A massive storm known as a "bomb cyclone" hit the northwest United States on Tuesday evening, bringing powerful winds and heavy rain to the region. Thousands of people were left without electricity as high winds knocked out power lines and uprooted trees.
The storm, which intensified rapidly into a bomb cyclone, is the strongest atmospheric river event that California and the Pacific Northwest have experienced this season. Areas from south of Portland, Oregon, to just north of San Francisco faced particularly severe rainfall.
Along the Oregon coast, hurricane-force winds exceeding 120 kilometers per hour were reported. In the Seattle area, a phenomenon called a "mountain wave" brought strong wind gusts to low elevations, causing widespread power outages and downed trees.
As of Tuesday evening, over 106,000 customers in Washington state were without power, according to poweroutage.us. Oregon and California also faced outages, with more than 11,000 and nearly 12,000 customers affected, respectively.
Northern California was under flood and high wind watches, with forecasts predicting up to 20 centimeters of rain in parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, the North Coast, and the Sacramento Valley. A winter storm watch was issued for the northern Sierra Nevada mountains above 1,000 meters, where up to 28 centimeters of snow was expected over two days. Wind gusts in the mountains could exceed 120 kilometers per hour, forecasters warned.
Authorities urged residents to stay indoors and be cautious of hazardous conditions. The storm highlights the increasing impact of severe weather events and the importance of preparedness.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
