The Meteorological "Bomb"; An Explosive Maritime Cyclone

Explosively deepening cyclones occur from time to time in the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans, most frequently during winter and in a band just poleward of the Gulf Stream and of the Kuroshio. Study of a well-documented case suggests three phases development. The first is shallow and closely tied to strong gradients of SST. In some instances it is missing. In the second intensification occurs by interaction with an upper-level trough in a way similar to, but more intensely than: the case with virtually all baroclinic cyclones. In the final stage the circulation becomes nearly circular and physical processes resemble those of a tropical storm.