SEATTLE (AP) — A major storm swept across the northwest United States, hitting the region with strong wind and raincausing widespread power outages and felling of trees that killed at least one person.

The Weather Prediction Center issued a risk of excessive precipitation through Friday and hurricane-force wind warnings were in effect at the strongest. atmospheric river – a large plume of moisture – that California and the Pacific Northwest have seen this season has overwhelmed the region. The storm system that hit starting Tuesday is considered a “ bomb cyclone“, which occurs when a cyclone intensifies rapidly.

Falling 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 early Wednesday, more than 600,000 homes in Washington state were reported to be without power. poweroutage.us. But the number of reported outages had fluctuated wildly by Tuesday 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.

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, where 15 inches of snow was possible over two days. Wind gusts could exceed 75 mph 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 Washington State’s Cascades, including Mount Rainier National Park, beginning Tuesday afternoon, with up to a foot of snow and wind gusts that could reaching 60 mph, according to the Seattle Weather Service. Crossing the passes could be difficult, if not impossible.