As deadly bomb cyclone whirls into Seattle, another may be right behind

A cyclone that reverberated into the Pacific Northwest Tuesday night caused extremely unpredictable winds to blow across Puget Sound, caused power lines in the lowlands to flicker and go dark, and brought blizzard-like conditions to the Cascades.

Flights were diverted when gusts from the so-called bomb cyclone reached speeds of over 50 mph at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Toppled were evergreens.

In a Lynnwood homeless camp, a fallen tree killed a fifty-year-old woman.

As of Tuesday night, Seattle City Light reported that at least 79,000 customers were without power in the city. Several public utilities reported more than 500,000 outages in Western Washington.

As defined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a bomb cyclone is a storm that forms quickly when central pressure drops rapidly over a 24-hour period. It is distinguished by its explosiveness, galactic shape, and an eye known as bombogenisis.

Over the weekend, the cyclone began to make its first noises.

As the storm intensified in the Pacific Ocean, Lynn McMurdie, an atmospheric sciences professor at the University of Washington, was uncertain of what to anticipate.

She continued to monitor pressure levels at offshore buoys in her limited free time on Tuesday. The storm, as it happened, went straight over one. And the pressure dropped quickly.

‘Oh, it’s dropping quite a lot,’ I continued,” McMurdie remarked. Look at that, huh? “.”.

For example, if 33 millibars were dropped on an old-fashioned pressure gauge, the mercury would sink about an inch. A system of low pressure is considered a bomb cyclone by scientists if it drops 24 millibars in a 24-hour period.

At that time, this system sank 60 millibars.

This cyclone, according to meteorologists, will stay hundreds of miles offshore but act as a vacuum, drawing air toward it and rapidly increasing easterly winds throughout Western Washington.

A meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle named Dustin Guy stated, “That does lessen some of the threat because the center of the storm is not going to come on shore over Washington or anywhere near us.”. Not that we won’t experience some extremely powerful winds, either. However, we would be dealing with an even more severe wind situation than we currently have if this system were to make landfall. “.”.

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It should have subsided by Wednesday.

However, McMurdie stated that the pattern would not be completed at that time. It appears that a second low-pressure system—possibly another bomb cyclone—is coming after the first.

“This storm isn’t exactly weak either,” she added.

According to McMurdie, the second system should be developed by Thursday or Friday of this week. It might move closer to the coast and a little further north. Therefore, Puget Sound may experience its effects a bit more keenly.

According to McMurdie, bomb cyclones can occur quickly after one another, so a recurrence is not unheard of. But compared to what she usually sees here, the first storm’s intensity is a little out of the ordinary, more akin to storms that form in the Atlantic Ocean.

Through 4 a.m., the area was under a wind advisory. M. The National Weather Service’s Seattle office said Wednesday. Even in Puget Sound’s more protected areas, sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph were predicted, with gusts as high as 50 mph.

By Tuesday afternoon, the local public utility district reported that more than one-third of Clallam County’s population was without power.

Additionally, forecasters warned of the possibility of “mountain waves” sweeping into the foothills from the Cascades, which might have an impact on air travel and airports. Air flowing quickly collides with a steep front to create mountain waves, which are updrafts and downdrafts. Turbulence can be created by them in small spaces.

A blizzard warning was also issued in the Cascades due to the cyclone.

What happens when strong winds are combined with fresh, heavy snow?

“The Northwest Avalanche Center’s deputy director and forecaster, Dallas Glass, stated that this is a recipe for avalanches. People can cause avalanches during a storm or even days after it has passed. “.”.

The Northwest Avalanche Center posted a warning to skiers, who were thrilled to hear that ski areas were announcing open dates because of an already abundant snowpack, to keep an eye out for quickly shifting conditions and to be cautious of shallow snow cover at low to middle elevations.

It was recommended that drivers stay away from mountain passes. The National Weather Service predicted that between three and twelve inches of powder would fall on the west slopes of the Cascade Mountains. around 8:30 p.m. M. The freeway was blocked Tuesday with no estimated time of reopening after a semi truck jackknifed on Interstate 90 a few miles west of Cle Elum.

Guy stated, “The combination of that snow and our extremely strong winds really reduces the visibility and makes conditions particularly treacherous for travel.”.

Strong winds are created when air rushes to the low-pressure zone from high-pressure areas, such as over land. The strongest gusts will occur along the coast or in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, though strong winds may also blow through more exposed areas inland, such as Bellevue.

The ocean will also swell, possibly by 20 feet. McMurdie said that’s winter in the Pacific Northwest. simultaneous snowfall, rain, and wind.

By Tuesday evening, Guy reported that winds were reaching 69 mph off the Cape Elizabeth coast near Taholah and Grays Harbor, and reaching 63 mph at nearby Destruction Island. Winds increased even in the more protected Puget Sound, reaching 66 mph in Enumclaw. Wind gusts are probably going to get stronger as the evening wears on.

“The good news is that the cyclone was only 300 miles offshore and wasn’t predicted to hit the area,” Guy said.

He stated that it would continue to spin around offshore for the next few days and gradually wane until Wednesday. “.”.

This article was written by Vonnai Phair and Paige Cornwell, both staff reporters for the Seattle Times.