A powerful storm was clobbering Washington State on Wednesday, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands and causing at least one death and two injuries.
The storm was also wreaking havoc on road travel.
How Does A Bomb Cyclone Intensify?
A bomb cyclone rapidly intensifies in 24 hours or less when a cold air mass from the polar region collides with warm tropical air.
Meteorologists call this process bombogenesis.
Death Of A woman In Lynnwood
A woman was killed on Tuesday when a tree fell on a homeless encampment in Lynnwood, just north of Seattle.
Officials of the local fire department officials posted news of the woman’s death on social media.
Two Persons Injured In Maple Valley
Two people were also injured when a tree fell on their trailer in Maple Valley, southeast of Seattle.
Cancellation Of Classes In Schools
Schools across western Washington canceled classes or postponed the start of school on Wednesday.
Damage Caused By The Storm
The storm with hurricane force winds of 50 miles (80 km) per hour and gusts around 70 mph felled trees and power lines overnight.
Power Blackout
It knocked out electricity to more than 600,000 homes and businesses in Washington, Southwest Oregon and Northern California, according to the Poweroutage.us.
A Meteorologist’s Explanation
“The storm is just beginning,” said Rich Otto, a meteorologist with the NWS Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.
“We haven’t gotten a ton of rain yet, just 2-3 inches over Southwest Oregon and Northern California,” Otto said.
But the storm, called a “bomb cyclone” which happens when the storm rapidly intensifies, will stall over Northern California in the next few days, he said.
“The biggest surge is Thursday. We’re looking at 10-15 inches of rain by Friday, some places, 20-inches,” Otto said, with the main concerns for southwest Oregon and Northern California.
Warnings From The Weather Office
The weather service has issued several warnings and watches across the Pacific Northwest for high winds, flood watches and warnings, and including blizzard warnings from Northern Washington to the Sierra Nevada Range.
Impact On Road Travel
According to the state’s department of transportation, the storm was making road travel treacherous.
Downed trees and weather conditions were slowing traffic across the state, as the department warned motorists to be cautious while on the roadways.
(With inputs from Reuters)
