Bomb Cyclone March 2019
A major storm system intensified in the Central Plains, becoming one of the strongest on record for the region and bringing blizzard conditions, heavy precipitation and major flooding. Wind speeds up to 103 mph were recorded and several locations set all-time record low pressures.[1]
The National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center has called this storm a 'cyclone of historic proportions.’[2]
The intensity of this storm is due to a merging of two powerful jet-stream disturbances that created a strong area of low pressure next to an area of high pressure that is feeding mild air and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico northward.[3] Climate change is linked to unusual jet stream behavior and warming in the Gulf of Mexico, both of which can affect storm activity. Climate change also affects many of the factors that can result in greater storm intensity.