When and where bomb cyclones form
Bomb cyclones can occur in any season but develop predominantly in fall and winter, when frigid Arctic air moves south and collides with warmer air masses farther from the poles.
“It’s really the clash of those air masses that really kind of helps to generate the areas of low pressure in the first place,” Orrison said.
In North America, the regions most susceptible to bomb cyclones include Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and the Great Lakes area. The phenomenon is rare at lower latitudes.
“It’s not common to get bomb cyclones at lower latitudes. So generally speaking, you wouldn’t see a bomb cyclone across, let’s say, the southern United States,” Orrison said.