Two people have died in Seattle, as a bomb cyclone impacts the Pacific Northwest. Nearly 600,000 customers have lost power.
A bomb cyclone occurs when a storm system undergoes bombogenesis, with its central pressure dropping rapidly within 24 hours. This particular storm system has been fueled by an atmospheric river, a band of moisture in the sky with water vapor levels comparable to average flow levels at the mouth of the Mississippi River. The resulting weather system has unleashed hurricane-level winds in parts of Oregon and Canada, with Vancouver Island witnessing winds as high as 101 mph—the equivalent of a Category 2 storm.
Heavy winds, rain, and snow are expected to continue impacting the region in the coming days. A separate storm is due to hit the Northwest tomorrow as the current storm moves east.
