A Bomb Cyclone Has Merged With an 'Atmospheric River' to Batter California
A "bomb cyclone" in the Pacific is dumping extreme rain and several feet of snow on California. The wild weather follows a summer of extreme drought and wildfires, and it could bring flooding, mudslides and debris flow to the parched and wildfire-scarred Golden State.
The term "bomb cyclone" refers to the rapid intensification process – "bombogenesis" – that forms it. Such storms occur when pressure in the central region of the storm descend by at least 24 millibars (an atmospheric pressure measurement) in 24 hours, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The bomb cyclone has merged with a Category 5 "atmospheric river" – giant flowing trains of moist air in the sky.
Atmospheric rivers, like hurricanes and tornadoes, are rated based on their potential for damage; a Category 5 is the strongest, or "most hazardous," bringing the chance for gusty winds, flooding, debris flow and mudslides, according to the California Department of Water Resources. (Science Alert)
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