‘Bomb cyclone’ path tracker LIVE
THE WEST Coast was recently hit by a bomb cyclone that rivaled the intensity of strong hurricanes and resulted in the death of at least two people, but it also may have revived one of California’s wonders.
By Monday, thanks to the storm, more than six inches of rain had fallen across Yosemite Valley in 36 hours, Yosemite National Park in the Golden State said on Facebook. That led to a “resurrection” of Yosemite Falls, NBC News reported.
Sadly, however, two people were also killed when a tree fell on a car in the Seattle, Washington area as a result of the storm, USA Today reported.
Plus, more than 160,000 homes and businesses in California and over 170,000 in Washington lost power in the wake of the bomb cyclone system.
The moisture associated with the storm came all the way from India and other parts of southeast Asia, according to senior meteorologist and manager of forecasting technology, Mike Doll.
Farther south, eight feet of snow was predicted over the highest ridges and peaks in the central and northern Sierra Nevada.
Read our bobm cyclone live blog below for the latest updates…
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STORM’S SILVER LINING
According to Accuweather’s Bill Wadell, some people are happy to see the early-season precipitation as it can keep away forest fires.
Alicen Navarro of South Lake Tahoe told Accuweather: “I’m really glad to see it after the wildfire season we had and living in the fear of wildland fire all summer.
“That’s every year, but this year felt extremely intense.
“So this extreme weather after that is good to see.”
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HISTORIC SNOWFALL
Mount Rose ski resort in Reno, Nevada recorded 42 inches of snow during the storm.
Serene Lakes, California saw 28 inches of snow.
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‘NEVER SEEN THESE TREES MOVE THAT MUCH’
A Twitter user shared what they claimed to be a video of trees violently shaking as a result of the bomb cyclone storm in the Seattle area.
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ATMOSPHERE RIVERS, CONTINUED
The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration says: “Although atmospheric rivers come in many shapes and sizes, those that contain the largest amounts of water vapor and the strongest winds can create extreme rainfall and floods, often by stalling over watersheds vulnerable to flooding.
“These events can disrupt travel, induce mudslides and cause catastrophic damage to life and property.”
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WHAT ARE ATMOSPHERE RIVERS?
Per the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, atmospheric rivers are “are relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere – like rivers in the sky – that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics.
“These columns of vapor move with the weather, carrying an amount of water vapor roughly equivalent to the average flow of water at the mouth of the Mississippi River. When the atmospheric rivers make landfall, they often release this water vapor in the form of rain or snow.”
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MAJOR TROPICAL STORMS OF THE LAST 20 YEARS, CONTINUED
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MAJOR TROPICAL STORMS OF THE LAST 20 YEARS
Some of the major storms and hurricanes since 2000 include:
- Tropical Storm Allison (2001)
- Hurricane Isabel (2003)
- Hurricane Charlie (2004)
- Hurricane Jeanne (2004)
- Hurricane Dennis (2005)
- Hurricane Katrina (2005)
- Hurricane Rita (2005)
- Hurricane Ike (2008)
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FALLS ‘ROAR BACK TO LIFE’
“Yosemite Falls roars back to life! #CAwx” someone shared on Twitter alongside video of a resurrected Yosemite Falls.
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‘VERY RARE’ RAINFALL
Weather historian Christopher Burt said: “It is very rare that it ever rains for more than six consecutive hours around here.”
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STORM’S SILVER LINING
According to Accuweather’s Bill Wadell, some people are happy to see the early-season precipitation as it can keep away forest fires.
Alicen Navarro of South Lake Tahoe told Accuweather: “I’m really glad to see it after the wildfire season we had and living in the fear of wildland fire all summer.
“That’s every year, but this year felt extremely intense.
“So this extreme weather after that is good to see.”
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‘WETTEST DAY IN SACRAMENTO HISTORY’
“Today is now officially the wettest day in Sacramento history with over 5.30” of rain recorded since midnight,” US Storm Watch reported.
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STORM’S SILVER LINING
According to Accuweather’s Bill Wadell, some people are happy to see the early-season precipitation as it can keep away forest fires.
Alicen Navarro of South Lake Tahoe told Accuweather: “I’m really glad to see it after the wildfire season we had and living in the fear of wildland fire all summer.
“That’s every year, but this year felt extremely intense.
