On November 20 a powerful storm hit the Pacific coast of the United States and Canada. Due to its rapid intensification the previous day, experts classified it as a "bomb cyclone."
In Washington state, winds of up to 70 mph knocked down numerous trees, damaging cars and building roofs. Fallen trees caused the deaths of two people, and two others were injured. The winds caused extensive damage to the power infrastructure, leaving more than 700,000 homes and businesses without electricity. Repair crews faced difficulties reaching affected areas due to blocked roads and landslides. The cyclone also generated massive waves in the sea, with buoys recording waves as high as 34 feet.
Canada also experienced strong winds: on the evening of November 19, gusts up to 101 mph were recorded on Vancouver Island, equivalent to a Category 2 tropical hurricane. In British Columbia, around 140,000 customers were left without power.
Meteorologists described this storm as one of the most intense in the region’s history, exceeding the threshold required for a bomb cyclone classification by more than twice. The situation worsened because of the simultaneous effect of an atmospheric river, which brought extreme amounts of rain and snow to Northern California and southwestern Oregon.
Due to the blizzard, the main highway on the West Coast, Interstate 5, was closed in southern Oregon up to the California border. In the San Francisco North Bay region, more than 5 inches of rain fell in some areas on Wednesday, with more precipitation expected for several more days.
The combination of the bomb cyclone and atmospheric river made the weather unpredictable and dangerous, as the two phenomena strengthened each other. The powerful atmospheric river provided moisture to the low-pressure system, fueling the cyclone. The stronger the low-pressure system became, the stronger the atmospheric river intensified.
The one positive aspect is that this dangerous storm arrived early in the season when the soils are still dry and can absorb significant amounts of moisture, reducing the risk of devastating floods
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