Bomb cyclone impacts West Coast, 1 dead in Washington state

A woman was killed when a tree fell onto a homeless encampment.

November 20, 2024, 9:22 AM

One person was killed and two were injured by falling trees in Washington state as a powerful storm moved into the Pacific Northwest.

In Lynwood, a woman in her 50s was killed when a tree fell on a homeless encampment Tuesday night. In Puget Sound, two were transported to hospitals when a tree fell on a trailer, officials said.

Eastside Fire & Rescue respond to a downed tree during a severe storm in Issaquah, Washington, Nov. 19, 2024.
Eastside Fire & Rescue

The storm exploded into a bomb cyclone off the coast, near Vancouver Island, Canada, where winds gusted near 101 mph.

A bomb cyclone means the pressure in the center of the storm drops 24 millibars within 24 hours.

Wind gusts reached 50 to 84 mph from Northern California to Washington.

Eastside Fire & Rescue respond to a downed tree during a severe storm in Issaquah, Washington, Nov. 19, 2024.
Eastside Fire & Rescue
In this image provided by Eastside Fire & Rescue, officials survey the scene where a tree fell on a home in Issaquah, Wash., Nov. 19, 2024.
Eastside Fire & Rescue via AP

As the storm sits and spins over the ocean this week, it will help to push a plume of Pacific moisture called an atmospheric river into Oregon and Northern California.

A low pressure storm system known as a "bomb cyclone" forms off the coast of the U.S. Pacific Northwest and western Canada in a composite satellite image Nov. 19, 2024.
Cira/noaa/via Reuters

Alerts are in effect through Friday for flooding, snow, avalanches and high winds.

Some places could see more than 1 foot of rain this week. A flood watch has been issued in Northern California.

An ABC News graphic shows storm alerts for the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024.
ABC News

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