“So this extreme weather after that is good to see.”
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‘OUT OF CONTROL’ WIND
Footage shared to Twitter shows a truck tipping over in the wind on Richmond Bridge in California.
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NOR’EASTER COULD BECOME BOMB CYCLONE
AccuWeather on Twitter said the current nor’easter hitting the East Coast could become a bomb cyclone “in a matter of days.”
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HIGH SURF REMAINS
KTBS News reported: “The Ocean Beach Pier is still closed because of the high surf from the remnant of the ‘bomb cyclone’ that hit San Diego on Monday.
“Health officials are warning swimmers/surfers to stay out of the water because of increased bacteria levels from urban runoff.”
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NOT ALL BOMB CYCLONES ARE HURRICANES
“All bomb cyclones are not hurricanes,” University of California, Los Angeles, climate scientist Daniel Swain told NBC News back in 2019.
“But sometimes, they can take on characteristics that make them look an awful lot like hurricanes, with very strong winds, heavy precipitation and well-defined eye-like features in the middle.”
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WHO CAN BE AFFECTED BY THE BOMB CYCLONE?
Off the coast, the strong winds wreaked havoc for ships trying to navigate the rough seas.
The U.S. Coast Guard said a shipping vessel, on its way to Canada, lost about 40 cargo containers which are now floating in the ocean.
A helicopter found about 35 containers that are being tracked.
On land, people braced for the possibility of wind damage, flooding, and power outages.
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‘RAPIDLY STRENGTHENING STORM’ HAS PRESSURE THAT ‘PLUMMETS’
Meteorologists say a bomb cyclone is “a rapidly strengthening storm with a central pressure that plummets by 0.71 of an inch of mercury (24 millibars) or more within 24 hours,” Accuweather reported.
That is also referred to as bombogenesis.
“As the pressure drops rapidly in the center of the storm, air rushes in to replace the vacuum created in the atmosphere and can produce damaging winds,” the site revealed.
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TWO PEOPLE DEAD IN SEATTLE AREA
Two people were killed when a tree fell on a car in the greater Seattle area due to the storm, USA Today reported.
Thousands of homes and businesses also lost power as the bomb cyclone slammed through the region.
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‘MESMERIZING IMAGERY’
“Mesmerizing imagery from space today of the amazing bomb cyclone and Category 5 atmospheric river slamming into the West Coast. #CAwx #ORwx #WAwx,” US StormWatch wrote on Twitter.
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WHAT IS A BOMB CYCLONE?
The term does not refer to the storm itself.
Rather a bomb cyclone refers to a phenomenon expected to occur as this weather event unfolds.
The official term is explosive cyclogenesis, or bombogenesis which is very common.
The so-called bombing occurs when a low-pressure system’s central pressure drops at least 24 millibars — A millibar measures atmospheric pressure — over 24 hours or less.
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FALLS ‘ROAR BACK TO LIFE’
“Yosemite Falls roars back to life! #CAwx” someone shared on Twitter alongside video of a resurrected Yosemite Falls.
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BOMB CYCLONE RESURRECTED YOSEMITE FALLS
The powerfall storm that slammed the West Coast may have led to the rebith of Yosemite Falls in California.
“Before a ‘bomb cyclone’ slammed into the state Sunday, dropping nearly a foot of rain in some parts of a region strained by a climate change-fueled megadrought, the 2,425-foot falls had all but vanished, as often happens by late summer or fall,” NBC News reported.
But after more than six inches of rain fell in the area in 36 hours, the falls made an epic comeback.
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THEY AREN’T CALLED ‘BOMB CYCLONES’ DUE TO IMPACT
The term “bomb cyclone” was established in 1980 and has been criticized by some meteorologists for being “sensationalist,” The Independent reported.
“Bombogenesis is the technical term. ‘Bomb cyclone’ is a shortened version of it, better for social media,” weather expert Ryan Maue told the outlet.
“The actual impacts aren’t going to be a bomb at all. There’s nothing exploding or detonating.”
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ATMOSPHERE RIVERS, CONTINUED
The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration says: “Although atmospheric rivers come in many shapes and sizes, those that contain the largest amounts of water vapor and the strongest winds can create extreme rainfall and floods, often by stalling over watersheds vulnerable to flooding.
“These events can disrupt travel, induce mudslides and cause catastrophic damage to life and property.”
