We're well familiar with hurricanes and tornadoes and the seasonal patterns they tend to follow. In recent years however we've heard about a different type of storm, a bomb cyclone. But what exactly is a bomb cyclone, and what does it do?

A bomb cyclone is a storm that develops very quickly.  When a storm drops in atmospheric pressure very quickly, the storm picks up more air and strength, becoming stronger faster. To be considered a bomb cyclone the pressure must drop 24 millibars in twenty-four hours. The process of this rapid drop in pressure is called bombogenesis. Remember, the lower the barometric pressure, the stronger the storm. Strong storms create large amounts of rain or snow, depending on the temperature in the area.

While it might seem that a lot of rain or snow to dry areas would be a good way to end a drought, if the land is hard and dry from lack of rain or wildfire burn scars, the water is apt to run off and not soak in, leading to flooding and other issues. Snow can be helpful as long as it doesn't melt too fast in the spring. So while rain is much needed, a lot of rain in a short period of time is not as beneficial as it might seem.