At least two people were killed near Seattle and more than a half-million homes and businesses were left in the dark Wednesday in the wake of back-to-back storms that battered the Pacific Northwest.
The system — described as a “bomb cyclone” for the sharp, quick drop in pressure adding to its power — brought high winds, rain and snow, falling trees and downed power lines throughout western Washington on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
Snow, freezing rain and blizzard conditions blanketed a lot of easters Washington as residents there were warned to travel carefully Wednesday.
A woman in her 50s was killed when a tree fell at a homeless encampment in Lynnwood around 7 pm PT Tuesday, according to South County Fire, which provides emergency services in Snohomish County.
About the same time, a resident of the Bridle Trails neighborhood in Bellevue called to report a tree had crashed into his house, killing his wife, firefighters said.
“The caller was transported to safety until conditions near the home improved,” the Bellevue Fire Department said. “We are thinking of the family, and community, which we know are impacted by this death.”
NBC affiliate KING-TV of Seattle broadcast images of cars smashed by falling trees. A public bus was hit, but there were no passengers on board and the driver escaped unhurt. In some places, winds were strong enough to be classified as hurricane-strength.
“There are so many trees and power lines down, we would be posting the locations until the lights turn on. Stay home and stay safe!” Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue said Tuesday night on X.
“Trees are coming down all over the city & falling onto homes. If you can, go to the lowest floor and stay away from windows. “Do not go outside if you can avoid it,” the fire department in Bellevue, east of Seattle, said on X.
The National Weather Service station in Seattle was itself damaged in the high winds.
More than 700,000 homes and businesses in Washington state lost power during the storm, according to tracking website poweroutage.us. By late Wednesday afternoon, there had been some improvement, but the number of electricity customers without power was still more than 300,000.
Firefighters in Puget Sound, Washington, rescued two people who became trapped when a tree fell onto their trailer. While one person was retrieved quickly, it took an hour to rescue the second, Puget Sound Fire said. Both were taken to a local hospital for treatment.
The atmospheric river event already above California is set to bring “extreme rainfall totals” and will linger through the end of the week, the weather service said.
Between 10 and 15 inches of rain is due to hit the northern California coast and inland mountain ranges, which is “likely to increase the threat of life-threatening flash flooding, rock slides, and debris flows,” the agency said.
To make matters worse, a separate storm is set to develop and rapidly strengthen off the Northwest coast Friday, helping to amplify the atmospheric river effect.
Northern California has already been impacted by storms, with almost 40,000 energy customers without power at noon, according to poweroutage.us.
Canada has also faced strong winds, with gusts of 101 mph recorded Tuesday night at Vancouver Island, wind speeds associated with a Category 2 hurricane.
Experts have warned that climate change is worsening the atmospheric effect. A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, boosting the potential for warmer weather, and more intense atmospheric river storms with greater flood risks and higher costs.
Kathryn Prociv, Josh Cradduck, Lindsay Good and David K. Li contributed.