The Weather Prediction Center issued excessive rainfall risks through Friday and hurricane-force wind warnings were in effect as the strongest atmospheric river — a large plume of moisture — that California and the Pacific Northwest has seen this season overwhelmed the region. The storm system that hit starting Tuesday is considered a “ bomb cyclone,” which occurs when a cyclone intensifies rapidly.
In California, the weather service extended a flood watch into Saturday for areas north of San Francisco. Higher elevations of the Sonoma County wine region recorded up to 1 1/2 inches of rain over 24 hours, forecasters said Wednesday morning. More than 10 inches was predicted for northern parts of the state and down into the central coast. Dangerous flash flooding, rock slides and debris flows were possible, officials warned.
A winter storm watch was in place for the northern Sierra Nevada above 3,500 feet, where 15 inches of snow was possible over two days. Wind gusts could top 75 mph in mountain areas, forecasters said.
Heavy, wet snow was expected to continue along the Cascades and in parts of far northern California. Forecasters warned of blizzard and whiteout conditions and near impossible travel at pass level due to accumulation rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour and wind gusts of up to 65 mph.
Falling trees struck homes and littered roads across northwest Washington. In Lynnwood, Washington, a woman died Tuesday night when a large tree fell on a homeless encampment, South County Fire said in a statement. In Bellevue, east of Seattle, a tree fell onto a home, killing a woman Tuesday night, fire officials said.
More than 600,000 power outages were reported in Washington early Wednesday, but that number fell to around 110,000 later in the morning, according to poweroutage.us. More than 8,600 were reported to be without power in Oregon, 32,000 in California and 1,000 in Nevada.
“Trees are coming down all over the city & falling onto homes,” the Bellevue fire department posted on X on Tuesday night. “If you can, go to the lowest floor and stay away from windows. Do not go outside if you can avoid it.”
Southbound Interstate 5 was closed for an 11-mile stretch from Ashland, Oregon, to the border with California on Wednesday morning due to extreme winter weather conditions in northern California, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. It was expected to be a long-term closure, the department said.
The weather service issued a flood watch for parts of southwestern Oregon through Friday evening, while rough winds and seas halted a ferry route in northwestern Washington between Port Townsend and Coupeville.
