Whenever a significant weather system knocks on our doorstep, the media loves exaggerating and using cool and flashy words to describe it.

One of the latest buzzwords is bomb cyclone!

What's funny about the term bomb cyclone is that I never once heard of it while in meteorology school.

Even being a meteorologist, I had no idea what it meant, so I had to look it up!

What is a Bomb Cyclone

The term bomb cyclone refers to bombogenesis; meteorologists often use this term to describe a cyclone that rapidly intensifies or strengthens over a 24-hour period between the tropics and polar regions.

There's way more nerdy science stuff that goes into it, but we'll keep it simple here.

Ultimately, this can happen when a cold air mass collides with a warm one.

What A Bomb Cyclone Means For Montana

Generally, if a cyclone of this strength develops off the North Pacific, it will impact the Treasure State.

However, the intensity of the impact depends on whether the cyclone can break over the mountains.

The current weather system off the North Pacific appears to be stalling out over the ocean and not making its way inland.

So yes, we will see some snow and cold from this system, but not near the impacts as if it were to make its way over the mountains.

If this system does manage to make its way inland and over the mountains, buckle up.

Extreme cold and snow would then be very likely for Montana.

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