This winter we’ve heard all kinds of buzzwords, like “polar vortex,” “icemegeddon,” and “gridlockolypse.”

But recently with Winter Storm Pax,and now with Winter Storm Quintus,a new word is circulating around social media: "bombogenesis."

(MORE:Winter Storm Pax Snow, Sleet and Ice Totals)

You may be thinking, 'Well, that sounds ominous.' And in some respects it is, but it’s really not that uncommon. Bombogenesis is short for “bomb cyclogenesis,” which means a storm's central pressure drops at least 24 millibars in 24 hours. That’s a sign that rapid intensification is occurring at the center of the storm and could lead to extreme weather.

Winter Storm Quintus underwent this process this weekend. Early Saturday morning, the central pressure of Quintuswas 1000 millibars over North Carolina. By Sunday morning, 24 hours later, Quintus had a minimumcentral pressure of 969 millibars near Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

(MORE: Winter Storm Quintus Forecast)

So what happens as the storm strengthens? Wind speeds increase and precipitation can become more intense, making the effects of these winter storms much worse.

That could be evident from Boston northward as snowfall rates could reach1 to 2 inches per hour under heavier bands.

Tropical cyclones can also undergo rapid intensification, a particularly unnerving development, especially when occurring near landfall, such as with Hurricane Charley in 2004.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Winter Storm Pax Photos

Good Samaritans help push a stranded motorist stuck in deep snow on Stefko Boulevard Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014 in Bethlehem, Pa. (AP Photo/Chris Post)