SEATTLE (AP) — A major storm swept through the northwest United States Tuesday evening, lashing the region with high winds and rain, causing widespread power outages and downed trees that killed at least one person .

The Weather Prediction Center issued a risk of excessive precipitation through Friday and warnings of hurricane-force winds were in effect as the most powerful atmospheric river – a large plume of moisture – as California and the North- Western Pacific have seen this season overwhelm the region. The storm system is considered a “bomb cyclone,” which occurs when a cyclone rapidly intensifies.

Felled trees hit littered homes and roads across northwest Washington state. In Lynnwood, Washington, a woman died Tuesday evening when a large tree fell on a homeless encampment, the South County Fire Department said in a statement on X. In Seattle, a tree fell on a vehicle, temporarily trapping a person inside, the Seattle Fire Department said. reported. The agency later said the individual was in stable condition.

“Trees are falling all over the city and falling on homes,” firefighters in Bellevue, about 10 miles east of Seattle, said on the social platform X. “If you can, go upstairs lowest and stay away from windows. Do not go out if you can avoid it.

As of Tuesday evening, at least 450,000 homes would be without power. poweroutage.us. But the number of reported outages fluctuated wildly throughout the evening, likely in part because several weather and utility agencies struggled to report information about the storm due to internet outages and other technical problems. It was unclear whether this figure was accurate. More than 15,000 people lost power in Oregon and nearly 19,000 in California.

As of 8 p.m., the maximum wind speed was in Canadian waters, where gusts of 101 mph (163 km/h) were reported off Vancouver Island, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle. Along the Oregon Coast, wind gusts reached 79 mph (127 km/h) Tuesday evening, according to the National Weather Service in Medford, Ore., while wind speeds of 77 mph (124 km/h) /h) was recorded at Mount Rainier in Washington State.

Winds are expected to increase in western Washington throughout the evening, the weather service said.

The National Weather Service warned West Coast residents of the danger posed by trees in high winds, posting on X: “Stay safe by avoiding exterior rooms and windows and using caution when driving . »

In Northern California, flood and high wind watches were in effect, with up to 8 inches of rain forecast for parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, North Shore and Valley from Sacramento. Dangerous flash flooding, landslides and debris flows were expected, according to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center.

A winter storm watch was issued for the northern Sierra Nevada above 3,500 feet (1,066 meters), where 15 inches (28 centimeters) of snow was possible over two days. Wind gusts could reach 120 km/h in mountainous areas, forecasters said.

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for parts of southwest Oregon through Friday evening, while high winds and rough seas disrupted a ferry route in northwest Oregon. Washington State between Port Townsend and Coupeville.

A blizzard warning was issued for the majority of the Cascades in Washington state, including Mount Rainier National Park, beginning Tuesday afternoon, with up to 12 inches of snow and wind gusts up to up to 60 mph (97 km/h), according to the Seattle Weather Service. . Crossing the passes could be difficult, if not impossible.