A “bomb cyclone,” described as a “murderous storm,” hit the western part of Washington, including Seattle, on the afternoon of the 19th, causing unprecedented power outages.
According to the weather agency, a warm low-pressure system that developed in the Pacific Ocean since the 17th gained strength for several days before colliding with an inland Arctic cold front on the 19th, reaching its peak as a super-strong “bomb cyclone” that hit the western part of the U.S. and British Columbia (BC), Canada.
As a result, wind gusts of 77 miles per hour were observed in the Mount Rainier-Sunrise area of Washington State, 74 miles per hour in Christian Mountain, 63 miles per hour in Camano Island, 59 miles per hour in SeaTac Airport, and 57 miles per hour in Federal Way.
In addition to Washington State, Satin Island, BC, Canada, 106 miles per hour was recorded, Acorn Woman Peak, Oregon, 89 miles per hour, and Van Bremer, California, 82 miles per hour.
Due to strong winds, trees fell in many places in Washington State, covering power lines and houses. It is understood that 30 to 40 trees fell in Seattle alone from the afternoon of that day to the early morning of the 20th. It is known that hundreds of trees fell throughout Puget Sound due to the strong winds.
As a result, at one point on the night of the 19th, about 114,000 households supplied by Seattle City Light lost power, and about 130,000 households belonging to Snohomish County PUD, 350,000 households belonging to Puget Sound Energy (PSE), 5,000 households belonging to Tacoma Public Utilities, and 6,000 households in Clam County PUD lost power.
With over 600,000 households in western Washington State without power, residents had to live in fear of the cold and darkness. It was also found that large marts such as the Issaquah Costco and Federal Way H Mart had closed early due to a power outage that afternoon. It is known that two people have lost their lives in Washington State because of this ‘bomb cyclone’.
Just before 7 p.m. on the 19th, a large tree fell on a house in the Bellevue Bridle Trail neighborhood due to the storm. A 65-year-old woman who was showering in the bathroom died at the scene. Her husband barely escaped the disaster after the tree fell. Then, just after 7 p.m. that night, a woman in her 50s died at the scene after being hit by a tree that had fallen due to strong winds at a homeless camp near the Lynwood Alderwood Mall Parkway.
Authorities are currently carrying out emergency restoration work for power outages and other damage, but many households are still suffering from the damage as of the 21st.This is the largest power outage since December 14-15, 2006, when strong winds knocked out power to 1 million homes. The outage, which occurred on Hanukkah Eve in 2006, killed 14 people in Washington state. Eight of them died from carbon monoxide poisoning while burning charcoal indoors during the power outage.
Weather officials are urging residents to stay indoors and be aware of their surroundings when the winds are strong. They are urging people to stay at least 30 feet away from downed power lines, which may be live.