explosive cyclogenesis

[ik-sploh-siv sahy-kluh-jen-uh-sis]

noun

Meteorology.

1. the system that rapidly develops when the central barometric pressure of an extratropical cyclone drops at least 24 millibars in 24 hours, producing potentially hurricane-force winds with very heavy rain or snow.

   Clusters of explosive cyclogenesis persisted for a week, with significant consequences for the southern Alaskan coast.

Word History and Origins

Origin of explosive cyclogenesis¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

Dr Simon Lee, an expert in atmospheric science at the University of St Andrews, said the drop in pressure was expected to be twice the threshold needed to be called an explosive cyclogenesis – an unofficial term sometimes dubbed a "weather bomb" – and it could lower the boiling point of water which is normally 100C.

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BBC Weather's Matt Taylor confirmed that Ciarán has been classified as a weather bomb, or 'explosive cyclogenesis'.

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In a process called explosive cyclogenesis, the low pressure system will deepen by over 24 millibars in 24 hours.

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The wind and rain mayhem from San Francisco Bay south to Monterey Bay on Tuesday was caused by an extraordinary drop in barometric pressure over the eastern Pacific that meteorologists described as “explosive cyclogenesis.”

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In some circumstances, the atmospheric conditions can create explosive cyclogenesis - or a weather bomb - just to the west of the UK, which can bring the most damaging winds.

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