The 2024-25 cold season first “bomb cyclone” either side of North America occurred Nov. 19-20 as a storm system off the Northwest U.S. Coast plummeted to 945 MB central pressure equivalent to a major hurricane. Evolution of this storm is likely in-part due to a moderate-to-strong convection phase of the Madden Julian oscillation (MJO) across the Maritime Continent coupled with intense marine heat waves across the Northwest Pacific in contrast to the rapidly cooling Northeast Pacific of the past couple weeks.