The heavy rain and flooding from an atmospheric river slamming Northern California turned deadly over the weekend. The intense weather event, one of the most severe in recent memory, has caused widespread devastation. Residents in the hardest-hit areas described the flooding as unlike anything they’ve experienced before.
🌧️ When an #AtmosphericRiver joined forces with a 💨 #BombCyclone earlier this week, major rain & snow impacted Pacific Northwest regions. @CW3E_Scripps meteorologist Chad Hecht shares more about the strong & unpredictable storm for the @ConversationUS. ⬇️https://t.co/a0LiWtWkF9
— Scripps Institution of Oceanography (@Scripps_Ocean) November 24, 2024
Emergency services have been working around the clock to rescue stranded individuals and provide aid to those affected.
Heavy wind, rainfall & blizzards are heading to Northern California, Oregon & Washington, courtesy of a #BombCyclone & #AtmosphericRiver. What does that mean for the region? @CW3E_Scripps Director Marty Ralph shares more with @thejudsonjones of @nytimes.⬇️https://t.co/WSyNmY7AUg
— Scripps Institution of Oceanography (@Scripps_Ocean) November 23, 2024
Dramatic footage captured by locals showed homes and cars submerged in water, while rescue teams navigated the flooded streets to ensure safety. Local authorities have urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel and heed evacuation warnings as the situation remains precarious.
We’re entering day four of post-bomb cyclone power outages in Western Washington. Here’s what to know:https://t.co/dG9SHIgsK1@seattletimes #Seattleweather #BombCyclone
— Caitlyn Freeman (@cfreeman1026) November 23, 2024
The National Weather Service has extended flood warnings for several counties in the region, advising continued vigilance due to the possibility of more rain. Experts attribute the unusual severity of this atmospheric river to shifting climate patterns, which may be leading to more frequent and intense weather events across the region. As the state begins to assess the damage, the focus remains on rescuing those in immediate danger and providing relief to survivors impacted by the flooding.
Emergency shelters have been set up, and aid organizations are working to distribute essential supplies to those displaced. Further updates and safety information will be provided as the situation develops.
Bomb cyclone impacts Northwest heavily
I take it the answer isn’t the obvious “to scare the bejesus out of people by using fancier terms for the same old stuff”? https://t.co/NIXtnRynwY
— Clifford Asness (@CliffordAsness) November 24, 2024
The coming days will see continued monitoring and advisories as this powerful event unfolds. Hundreds of thousands of people lost power in Washington this week as strong winds brought down trees. One bomb cyclone has been spinning in the Pacific northwest of Seattle for several days.
The interaction of this bomb cyclone with the atmospheric river first brought pouring rain and howling winds to northern Washington starting Tuesday night. More than 600,000 customers lost power at some point overnight into Wednesday. On Thursday morning, more than 300,000 in Washington remained without power, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks utilities.
The first major atmospheric river of the season is parked over Northern California, held in place by two bomb cyclones — one of which is among the strongest on record. This unusual meteorological event is expected to feed a continuous surge of moisture into the West Coast for the next several days. As more rain falls, the risk for dangerous flash flooding, debris flows, and landslides will increase as the ground becomes too saturated to hold, and streams and rivers continue to rise and overflow.
Atmospheric rivers are difficult to forecast because they are narrow bands of moisture, holding dramatically less moisture around their edges than in the center. Consequently, specific locations could see a vast range of rainfall amounts. For this storm, a place south of the Golden Gate Bridge, like San Francisco, could see anywhere from an inch to over six inches of rainfall by Friday.
