Pacific Northwest braces for severe weather from ‘bomb cyclone’ – with an atmospheric river on the way

Severe weather is set to hit opposite ends of the country this week, with a powerful low pressure system – followed by an atmospheric river – bringing damaging winds, up to 12 inches of rain and some heavy snow to the Pacific Northwest, while storms and possible flooding is headed for the Gulf Coast.

The National Weather Service said in a 3 a.m. ET update that a “rapidly intensifying and extremely powerful” weather system could bring winds of 75 mph across Northern California and parts of Washington and Oregon beginning Tuesday.

The strong winds are driven by a so-called bomb cyclone or bombogenesis, where a storm system experiences a large drop in air pressure of more than 24 millibars in 24 hours – this is due to a drop of 60 millibars.

“These winds are likely to produce numerous power outages and tree damage in the most affected regions,” it said.

Flood watches were issued for the northern and central Sacramento Valley, Shasta County and western Colusa County from Tuesday morning through Saturday.

Parts of California reached freezing on Monday, with 25 degrees Fahrenheit recorded in Paso Robles.

An atmospheric river — a flowing narrow corridor of moisture that can bring severe weather — was expected to hit California’s Redwood Coast and northern mountain ranges on Wednesday, bringing the threat of 5 to more than 10 inches of rain, flooding and mudslides to its peak. Thursday.

The weather service urged people in the affected areas to follow local news and alerts and not travel through hazardous conditions.

“This is going to be a big one,” NBC meteorologist Angie Lassman told “Early TODAY” on Tuesday.

Farther south, the eastern and central Gulf Coast will receive heavy rain and possible flooding, with eastern Louisiana to the western Florida Panhandle the area most at risk, the weather service said.

Elsewhere, a deep low pressure system will bring moderate to heavy rain across the Plains region with a marginal risk of severe thunderstorms.