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Deadly Bomb Cyclone Strikes US Northwest, Causing Power Outages and Severe Weather Disruptions

Climate and Weather

Business Honor
21 November, 2024

Storm brings high winds, flooding, and snow to millions, affecting homes and businesses across the region.

A powerful "bomb cyclone" storm has slammed the US Pacific Northwest and western Canada, causing widespread damage, power outages, and fatalities. The storm, fueled by a sharp drop in air pressure off the coast, has intensified rapidly, impacting millions of residents across Washington, Oregon, and California.

At least two people in the Seattle area have died after trees fell on them in separate incidents. In one, a woman was killed while showering inside her home when a tree crashed into the building, and in the other, a victim was killed in a homeless encampment when a tree toppled on the person. Emergency response teams have been working nonstop, clearing people trapped by falling trees in particular areas, including Maple Valley and Issaquah, areas where serious damage has been reported.

More than 700,000 homes and businesses in the state of Washington were cut off from power, numbers only slightly declining throughout the day. Heavy rainfall is causing the chance of possible flash flooding and mudslides in Northern California, with up to 8 inches expected in the San Francisco Bay area. Off the western shores of Canada, particularly off the province of Vancouver Island, powerful gusts of wind which reached as high as 100 mph were reported causing widespread power failures.

The storm has brought heavy rain, snow, and strong winds to the regions, which have caused transportation hazards and disruptions in daily activities. Authorities are warning about severe weather that is expected to continue this week with flooding, landslides, and rockslides at the end of the week with heavy snowmelt in the Cascades and North Rockies. The aftereffects of the storm will be felt well into the weekend as the potential for severe weather disrupts the region.

This bomb cyclone highlights the growing intensity of extreme weather events in North America, as climate change amplifies the severity of storms across the continent.