The west coast of North America was hit this Wednesday, November 20, by a “cyclonic bomb” which left two dead and deprived hundreds of thousands of homes of electricity.
Gusts of wind, heavy rain, risk of flooding… Western Canada and the United States have been hit since early Wednesday, November 20 by a “bomb cyclone”, a term used for certain very violent storms, which left two dead and deprived half a million homes of electricity, according to the authorities.
Gusts of up to 145 km/h swept through the northwest of the country in the evening from Tuesday to Wednesday, according to the US Weather Service (NWS). These strong winds disrupted air traffic and caused falling trees, which closed some roads and sometimes proved fatal.
“A woman in her fifties died” Tuesday evening in the town of Lynnwood, in Washington state and another in Bellevue, east of Seattle.
It was one of the most intense on record in this area, according to the National Weather Service in Medford, Oregon. This type of storm only happens “once a decade,” says the state weather agency, cited by CNN.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a bomb cyclone defines a cyclone that occurs in mid-latitudes (between the tropics and polar regions) and intensifies by dropping its pressure rapidly over a period of 24 hours.
The phenomenon can occur when a cold air mass collides with a warm air mass, such as air over warm ocean waters, NOAA explains.
A death near Seattle
Strong winds uprooted many trees in Washington State in the northwest of the United States. In the Seattle area, in Lynnwoord, a woman in her fifties died when crushed by a log that fell on a homeless encampment, reports CNN.
“Trees are falling all over the city and falling on houses. If you can, go to the lowest floor and stay away from windows. Do not go out if you can avoid it,” warn on the social network X the firefighters of the city of Bellevue, east of Seattle.
More than 800,000 homes have already been without power in Washington state, California and the Canadian province of British Columbia.
California is getting ready
The bulk of the precipitation is expected to affect northern California in the coming hours, which will also be affected by significant snowfall until this weekend.
Weather services are forecasting more than a month of rain in the northern San Francisco Bay Area. Precipitation which risks causing significant flooding, urban flooding and debris flows.
A winter storm warning has also been issued for the northern Sierra Nevada massif where 28 centimeters of snow are expected over two days in some high altitude areas, reports the AP news agency. Wind gusts could reach 120 km/h in these regions.
Related News :