Met Office explains weather bomb as Storm Ciaran hurtles towards UK at 100mph
The Met Office has explained what a “weather bomb” is as Storm Ciaran hurtles towards the UK, bringing hurricane-force winds of 100mph.
Storm Ciaran is set to batter Britain in less than 24 hours, with the Met Office issuing several danger to life warnings to the areas expected to be hit the worst between 3am and 6am on Thursday morning.
The agency warned that a scattering of areas across the country should anticipate extreme wind and rain, with the latest two yellow alerts placed over England predicting gale-force winds – while experts have warned of an impending “weather bomb” battering UK shores.
Meteorologist Scott Duncan described the storm as a true “bomb cyclone”, saying: “A violent wind storm is brewing in the open waters of the Atlantic right now. Ciarán unfortunately reaches peak intensity upon arrival on European shores with severe weather warnings issued. The explosive deepening of the surface low should be among the deepest low pressure systems on record for this part of the world. Low centre potentially dropping sub 955 hPa.”
But what does that mean? Express Weather takes a look at the rare weather phenomenon and what it means for the forecast this week.
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What is a weather bomb?
The term refers to an area of low pressure in which the measurement of central pressure drops in a 24 hour period. This is known as explosive cyclogenesis – a phrase that has become better known as a weather bomb.
Explaining the rare weather phenomenon, Met Office meterologist Alex Deakin said: “First and foremost, quite, simply, it’s an area of low pressure. But to be a weather bomb, it has to be really intensifying, and deepening, and that process has to happen rapidly.”
He added: “For it to be classified as a weather bomb, there needs to be a drop in central pressure of 24mb in 24 hours.”
A spokesperson for the forecaster added: “Rapid acceleration of air caused by the jet stream high up in the atmosphere can remove air from the column, reducing its weight so causing pressure to fall at sea level.
“This in turn sucks in air which converges from surrounding regions resulting in faster and faster rotation of the circulation, in the same way that ice skaters spin faster by drawing their arms in.
“The resulting winds peak over a period of a few hours and can be strong enough to bring down trees and cause structural damage.”
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As severe rain causes flooding in Northern Ireland, Britons living on the UK mainland have been told to batten down the hatches ahead of potentially life-threatening gusts.
The Met Office is urgint Brits to watch out for “flying debris” at the height of the storm.
The amber weather warning in place for the south east of England reads: “On Thursday morning, very strong west to southwesterly winds will develop over parts of the far south and southeast of England where gusts are likely to reach 70 to 80mph in some coastal areas and may exceed 85 mph in a few of the most exposed English Channel coastal spots.
“The extent of these high winds remains a little uncertain and is dependent on the exact track of Storm Ciarán.
“Winds will begin to ease from the west during the afternoon. Very large waves could bring additional impacts to coastal areas, especially along the English Channel coastline.”
Storm Ciaran is set to cause travel chaos across the UK – on road and rail. The potential for flooding has sparked experts to warn of the dangers of driving through water – as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car.
National Rail has also warned of disruption to its services, saying: “Due to poor weather conditions, train services running across the whole South Western Railway network may be cancelled, delayed or revised.”
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