“Bomb cyclone” ... sounds so much more ominous than “snowstorm” ... great for a headline.
“bomb cyclone” is a shorthand term for “Explosive Cyclogenesis” and describes the development of a storm system. It provides meteorologists a wealth of information with an economy of words.
It’s not their faul people have deliberately misinterpreted it and its usage.
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/bombogenesis.html
What is bombogenesis?
Bombogenesis is a popular term that describes a midlatitude cyclone that rapidly intensifies.
Bombogenesis, a popular term used by meteorologists, occurs when a midlatitude cyclone rapidly intensifies, dropping at least 24 millibars over 24 hours. A millibar measures atmospheric pressure. This can happen when a cold air mass collides with a warm air mass, such as air over warm ocean waters. The formation of this rapidly strengthening weather system is a process called bombogenesis, which creates what is known as a bomb cyclone.
For a more detailed explanation….
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explosive_cyclogenesis