The Rare Natural Phenomenon In Colorado That Will Go Down In History
When you hear the words “bomb cyclone,” what images come to mind? If you lived in the Centennial State in late winter to early spring 2019, the images of this bizarre phenomenon are probably still crystal clear in your mind like they are mine (I can recall looking in our backyard and seeing a giant, seemingly strong branch suddenly snap off our tree and go flying over the fence). This rare and bizarre natural phenomenon in Colorado – no matter how recent it is – is guaranteed to go down in history, and you can say you were there:
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Taking place March 13, 2019, the Centennial State's infamous bomb cyclone was (and is) billed as being the "Strongest ever recorded in Colorado."
Also known as a weather or meteorological bomb, bomb cyclones (explosive cyclogenesis) develop during an extremely powerful low-pressure system, which - in the case of Colorado - was 970.4 mb, creating dangerous blizzard conditions complete with 70+ MPH winds.
70+ MPH winds didn't even scratch the surface when it came to wind gusts, with the Lamar Municipal Airport reporting 78 MPH winds, La Junta Municipal Airport recording 89 MPH gusts, and the Colorado Springs Airport reporting whopping gusts of 96 MPH.
Thanks to these extreme conditions, Coloradans fell victim to numerous car accidents, flight delays (1,400 flights were either delayed or canceled), road closures, and school closures.
According to the National Weather Service, 445,000 Coloradans also lost power for either hours or days, thanks to countless trees and power poles being knocked over during the storm.
Tragically, property damage was not even the worst thing to happen during the storm, as a Colorado State Trooper was killed along I-76 northeast of Denver, making for the first (and only known) cyclone-related fatality.
