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Just three days after a record-breaking storm brought significant rain, widespread flooding and significant mountain snow to much of California, another, perhaps even more powerful double whammy of an atmospheric river and bomb cyclone is targeting the region this week that could become one of the more impactful storms to strike the state in years. Mandatory evacuation orders have even been issued ahead of the storm for neighborhoods with a high risk of flooding. In this case, the developing storm will tap into abundant tropical moisture available in the Pacific Ocean, creating a reasonably strong "atmospheric river" that will carry...

AccuWeather's expert team of meteorologists says a powerful and far-reaching storm will form at the end of the week and unload everything from heavy rain and gusty thunderstorms to high winds, snow and a rapid freeze-up across the eastern third of the United States. "Confidence is growing for a significant storm that will bring wide-reaching impacts," AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex DaSilva said. The end-of-the-week storm will form along the central Gulf Coast as frigid Arctic air dives southward and collides with warm, moist air across the South. From there, the storm is expected to ride north-northeastward along the leading edge of...

A powerful nor'easter moving toward Boston could bring snowfall totals high enough to break previous January records, with more than 2 feet of accumulation possible. The largest snowfall in January in Boston took place back in 2015, when we had 24.6 inches of snow; the largest snowfall ever in the city was President's Day weekend 2003, with 27.6 inches of snow. Those records may still be standing Saturday evening, but there's also a chance they are both broken. Greater Boston will likely see between 18 and 28 inches, and some pockets could even see more than 30 inches where the...

A still-developing winter storm is set to become a major nor'easter that will bombard New England with heavy snow and blizzard conditions this weekend. Areas farther south in the mid-Atlantic will not escape the storm as several inches of snow and major travel disruptions are expected. "The area that we think will be hit the hardest and will be at risk for closures will be central and eastern Long Island to New England,” AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said. AccuWeather forecasters were growing more confident on Wednesday that southern New England will face the most significant impacts and that...

The second major snowstorm in five days hit the East Coast on Thursday, and AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Joe Lundberg said it could develop into the first bomb cyclone of 2022. A bomb cyclone is said to occur when a storm's central pressure plummets 24 millibars within 24 hours. The mid-latitude cyclone rapidly intensifies, causing the atmospheric pressure to quickly drop and strengthening the storm. The lower the pressure, the more powerful the storm. Lake-effect snow has already hit Buffalo, NY, accumulating almost 10 inches as of 10 a.m., according to AccuWeather. "Heavy snow at the Buffalo airport this morning has...

Even though the storm will be moving along quickly, it will strengthen off the mid-Atlantic and New England coasts, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Joe Lundberg. It is likely to become "the first bomb cyclone of the 2022 winter season” in the Northeast, he added. A bomb cyclone is defined as a storm that’s central pressure plummets by 0.71 of an inch of mercury (24 millibars) within 24 hours. That means the storm could whip up strong winds and pull in more moisture, helping it to fuel heavier snow rates as it chugs up the Eastern Seaboard. The heaviest snow...

A storm will strengthen rapidly and bring a dose of drenching rain, high winds and even some high-elevation snow to the northeastern United States into Thursday. The latest indications are the storm will strengthen at a fast enough pace into Thursday to be classified as a bomb cyclone. The barometric pressure has to fall at least 24 millibars, or 0.71 of an inch of Mercury, in 24 hours for the bomb cyclone criteria to be met.

While coastal communities in New England are still recovering from costly beach erosion due to last week's coastal storm, another one could be on the way this week -- and it's expected to intensify rapidly. Some models are even suggesting this possible nor'easter could strengthen so quickly it could become a "bomb cyclone," which generally is marked by a pressure drop of 24 millibars (a unit of pressure) within 24 hours. Winds could reach tropical storm-force (39 mph+) with even higher gusts by Wednesday

A weather whiplash is predicted to hit people in the Rockies and Plains this week, as conditions go from balmy to blizzard overnight. The high is predicted to be around 80 degrees in Denver and other cities Tuesday — but within 24 hours, blizzard conditions are forecast, the National Weather Service says. "Warm today. Snow tomorrow," says the NWS office in Denver and Boulder, Colo., predicting temperatures that could hit record highs Tuesday — followed by rain turning to snow, in a blast of cold air that will ride winds of 40-60 mph on Wednesday. For many central U.S. residents,...

Blizzard conditions are rocking communities in Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming today as an intense low-pressure system rapidly strengthens on the central Plains. The storm became a “bomb cyclone,” a scary-sounding term that refers to how quickly the storm intensified. The low will be responsible for a variety of foul weather across the country over the next couple of days. The WPC's surface analysis for the central Plains at 10:00 AM CDT March 13, 2019.NOAA/WPC The low-pressure system over southeastern Colorado had a minimum central pressure of 970 millibars as of the WPC’s surface analysis at 10:00 AM CDT, which is...

At the start of 2018, a nor'easter winter storm intensified so quickly that it became what meteorologists call a "bomb cyclone." It appears that's happening again. Winter storm Riley, as the Weather Channel has named it, is bringing potentially record-setting flooding to the Northeast, dumping rain and snow, and whipping the East Coast with wind gusts that are expected to reach hurricane force. The storm is now undergoing a rapid intensification process called "bombogenesis," which means its central pressure is dropping quickly (an indicator of a storm's strength). Such bomb cyclone conditions are not uncommon for nor'easter storms. But this...

The huge storm was born when a surge of moist ocean air spiraled north to meet a frigid blast of Arctic air — the perfect recipe for a Nor'easter. The winter storm has gained considerable strength over the past 24 hours, leading to what may be the region's most intense (and rapidly intensifying) in more than 40 years, according to Eric Holthaus, a meteorologist and writer. Thousands of flights have been canceled as a result, stranding travelers all over the US. Although the storm's power is impressive from the ground, it takes on a whole other dimension in images taken...