Sounds about right. I guess how high up in the atmosphere the storm is has a lot to do with it. I'm no weather expert, so what do I know?

Checking with the Binghamton National Weather Service website as of today (1/13/21), there is a potential of a storm, but nothing set in stone for Sunday into Monday, so it will be a wait and see. I plan to be ready with my snow shovels just in case.

And speaking of weather, someone asked me what exactly is a Bomb Cyclone? Well, I didn't have a clue but sounded interesting enough to find out. I took a look at the Tomorrow.io website, and the site states that a Bomb Cyclone is "the speedy deepening of a low-pressure area within the atmosphere. An area of low-pressure forms by at least 24 millibars within 24 hours.

And they commonly occur mostly in the Northern Hemisphere during the cold months of the year on the coasts of the United States and Japan. Bomb Cyclones begin in the ocean, and Tomorrow.io states that it is called a Bomb Cyclone because "the pressure drops quickly and causes intense winds rapidly, almost like a bomb going off.

So, snow or no snow, it's winter and we'll get through it soon enough. I hope.
via WNEP-TV, Tomorrow.io, NOAA Binghamton