Word Spy - weather bomb

n. A massive and powerful storm that develops quickly and without warning.

Example Citation:

"The sunny skies and moderate breezes for the first part of the 1,000-km journey were forecast to give way to heavy overcast and a stormy 45-knots. Unpleasant perhaps, but manageable. As things turned out the 45 knots became gusts of 85 knots. Waves of 2-3 metres rose to 20-25 metres as a 'weather bomb' exploded over the region."
—Adam Mayers, "Cold & stormy nights," The Toronto Star, August 12, 2001

Notes:

The huge storm that wreaked havoc on eastern Canada yesterday was a weather bomb. Here's a good explanation of the meteorological forces that detonated the bomb:

"Three different storm fronts collided over the Gulf of St. Lawrence and merged to create one massive weather maker. It's a recipe for disaster. Start with a deep depression stalled over the Cabot Strait, combine that with a massive low pressure zone from the south, the result of the remnants of two hurricanes, whip in winds of up to 120 kilometres an hour from the northwest, and you get what meteorologists call a weather bomb."
—Peter Mansbridge, "Nature dropped a bomb on Atlantic Canada today," CBC, November 7, 2001

Here's the first print appearance that I could find:

"David Hutchinson, a Justice Department lawyer, told the judge in the nonjury trial that the storm was a 'weather bomb' which developed quickly."
—"Suit Blames Deaths of Three Fishermen on Faulty Weather Forecast," The Associated Press, May 11, 1984

Category:

Weather

Posted on November 8, 2001