Winter storm Grayson is moving up the east cost of the US, and has already brought snow to parts of Florida that haven't seen snow in decades. Savannah and Charleston are facing ice storms today. The storm is expected to travel up through Maine, bringing ice, snow, and hurricane-force winds to New England this weekend. Forecasters are calling it a "bomb cyclone."
The phrase doesn’t refer to the storm itself. (The storm’s name is Grayson and you will refer to him as such.) Instead, 'bomb cyclone' refers to a phenomenon expected to occur as this weather event unfolds. The official term is explosive cyclogenesis, or bombogenesis which—in addition to being my new favorite word—is actually really common.
The 'bombing' occurs when a low pressure system’s central pressure falls 24 millibars in 24 hours or less. Say what now?
Popular Science has a thorough but easy-to-read explanation of a bomb cyclone. Winter storm warnings are out for the east cost, with a blizzard warning for parts of New Hampshire and Maine. Read more about this particular storm in a link roundup at Digg.
(Image credit: NOAA)