Winter Storm Stella May Undergo 'Bombogenesis' Before Hitting The Northeast

Although it may not seem like it, "bombogenesis" is a real word. It's the word used to describe a low pressure system that intensifies rapidly, according to The Weather Channel.

For winter storm Stella to undergo bombogenesis, or to be considered a weather bomb, the central pressure of the system would have to drop 24 millibars within 24 hours. This amount of change in pressure usually happens when there is a large temperature difference and the cold air over the land mixes with warmer air over the ocean. This is pretty common in the Northeast where cold air comes down from Canada and mixes with warmer air from the Gulf Stream, says The Weather Channel.

The 2013 winter storm "Nemo" is an example of a weather bomb like this. Nemo left cars buried and people homebound for days after dumping a massive amount of snow on the Northeast.

This time around the word bombogenesis has caught on and people have been thoroughly enjoying using it.

Some have been misinterpreting it, or using the lofty term to speculate about the impending storm.

Others weren't intimidated by the word.

Either way, the word "bombogenesis" probably won't stick around as long as the snow Stella will bring Tuesday.