North Texas can expect a ‘bomb cyclone’ storming through late Tuesday night until Wednesday morning. According to WFAA, the ‘bomb cyclone’ most likely will result in thunderstorms, high winds, and possible hail.
According to NBC, “a bomb cyclone is simply a storm that intensifies very rapidly. Bomb cyclones form when air near Earth’s surface rises quickly in the atmosphere, triggering a sudden drop in barometric pressure — at least 24 millibars within 24 hours.” The name of a bomb cyclone comes from the word bombogenesis.
CNN talks about how the lower the pressure is, the stronger the bomb cyclone will become.
As of Sunday evening, the system was hitting the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. A lot of rain, wind, and snow to the higher elevations in parts of those three states could cause mudslides and flooding.
Over this past weekend, CNN talked about the “hurricane-like strength” the storm obtained. “This will be the third and strongest in a series of storms to strike the west coast this week,” stated CNN.
They also noted that an “atmospheric river” could occur and described them as “narrow bands of concentrated moisture that cruise more than 2 miles above the ocean and release rain or snow when they hit land.” CNN went on to state that this storm “rates [a] level 5 of 5.”
Carly Kovacik, National Weather Service’s lead meteorologist in Seattle stated, “I don’t think a lot of people realize that these cyclones in the Northern Pacific can be equivalent to a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic,” and added, “a lot of these storms produce very strong winds and high seas, but since they are mid-latitude storms, we just don’t call them hurricanes, even though the impacts can be very similar.”
WFAA stated that “a strong low-pressure system off the coast of the Pacific Northwest is being dubbed a ‘bomb cyclone’,” and that it may “bring rain, storms, and cooler temps to North Texas this week.”
News Nation announced today that “a powerful storm drenched wildfire-scarred northern California on Sunday, triggering mudslides and downing electric lines with winds blasting San Francisco as the ‘bomb cyclone’ headed south.”
The San Francisco Bay Area reported flooding of rivers in Sonoma and Napa counties. They also reported high water at the toll plaza at Oakland’s Bay Bridge and some streets in Berkeley closing due to flooding.
“By Sunday morning, Mount Tamalpais just north of San Francisco had recorded a half-foot of rainfall during the previous 12 hours,” News Nation said.
Highway Patrol of Oroville stated, “We have already had several collisions this morning for vehicles hydroplaning, numerous trees falling, and several roadways that are experiencing flooding.”
There should be no direct hit of this bomb cyclone to North Texas, but “a piece of energy will break off from the storm and move in our direction this week,” WFAA reports. Thunderstorms and cooler temperatures are expected this week in North Texas.
The biggest threat the storm can bring is the strong winds and hail that could occur. As the storm moves along, a cold front could take place in North Texas, allowing the temperature to reach a typical fall weather day. The higher winds could last all week.
February 15th through the 20th of 2021 was when a powerful winter storm that turned into a bomb cyclone ravaged the United States. “The system resulted in over 170 million people being placed under winter weather alerts, stretching from the West Coast to the East Coast. Over 4 million people lost power due to the storm, particularly in areas of the deep south and interior Southeast. The system worsened the 2021 Texas power crisis, causing additional major damage to the Texas power grid just days after another destructive winter storm came through the area and hampering recovery efforts.”