What is Bombogenesis?

By Kristen Rodman, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

January 21,2014; 5:38PM,EST

 

 

Only a few weeks after the polar vortex surged through portions of the United States, yet another wintry weather phenomena is mounting concerns across the nation: bombogenesis.
As a snowstorm bears down on regions from the mid-Atlantic up through New England, the term bombogenesis has come to the forefront, but what is bombogenesis?
"It's a rapidly intensifying storm that is usually over the water," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
In order for the storm to develop, a warm and a cold air mass must clash, causing the storm to strengthen in a very short amount of time.

RELATED:
Winter Storm May Loom for Super Bowl Weekend
AccuWeather Winter Weather Center
The 10 Snowiest Colleges in the US
While this scenario is not necessarily uncommon during the winter months, in order to be classified as a bombogenesis the central pressure of the storm must drop quickly down to 24 millibars in just 24 hours, according to Anderson.
The impacts of a bombogenesis can include rapidly strengthening winds and high precipitation rates, as well as thundersnow.

---

Have questions, comments, or a story to share? Email Kristen Rodman at Kristen.Rodman@accuweather.com, follow her on Twitter @Accu_Kristen or Google+. Follow us @breakingweather, or on Facebook and Google+.