#weather-hazards

#weather-hazards

According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, certain storms undergo bombogenesis, which happens when a storm's central pressure drops at least 24 millibars in 24 hours. These storms are sometimes called bomb cyclones. Storm intensity is measured by central pressure, so the lower the pressure, the stronger the storm. Such rapidly strengthening storms are capable of producing heavy rain, blizzard conditions and intense winds that can create dangerous conditions such as downed trees and power outages.

When DiGiulian and her climbing partner, Elliot Faber, took off, they expected mild rain toward the end of the ascent. The night it came, their 10th on the climb, DiGiulian was dead tired and happy just to curl up into the sleeping bag on her portaledge, a suspended shelter that allows climbers to camp on the wall. Then I looked at the forecast, and I was like: Oh, no,' she said.

Witnesses described the weather shift as abrupt and extreme, indicating how quickly the conditions changed from calm to hazardous, with swells damaging numerous boats across the lake.