Storm Leaves More Than Half A Million Customers Without Power In Northwest

1 month ago 4

A powerful storm swept across the northwest U.S. on Tuesday evening, unleashing strong winds and heavy rain that left more than half a million customers without power and resulted in at least one fatality.

Around 650,000 customers early Wednesday were without power in Washington, according to the tracking website poweroutage.us in the wake of a "bomb cyclone," a term used by weather enthusiasts to describe a rapidly intensifying storm in a short period of time. A further 8,000 customers were without power in neighboring Oregon.

One of the energy companies in Washington experiencing outages, Puget Sound Energy, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the storms had caused "a mass outage event throughout most of our service area, with the biggest impact in King County."

The company added, "We appreciate your patience as we respond to outages with safety as our top priority."

Storm Washington
A person records damage of a tree and downed power lines during a major storm Tuesday, November 19, 2024 in Seattle. More than half a million have been left without power in Seattle after the... Jennifer Buchanan/The Seattle Times via AP

Avista Utilities also continued to report the areas affected by the outages on X, noting, "We are currently assessing the situation," while pointing customers to their website for updates.

Newsweek has contacted Puget Sound Energy and Avista Utilities outside of normal working hours via email for comment.

There were also people affected in California, with around 25,000 customers left without power.

Not only did the strong winds and rain cause power outages, but at least one person was also killed in the storm.

It was reported by South County Fire on X that the woman, who was in her 50s, had died shortly after 7 p.m. local time on Tuesday after a large tree fell on a homeless encampment.

In Seattle, there were also reports from the state's fire department that a tree had fallen on a vehicle, trapping someone inside. The person was later rescued and reportedly in a stable condition.

Firefighters responded after a large tree fell on a homeless encampment off Alderwood Mall Parkway in Lynnwood shortly after 7pm tonight. Tragically, a woman in her 50s died. No other injuries were reported. pic.twitter.com/T9bDpjFAA7

— South County Fire (@SouthSnoFire) November 20, 2024

On Tuesday, the National Weather Service in Seattle issued a warning for the incoming storm, telling locals to "Secure loose outdoor items. Stay clear of trees and downed power lines. Prepare for power outages."

Winds between 45 to 65 miles per hour were predicted in the most affected areas along the coast, although the Weather Channel forecasted the winds to be slightly higher in the coastal parts of Northern California, Oregon and Washington at more than 60 or 70 mph at times.

The Seattle weather service also warned that the "damaging, gusty winds may cause widespread power outages and road closures due to downed trees and powerlines."

The Weather Channel also predicted that some areas would have between eight and 12 inches of rain, with the heaviest rainfall landing in Northern California and southwest Oregon.

It also warned of the risks of flooding and mudslides in those areas due to poor drainage areas and regions that had previously been affected by wildfires.

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