A so-called bomb cyclone, which meteorologists explain as a storm system that rapidly intensifies within 24 hours, whipped through California and the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday, Nov. 19. The storm killed two people and left more than half a million households from Washington to California without power.
A tree reportedly collapsed on a home east of Seattle and killed a woman. Another woman died when a tree landed on a homeless encampment in Lynnwood, Washington.
Forecasters warn another bomb cyclone, while not as intense as the one Tuesday, is headed for the same region on Thursday, Nov. 21, through Friday, Nov. 22.
In California, the National Weather Service (NWS) extended a flood watch into Saturday, Nov. 23, for regions north of San Francisco. The agency is warning residents of the potential for flash flooding, as well as rock and mudslides over the next few days.
The NWS warned residents on the West Coast to danger caused by trees during strong winds and told people to avoid “exterior rooms and windows.” The agency also told drivers to heed caution.
