Bomb cyclone is a term used by weather enthusiasts to describe a process that meteorologists usually call bombogenesis. It's the rapid intensification of a cyclone in a short period of time, and it can happen during powerful storms such as the one no rthern California and the Pacific Northwest are preparing for this week.

Over a month’s worth of rain, hurricane-force wind gusts and feet of mountain snow are coming to parts of the Pacific Northwest and Northern California.

A powerful winter storm brewing near the Pacific Northwest known as a bomb cyclone is dragging an atmospheric river.