Nov. 20 (UPI) -- A bomb cyclone slammed the Pacific Northwest and Canada's British Columbia on Tuesday night, killing at least two people and knocking out power to more than half-a-million homes and businesses. As the winds died down Wednesday morning, the storm joined forces with an atmospheric river that could flood parts of northern California through the weekend.
Tuesday night's massive cyclone whipped up hurricane force winds to 77 mph, blowing down trees and power lines throughout Western Washington and into British Columbia.
Bomb cyclones form when masses of warm and cool air collide to create strong winds, combined with a rapid pressure drop of more than 24 millibars in 24 hours.
"Here's an almost 48-hour infrared satellite loop showing the evolution of the deep low pressure that affected much of the Pacific Northwest. Early in the loop, you can see a huge amount of cold air pouring southward from Alaska into the North Pacific," the National Weather Service in Seattle revealed Wednesday in a post on X.
"It's severe out there. Trees are coming down all over the city, with multiple falling onto homes," the Bellevue Fire Department in Washington warned Tuesday night.
One woman was killed when a tree fell onto her home in Bellevue, east of Seattle, while she was in the shower. The woman was declared dead at the scene. Her husband was escorted out of the home, where conditions were determined to be too dangerous.
Another woman, in her 50s, was killed in Lynnwood, north of Seattle, after a tree fell on a homeless encampment.
Two people were injured when a tree fell on a trailer in Maple Valley, southeast of Seattle. Both were hospitalized, according to officials.
While wind-related advisories have been canceled, a blizzard warning remains in effect for the Cascade mountains. Drivers are being warned to carry chains, as several tractor-trailers spun out of control at Snoqualmie Pass in Washington state.
Crews continue their work to pull downed trees from crushed cars, roads, highways, homes and buildings.
An Amtrak train collided with a fallen tree in Stanwood, north of Seattle, on Tuesday night. None of the 47 passengers suffered injuries, but the train was inoperable, according to KIRO7.
Power crews were working Wednesday to repair downed power lines and to restore power throughout the region. Puget Sound Energy reported 650,000 outages, warning customers to expect a "multiple-day outage." A number of schools throughout the Pacific Northwest were closed Wednesday.
"Crews are continuing to restore power from last night's windstorm," Seattle City Light told customers Wednesday in a post on X. "Stay back and do not touch any downed power lines, be mindful of falling trees and debris, and if you must travel, treat all dark traffic signals as all-way stops,"
While much of the Puget Sound region suffered heavy wind damage and rainfall, Tacoma and Pierce County to the south of Seattle were mostly spared thanks to Mount Rainier, which stands at 14,411-feet. Meteorologists say the mountain protected the city from stronger gusts.
Vancouver Island was the hardest hit area in British Columbia, with 150,000 customers losing power during the cyclone. Most ferry routes, including major routes between Vancouver and the island, were canceled early Wednesday.
While the bomb cyclone battered Washington and British Columbia through early Wednesday, meteorologists warn the storm will feed an atmospheric river through the weekend to unleash more than a month's worth of rain and snow to parts of the Pacific Northwest and northern California.
Areas of northwestern California could experience significant flooding as 16 inches of rain is forecast to fall in a 48-hour period.
One to 4 feet of snow is forecast to fall across the Washington Cascades and northern Sierra Nevada, making "travel very difficult to impossible."
"Those blizzard conditions last night were no joke. We received over a foot of snow and fortunately, we are getting a break from this crazy weather," Snoqualmie Pass wrote Wednesday in a post on X, before the next blast was forecast to hit.
"Our plows are out doing our part. Make sure to do yours by slowing down and following all traction tire requirements."
