bomb cyclone

noun

plural bomb cyclones

meteorology

: a powerful, rapidly intensifying storm associated with a sudden and significant drop in atmospheric pressure

Tens of thousands of utility workers were working over the weekend after the muscular storm—known as a "bomb cyclone" for its rapid pressure drop—battered neighborhoods from Virginia to Maine.

—Rick Jervis

As incoming air rises around the center of the storm, it gets carried off by the jet stream and that increases the speed of the incoming air. The faster the air moves, the faster the barometric pressure drops. In a really severe nor'easter, the pressure can drop 24 millibars in 24 hours. This is known as a "bomb cyclone."

—Clay Thompson

compare bombogenesis

Examples of bomb cyclone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Michigan is still digging out from a bomb cyclone earlier this week that brought blizzard conditions, several feet of snow and waves surpassing those of the Edmund Fitzgerald storm in 1975 — possibly setting a new Great Lakes record. —Brandi D. Addison, Freep.com, 31 Dec. 2025

Thousands are without power in Michigan due to the 'bomb cyclone. —Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA Today, 30 Dec. 2025

Meteorologists warn that after winter weather Friday and Saturday, an arctic front clashing with warm air could rapidly intensify into a 'bomb cyclone' over the Midwest and Great Lakes through Monday. —Kristin Wright, NPR, 28 Dec. 2025

The next year, a bomb cyclone—a large storm that rapidly strengthens over a 24 hour period—brought rain, snow, and hail to the West Coast, disrupting travel in Los Angeles as water flooded the roads. —Simmone Shah, Time, 25 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1987, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bomb cyclone

• acetone
• anglophone
• baritone
• bourguignon
• buspirone
• chaperon
• chaperone
• cobblestone
• collarbone
• cornerstone
• cortisone
• dictaphone