Bomb Cyclone Means Possible Severe Weather for Michigan Thursday

A nasty winter storm which hammered Colorado today is moving east across the United States and could mean the threat of severe weather in Mid Michigan on Thursday. By early this afternoon, nine inches of snow had fallen west of Boulder and Denver International Airport reported wind gusts of 75 to 80 miles per hour.

Warmth, Wind, and moisture will move into our area on Thursday as we are on the northern edge of the system that is crossing the country. Extremely strong winds are expected and these conditions do mean that a weak tornado is not out of the question.

Showers are possible Thursday morning. Wind gusts up to 40 miles per hour are possible. This, combined with a strong cold front, will mean the possibility of very strong thunderstorms throughout the Mid-Michigan area.

So what is a Bomb Cyclone? According to CNN, it's simply a storm which includes a dramatic drop in atmospheric pressure.

A bomb cyclone happens when there's a rapid pressure drop, with a decrease of at least 24 millibars (which measures atmospheric pressure) over 24 hours known as bombogenesis. This storm has dropped 27 millibars since Tuesday morning and continues to strengthen.

Residents in Mid-Michigan should prepare for severe storms, but other factors may weaken the impact of the storm as it makes its way into our area.

We'll keep you posted on any warnings or advisories here, on our mobile app, and on-air on Cars 108.