SEATTLE (AP) The northwest U.S. was hit by a powerful storm Tuesday night that caused extensive power outages, downed trees that killed at least one person, and severe winds and rain.
As California and the Pacific Northwest experience the strongest atmospheric river and a massive plume of precipitation this season, the Weather Prediction Center warned of heavy rainfall chances through Friday and hurricane-force wind warnings. When a cyclone increases quickly, the storm system is referred to as an abomb cyclone.
Homes and highways in northwest Washington were hit by fallen trees. South County Fire stated in a statement on X that a woman died Tuesday night in Lynnwood, Washington, after a big tree fell on a homeless camp. According to the Seattle Fire Department, a person was momentarily trapped inside a car after a tree fell on it. Later, the agency said that the person’s condition was stable.
The Bellevue fire department, located approximately 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of Seattle, tweeted on social media platform X that trees are falling on houses and throughout the city. Go to the lowest floor and avoid windows if at all possible. If at all possible, stay indoors.
According to poweroutage.us, at least 450,000 homes were without electricity as of late Tuesday. However, the amount of outage reports varied greatly during the evening, most likely as a result of several weather and utility organizations finding it difficult to report on the storm due to technical issues, including internet failures. The accuracy of that figure was unclear. Nearly 19,000 people in California and over 15,000 in Oregon were without electricity.
The National Weather Service in Seattle said that as of 8 p.m., the highest wind speed was in Canadian seas, with gusts of 101 mph (163 kph) recorded off the coast of Vancouver Island. On Tuesday evening, the National Weather Service in Medford, Oregon, reported wind gusts as high as 79 mph (127 kph) along the Oregon coast, while Mount Rainier in Washington recorded wind speeds of 77 mph (124 kph).
The meteorological service predicted that throughout the evening, winds in western Washington would intensify.
The National Weather Service posted on X to alert West Coast residents to the dangers of trees during strong winds. Avoid windows and rooms that are outside, and drive carefully to stay safe.
Flood and high wind watches were in effect in northern California, and areas of the Sacramento Valley, North Coast, and San Francisco Bay Area were expected to get up to 8 inches (20 cm) of rain. The National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center warned of dangerous flash flooding, rock slides, and debris flows.
Above 3,500 feet (1,066 meters), a winter storm watch was issued for the northern Sierra Nevada, where two days could bring 15 inches (28 cm) of snow. Forecasters warned that in mountainous regions, wind gusts might reach up to 75 mph (120 kph).
A ferry route between Port Townsend and Coupeville in northwest Washington was stopped by strong winds and seas, and the National Weather Service issued a flood watch for portions of southern Oregon through Friday evening.
Beginning Tuesday afternoon, the Seattle weather service issued a blizzard warning for most of the Cascades in Washington, including Mount Rainier National Park, with up to a foot of snow and wind gusts of up to 60 mph (97 kph). Crossing passes might be challenging, if not impossible.
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