Bomb Cyclone Ushers in Blizzard, Freezing Rain, and Rare Seiche Event

The year 2025 went out with a bang from Mother Nature as a bomb cyclone produced a number of severe weather impacts, ranging from blizzard conditions, tornadoes, and a seice. Here is a look at what transpired across the Midwest and the Great Lakes when the bomb cyclone exploded.

Bomb Cyclone Triggers Blizzard Conditions

A bomb cyclone whipped up blizzard conditions across the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest on Sunday. Snow accumulations of 27.5 inches were recorded at Mt. Arvon, Michigan. Nearby Marquette was blanketed in almost 2 feet of snow.

The lake-effect snow stretched into Wisconsin, hitting the town of Gile with 20 inches. New York state also got hit hard by the blizzard, with 26 inches reported in Lysander and 24.2 inches notched in Syracuse on Tuesday.

The weather maker officially met the definition of a bomb cyclone as measured by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) when the mercury dropped from 1003 mb on Sunday morning to 978 mb early Monday. NOAA defines a bomb cyclone as an area of low pressure that loses 0.71 of an inch of mercury (24 mb) over a period of 24 hours or less.