Wikipedia

November 2024 Northeast Pacific bomb cyclone

A powerful extratropical cyclone developed c. November 18, 2024, in the Northeast Pacific and struck the Western United States and Western Canada.[9][10] The storm underwent bombogenesis, rapidly dropping its central pressure[11] to a record-tying level of 942 millibars (27.8 inHg).[9] This storm was the first of two storm systems to impact the U.S. West Coast during a 3 day period. The storm was associated with an atmospheric river that dropped large amounts of rain in Oregon and California. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued a rare high risk of excessive rainfall in parts of Northern California, warning of "life-threatening flooding".[12]

November 2024 Northeast Pacific bomb cyclone
Picture of a bomb cyclone off the Pacific Northwest coast on the afternoon of November 19, 2024
Meteorological history
Formedc. November 18, 2024
RenamedNational Weather Service Las Vegas unofficially dubbed the storm "Cyclone Larry" c. November 21 (November 21)
Extratropical cyclone
Highest gusts101 miles per hour (163 km/h)[1][a]
Lowest pressure942 hPa (mbar); 27.82 inHg[2]
Maximum rainfall56.92 cm (22.41 in)
Overall effects
Fatalities≥4[3][4]
Areas affectedBritish Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California
Power outages≥953,000[5][6][7][8]
Part of the 2024–25 North American winter

Impact

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British Columbia

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In British Columbia, Canada, over 200,000 customers of BC Hydro were left without power.[7] Highways 4, 14, 18, and 28—all on Vancouver Island—were closed due to debris and downed power lines. On Sartine Island, a gust of 159 kilometres per hour (99 mph) was reported.[13]

Washington

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Downed electrical power distribution line (left), garage and vehicles dented by falling trees in Cougar Hills, near Eastgate, Bellevue
 
Tree at Green River College in Auburn uprooted by bomb cyclone winds.

Around 650,000 people were left without power across western Washington.[5] In Lynnwood, Washington, a woman in her 50s was killed by a large tree that fell onto a homeless encampment.[14] In the Bridle Trails neighborhood of Bellevue, a woman was killed when a tree hit a home.[15][16] A gust of 77 miles per hour (124 km/h) was reported at Sunrise in Mount Rainier National Park, while 74 miles per hour (119 km/h) gusts were recorded in Enumclaw.[17] A tornado warning was issued near Tokeland due to a waterspout being spotted offshore.[18][19]

The Eastside region of King County was the most heavily affected area of the Puget Sound region. The area's electricity provider, Puget Sound Energy (PSE), reported that more than 400 miles (640 km) of its transmission lines were impacted by high winds and it had contacted line crews from outside of the state to assist.[20] PSE repaired 47 of its 49 substations by November 23, but 66,000 customers still lacked service.[21] The Snohomish County Public Utility District had over 135,000 customers in Snohomish County and Camano Island without power; by November 25, it had restored service to 99 percent of customers.[22] Four northbound lanes of Interstate 405 were closed by a tree that fell into the highway near the Interstate 90 interchange in Bellevue.[23] The National Weather Service weather radio transmitter on Cougar Mountain near Issaquah went off the air during the storm.[24]

An Amtrak Cascades train struck a fallen tree in Silvana, between Stanwood and Marysville, at around 7:50 p.m. The tree pierced the locomotive's windshield but did not seriously injure the engineer or anyone onboard; service was temporarily disrupted while the damaged locomotive was towed away.[25][26] Amtrak cancelled several Empire Builder and Coast Starlight trips through the region in anticipation of the storm.[27] Link light rail service in the Seattle area was also disrupted by power outages; the northernmost section of the 1 Line was closed for several hours on November 19 and replaced by bus shuttles between Northgate and Lynnwood City Center stations.[28] The entire 2 Line between Bellevue and Redmond was suspended on November 20 and replaced by buses.[24] Washington State Ferries cancelled several sailings on its Port Townsend–Coupeville ferry route due to high winds across the Admiralty Inlet.[28]

Oregon

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Wind gusts up to 73 miles per hour was recorded in Oregon. At the Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport. Corbett, Eugene, and Florence recorded peak gusts of 50, 52, and 67 miles per hour (80, 84, and 108 km/h), respectively. Winds of 45 miles per hour (72 km/h) were recorded at Portland International Airport.[29] Approximately 10,000 people in the Portland metropolitan area lost power.[6]

California

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The cyclone was associated with an atmospheric river reaching California from the tropics.[30]

Near the Oregon-California border, Interstate 5 was closed due to heavy snow.[31] In addition, the Avenue of the Giants was closed amid flooding. On Mattole Road in Humboldt County, a 98 mph gust was recorded, and at Crescent City Harbor in Del Norte County, an 80 mph gust was recorded.[32] Over 430 flights were delayed and 60 cancelled at San Francisco International Airport.[33] 23,000 power outages were reported in California.[8] Two people were reported dead in Sonoma County, with the first being found dead in a creek and the second in a flooded vehicle.[4]

