A bomb cyclone and atmospheric river are developing in the Pacific. What does that mean for the West Coast?
CBSN
The Northwest is bracing for a strong storm system to move in this week, delivering gusty winds, heavy rain and mountain snow. The National Weather Service says this is the first major storm of the season. An atmospheric river and bomb cyclone are what make this storm so powerful — but what do those terms mean?
Atmospheric rivers are no strangers to the western U.S., especially during the fall and winter months. Atmospheric rivers, or "ARs," are elongated, narrow regions of moisture that travel outside of the tropical regions.

We share our planet with maybe 10 million species of plants, animals, birds, fish, fungi and bugs. And to help identify them, millions of people are using a free phone app. "Currently we have about six million people using the platform every month," said Scott Loarie, the executive director of iNaturalist, a nonprofit.

At ski resorts across the West this winter, viral images showed chairlifts idling over brown terrain in places normally renowned for their frosty appeal. Iconic mountain towns like Aspen, Colorado, and Park City, Utah, were seen with shockingly bare slopes, as the region endured a historic snow drought that experts warn could bring water shortages and wildfires in the months ahead. In:











