'Bomb cyclone' kills one, leaves over 700,000 without power in northwest US
Damaged tree and downed power lines during a major storm on November 19 in Seattle. Photo: AP
A powerful "bomb cyclone" storm has battered the US State of Washington, killing at least one person, downing trees and power lines, and leaving nearly 710,000 residents without electricity.
The storm, one of the strongest to hit the Pacific Northwest in years, struck on Tuesday evening, bringing heavy rain and high winds to Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Northern California, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.In northwest Washington, strong winds downed trees, striking homes and power lines and littering debris across roads.
Almost 710,000 homeowners and businesses in the state were without power as of Wednesday morning, with King and Snohomish counties the worst impacted areas.
In Lynnwood, a woman was killed when a large tree fell on a homeless encampment on Tuesday evening, South County Fire said in a statement on X.
Over in Seattle, a tree fell onto a vehicle, temporarily trapping a person inside before emergency services rescued them, the Seattle Fire Department reported.
Officials urged residents to shunker down at home, while rough winds and seas halted a ferry route in northwestern Washington between Port Townsend and Coupeville.
“There are so many trees and power lines down, we would be posting the locations till the lights turn on. Stay home and stay safe!” Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue posted on X alongside a photograph of an impassable, debris-covered road.
The National Weather Service’s office in Seattle itself was battered by brutal weather conditions, knocking out its weather radio transmissions in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, the US Coast Guard’s sector in Puget Sound said in a statement that it was experiencing phone, radio and internet outage late on Tuesday evening.
The Weather Prediction Center had warned of damaging winds, excessive rainfall, and high surf for parts of the Pacific Northwest and Northern California.
Wind gusts were due to peak at 65mph in the region, combined with heavy snowfall resulting in blizzard conditions – creating “near impossible travel” at pass level, according to the WPC.
Similar news
