‘Bomb cyclone’ kills 1, knocks out power to more than 700,000 in Washington state

On By Littum

A deadly”bomb cyclone“hair torn through the state of Washingtonkilled at least one person, toppled trees and power lines, and left hundreds of thousands without power.

What was predicted to be one of the strongest storms to hit the northwestern United States in years hit Tuesday night, lashing the Pacific Northwest — a region that covers Washington, Idaho and Oregon — and northern California with heavy rain and heavy wind.

In northwest Washington, strong winds toppled trees, knocked over homes and power lines and threw debris across roads.

Nearly 710,000 homeowners and businesses in the state were without power Wednesday morning, with King and Snohomish counties the worst hit.

In Lynnwood, a woman was killed when a large tree fell on a homeless camp Tuesday night, South County Fire said in a statement on X.

Over in Seattle, a tree fell on a vehicle, temporarily trapping one person inside before emergency services rescued them, the Seattle Fire Department reported.

Damaged trees and downed power lines during a large storm Nov. 19 in Seattle (AP)

Damaged trees and downed power lines during a large storm Nov. 19 in Seattle (AP)

Officials urged residents to hunker down at home as strong winds and seas halted a ferry route in northwest Washington between Port Townsend and Coupeville.

“There are so many trees and power lines down that we wanted to publicize the locations until the lights come back on. Stay home and be safe!” Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue posted the X next to a photograph of an impassable, debris-covered road.

The National Weather Service’s office in Seattle itself was hit by brutal weather conditions, knocking out their weather radio broadcasts in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, the U.S. Coast Guard Sector in Puget Sound said in a statement that it experienced phone, radio and Internet outages late Tuesday night.

Weather Prediction Service satellite images of the bomb cyclone from 4 p.m. PST on Tuesday (Whether Prediction Center)

Weather Prediction Service satellite images of the bomb cyclone from 4 p.m. PST on Tuesday (Whether Prediction Center)

The Weather The Prediction Center had warned against damaging windsexcessive rainfall and high surf too parts of the Pacific Northwest and Northern California.

Wind gusts were to top out at 65 mph in the region, combined with heavy snowfall, resulting in blizzard conditions — creating “nearly impossible travel” at pass level, according to the WPC.

The “abnormally strong” storm system is considered a “bomb cyclone”, which occurs when a cyclone intensifies rapidly. It marks the strongest atmospheric flurry – a large, narrow band of moisture – that the regions have seen this season.

A fire truck is blocking NE 80th St. at Roosevelt after power lines fell across the street during a major storm Tuesday in Seattle (AP)

A fire truck is blocking NE 80th St. at Roosevelt after power lines fell across the street during a major storm Tuesday in Seattle (AP)

Western Washington saw increasing winds throughout Tuesday night with the storm expected to reach maximum intensity Wednesday, the WPC said.

Wind speeds of 101 mph were measured off the coast of Vancouver Island in Canadian waters around 10:00 PM ET Tuesday night, according to Seattle’s National Weather Service Branch.

The Weather Prediction Center's forecast for the storm's path as it heads toward Northern California (Weather Prediction Center)

The Weather Prediction Center’s forecast for the storm’s path as it heads toward Northern California (Weather Prediction Center)

The storm system is expected to weaken as it charts a path over the Cascades and through to northern California and southwestern Oregon on Friday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.