Strong Storms: One Dead, Hundreds of Thousands Without Power

Early Wednesday, over 500, 000 people on the West Coast lost power due to a powerful storm. In Lynnwood, Snohomish County, a woman in her 50s passed away when a tree fell at a homeless encampment. That's not all—high winds, rain, and snow brought down trees, power lines, and created blizzard conditions. For instance, in Seattle, over 100, 000 residents were without power. The wind was so strong in some areas that it could be classified as hurricane-strength. Emergency services worked hard through the night to clear debris and restore power. However, the fire department in Bellevue warned residents to stay indoors as trees were falling onto homes. Firefighters in Puget Sound rescued two people trapped under a fallen tree, taking both to the hospital.

The National Weather Service in Seattle reported that the winds would finally calm down around 4 a. m. PT. But the tough commute for many in the Pacific Northwest wasn't over yet—Amtrak had fewer trains running on Wednesday. While the winds were expected to die down, more rain was forecast for California, which already had power outages affecting 25, 000 people. Worryingly, another storm is set to develop and strengthen off the Northwest coast by Friday. Experts blame climate change, which makes these atmospheric river storms more intense due to a warmer atmosphere holding more moisture.

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