DENVER — Some Coloradans might remember the bomb cyclone that hit our state in March of 2019, bringing 100 mph winds and 12 foot snow drifts to the Front Range. Well, the bomb cyclone spinning in the Pacific Northwest this week will completely miss Colorado this time around. Although it will still have an unusual weather impact.
It started taking shape early Tuesday morning and has been swirling nearly stationary about 300 miles off the coast for 36 hours, bringing hurricane force winds and lots of rain and snow to Washington, Oregon, and California.
Meteorologists call this type of storm a bomb cyclone because of the way it rapidly intensifies — almost like an exploding bomb. The technical term is actually bombogenesis. That’s when the lowest air pressure in the storm drops 24 millibars of pressure in 24 hours or less. The lower the pressure, the greater the power.
There is also a stream of moisture called an atmospheric river getting pulled onshore by the counterclockwise circulation of the storm. Heavy rain has been widespread throughout the storm, while the Cascades and Sierras have reported big snow in the 1-2 foot range with more still on the way.
Colorado Impact
The bomb cyclone is forecast to essentially spin itself to death over the next couple of days without bringing any wind or snow to the state of Colorado. However, the deep low pressure from the bomb cyclone will reinforce the ridge of high pressure over the middle of the country.
As a result, Colorado is expected to be very warm and dry Friday and Saturday with highs in the upper 60s in Denver and possibly even hitting the 70 degree mark.
Some unrelated low pressure from the Pacific Northwest will eventually cross over to Colorado, bringing some unsettled weather to the state Sunday through Wednesday.