Another bomb cyclone

Bomb cyclone” is a term originating in meteorology, and not something used to get the public’s attention. Another way to think of it is explosive cyclogenesis. Technically, it applies to any low pressure system where the center of it drops 24 millibars in 24 hours, that is, a measure of barometric pressure, or the weight of our atmosphere upon us. This generally translates into violent weather. Our most recent weather front that froze out everything from Montana east was a bomb cyclone.

The above image, from Windy.com, takes a little screen gazing to understand. As I understand it, each concentric circle is a millibar, so that this storm more than qualifies as explosive cyclogenesis. To the right of it you will see a map of California. This system will be dumping a lot of warm moisture on top of existing snow. Since the ground is saturated already, the water plus melted snow has no where to go but out. They are calling for flooding in the Sacramento Valley. In the high country, the Sierras, anywhere from one to two feet of snow.

We just got done dealing here in the Colorado foothills with 14 inches of snow and sub-zero temperatures. This is not abnormal, in fact, in our years here we’ve had many worse storms. But this one in California may produces hurricane-type winds, almost like a winter hurricane.

We are in year three of La Niña, wherein warm waters in the Pacific are pushed westwards Indonesia, and cold waters off the shore of Chile rise. This produces cooler ocean waters that affect weather all over the planet. A third year of La Niña is not unprecedented, but many people were predicting a colder than average winter because of it.

Just ask Texas. That state’s heavy despondence on wind-generated power once again necessitated a rescue by natural gas. Prices soared. Where gas prices are normally in the $5-7.00 range, during that earlier Bomb Cyclone, I saw prices as high as $50 per MMBTU. That’ll put a strain on household budgets.

Climate Alarmists, of course, will blame everything on Climate Change. They are as predictable as Girl Scout Cookies in January.

4 thoughts on “Another bomb cyclone

  1. Sounds like a frozen treat we would get when the ice cream truck rolls into the neighborhood. Also putting the word bomb into the mainstream mindset. So do we get that fake nuke explosion in a cornfield this year?

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  2. I’m here at 3600′ in the Sierras of northern California, and what I heard Wednesday night as the storm moved in sounded much like a “bomb”, or more like a B-52 bomber flying directly overhead! “OMG, we’re all gonna die!” thought I! The excessively high winds blowing through the surrounding forest created an exceptional and intensely LOUD noise I’d never heard before, sounding more like a freight train, a “bomb”-er or explosion of some kind…like the “end of the world” was finally here, for reals! Woah! Anyway, that was enough “excitement” and “entertainment” for the New Year, almost, but not quite surpassing the stress and trauma which were the result of the wildfires in September that kept me on guard and ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice. I was one of the few who remained after the “mandatory evacuation” order (sic) was given, and I’m still here to tell about it!

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    1. In the post I linked you to the origins of “bomb cyclone,” and this leads to frustrations as you and others just run off in wild presumptive directions. I am surprised someone has not suggested weather control at this point. Enough!

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