Atmospheric Rivers (ARs) intricately connect with diverse weather systems, spanning planetary-scale to mesoscale levels, influencing extreme weather events through the transportation of abundant moisture and the shaping of regional circulation patterns. In March 2019, a strong AR originating from the Gulf of Mexico fueled a record-breaking bomb cyclone in Colorado, resulting in widespread winter weather hazards across several states. Experimental model simulations and trajectory analysis indicate that mid-tropospheric latent heat release played a key role in the deepening of the cyclone. The latent heat release promoted the generation of a lower tropospheric positive potential vorticity (PV) anomaly and a stronger low-level cyclonic circulation, enhancing the cyclone, low-level jet stream, and associated water vapor transport. Additionally, it generated an upper tropospheric negative PV anomaly and strong upper-level anticyclonic circulation, influencing the structure of the trough-ridge couplet and the associated Rossby wave. Reductions in the initial intensity of the AR and disallowing latent heat release both weakened the cyclone. However, disallowing latent heat release significantly disturbed the synoptic-scale structure of the storm and embedded Rossby wave, resulting in a stronger impact. Thus, the reduction of diabatic PV generation, under the influence of AR activities, was crucial in the explosive intensification of the cyclone. Few studies have explored interactions between ARs and continental cyclones, and this paper highlights the need for further research on AR-associated extreme weather events inland.