What is a bomb cyclone?
It's called a cyclone, a bomb cyclone, or a cyclone bomb. Or a weather bomb, Or bombogenesis.
What is technically a "midlatitude cyclone" refers to when a storm gains strength from an extreme drop in atmospheric pressure. The effect is prompted by what is technically called "explosive cyclogenesis," and occurs when a storm drops by at least 24 millibars (a unit that measures pressure) in 24 hours.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's website, a bomb cyclone occurs when a "cold air mass collides with a warm air mass." Cold arctic air colliding with warm ocean water is a common source of this collision.
After pressure plummets, air rushes in to fill the space between these two air masses, creating intense winds and strengthening the storm.
Despite the intense name, bomb cyclones are fairly common, particularly in northern Atlantic regions.