Notes

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  1. ^ Observed offshore in Canadian waters. Maximum wind on land was 99 mph.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "NWS Seattle on X". Twitter. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  2. ^ Asherman, Jacob (November 20, 2024). "Record-setting bomb cyclone, intense as a hurricane, to lash Northwest". WPC.
  3. ^ "'Bomb cyclone' kills at least 2 and knocks out power in Pacific Northwest". Associated Press. November 20, 2024. Archived from the original on November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Gaines, Tori (November 23, 2024). "Sonoma County: Two people die in floodwaters during atmospheric river conditions". KTVU FOX 2. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Storm Unleashes Heavy Rain in Washington State, Leaving Nearly 600,000 Without Power". New York Times. November 20, 2024. Archived from the original on November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Thousands lose power as wild weather whacks Portland metro". KOIN.com. November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Brockman, Charles (November 19, 2024). "Over 200,000 BC Hydro customers without power as 'bomb cyclone' winds hit". CityNews Vancouver. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Ortiz, John Bacon and Jorge L. "Pacific Northwest reeling from bomb cyclone; atmospheric river targets California". USA TODAY. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Noll, Ben (November 19, 2024). "Record-setting bomb cyclone, intense as a hurricane, to lash Northwest". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 19, 2024. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  10. ^ Cliff Mass (November 18, 2024). "The Deepest Low Pressure Center in Northwest History? Damaging Winds West of the Cascades". Cliff Mass weather blog.
  11. ^ "Bomb cyclone meets atmospheric river: When will it hit the Bay Area?". KRON4. November 19, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  12. ^ Gilbert, Mary; Tsui, Karina; Shackelford, Robert (November 21, 2024). "A new storm is lashing areas hit by a deadly bomb cyclone and boosting an already prolific atmospheric river". CNN. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  13. ^ "Highways closed, thousands without power as 'bomb cyclone' hits B.C. coast". CBC News. November 19, 2024. Archived from the original on November 19, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  14. ^ Phair, Vonnai (November 19, 2024). "Woman killed by fallen tree in Lynnwood during Seattle wind storm". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  15. ^ "Woman dies after tree falls into home in Bellevue during storm". KIRO 7 News. November 20, 2024.
  16. ^ "WA windstorm: Woman killed in Bridle Trails area by fallen tree". The Seattle Times. November 20, 2024.
  17. ^ Bsanti, Puneet (November 20, 2024). "Live updates: Bomb cyclone wreaks destruction in Western WA, parts of Pierce County". The News Tribune. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  18. ^ KATU Staff (November 20, 2024). "Waterspout prompts brief tornado warning for SW Washington coast". KOMO. Archived from the original on November 21, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  19. ^ Rice, Doyle; Yancey-Bragg, N'dea (November 20, 2024). "'Bomb cyclone' strikes: 1 dead, widespread power outages in Washington". USA Today. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  20. ^ Breda, Isabella; Gaitán, Catalina (November 22, 2024). "Bomb cyclone has some in Western WA waiting for power 3 days later". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on November 24, 2024. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  21. ^ Freeman, Caitlyn (November 23, 2024). "Bomb cyclone power outages linger for tens of thousands in WA". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  22. ^ Aronson, Eliza (November 25, 2024). "99% of Snohomish PUD customers have power back". The Everett Herald. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  23. ^ "Downed tree blocks four lanes of NB I-405 near I-90". Seattle: KIRO-TV. November 20, 2024. Archived from the original on November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  24. ^ a b "WA windstorm: Bomb cyclone leaves erratic path of destruction in its wake". The Seattle Times. November 20, 2024. Archived from the original on November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  25. ^ Wegner, Helena (November 22, 2024). "WA windstorm: Amtrak engineer nearly impaled by tree hitting train". The Seattle Times. McClatchy News. Archived from the original on November 22, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  26. ^ Ryan, John (November 22, 2024). "Amtrak engineer on Seattle-bound train nearly impaled by fallen tree". KUOW. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  27. ^ "Winter Storm to impact Washington, Oregon, and Northern California" (Press release). Amtrak. November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  28. ^ a b Deshais, Nicholas (November 20, 2024). "What the Western WA windstorm means for buses, light rail and ferries". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  29. ^ "These were the top wind speeds recorded during Oregon's bomb cyclone". kgw.com. November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  30. ^ Grace Toohey (November 20, 2024). "California's rainy season begins with a bomb cyclone bang. Are we in for a third record wet winter?". Los Angeles Times – via MSN.
  31. ^ Edwards, Anthony (November 20, 2024). "Interstate 5 closed near California-Oregon border as huge storm dumps multiple feet of snow". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  32. ^ LaFever, Matt (November 21, 2024). "California's Avenue of Giants flooded as hurricane-force winds batter state". SFGATE. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  33. ^ Vang • •, Gia (November 20, 2024). "Atmospheric river forces flight delays, cancellations at SFO". NBC Bay Area. Archived from the original on November 22, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
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