Two people were killed near Seattle and more than half a million homes and businesses were left without power following back-to-back storms in the Pacific Northwest. The storms, described as a “bomb cyclone,” brought high winds, rain, and snow, causing falling trees and downed power lines.
Eastern Washington experienced snow, freezing rain, and blizzard conditions, leading to warnings for residents to travel carefully. A woman in her 50s was killed when a tree fell at a homeless encampment, and another person died when a tree crashed into a house in Bellevue. The storms caused widespread damage, with images showing cars smashed by falling trees and a public bus hit, though no passengers were onboard.
Over 700,000 homes and businesses in the state lost power, with more than 300,000 still without electricity by Wednesday afternoon. Firefighters in Puget Sound rescued two people trapped in their trailer by a fallen tree, both were taken to a hospital for treatment. The storms are part of an atmospheric river event that has already begun in California, bringing extreme rainfall, flash flooding, and other dangers.
Experts warn that climate change is exacerbating the intensity of these storms, with a warmer atmosphere holding more moisture and leading to heavier rainfall and increased flood risks. The storms have also affected Canada, with wind speeds comparable to a Category 2 hurricane recorded on Vancouver Island. The Northwest coast is expected to see another rapidly strengthening storm on Friday, prolonging the effects of the atmospheric river event.
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