() – The powerful “bomb cyclone” that hits the state of Washington and British Columbia will intensify as the hours go by.
The bomb cyclone will combine with an atmospheric river to unleash more than a month of rain, gusty winds and meters of mountain snow across parts of the Pacific Northwest and Northern California.
It will intensify so much and so quickly that it could become a “triple bomb,” tripling the criteria needed to be considered a bomb cyclone, the National Weather Service in San Francisco said.
Cyclonic pumps discharge large amounts of snow and strong winds during winter. This could be one of the most intense on record for its location, a storm that only occurs “about once every ten years,” and will generate “some of the strongest winds we’ve seen in several years” that will churn “very mountainous seas.” dangerous 9-11 meters,” said the National Weather Service in Medford, Oregon.
This bomb cyclone will work with an atmospheric river, a long plume of water vapor that moves like a river through the atmosphere, to result in heavy rain and significant mountain snowfall in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. The combination will stall along the coast and hit the area with hazardous conditions throughout the week and weekend.
Some parts of northwestern California could see 400 millimeters of rain or more in 48 hours. In the northern area of San Francisco Bay, mainly north of the Golden Gate Bridge, a month’s worth of rainfall is expected, according to the Weather Service. Precipitation of this magnitude is expected to cause significant urban flooding, debris flows on roads, and river flooding.
Conditions began to intensify Tuesday afternoon. The Weather Prediction Center reported that there is a level 2 of 4 flood threat for some areas of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon, where between 5 and 10 centimeters of rain could fall.
The heaviest precipitation is expected to begin Wednesday and peak Thursday in northwestern California. A level 3 of 4 rain flooding risk is in effect for Wednesday and a rare level 4 of 4 high risk is in place for Thursday, according to the WPC.
This Wednesday, between 10 and 15 centimeters of rain could fall and in some places up to 20 centimeters. Rainfall on Thursday could equal or exceed Wednesday’s totals, especially in the high-risk area.
In higher elevation areas, winter weather advisories are in effect and heavy snow is forecast. Blizzard warnings have been issued for parts of the Washington Cascades, where snowfall of more than 12 inches and gusts of up to 60 mph are expected Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday morning.
“Travel could be very difficult or impossible. “High winds could cause extensive damage to trees and power lines,” the National Weather Service office in Seattle warned.
Widespread winds of 56 km/h to 80 km/h are expected inland, with tropical storm gusts of up to 113 km/h. Isolated gusts in higher elevation areas and along capes and peninsulas could reach 137 km/h or hurricane strength.
These strong winds could cause power outages and damage to buildings and make travel difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles.
Conditions will begin to improve by the weekend, but lighter showers could continue into next week.
‘s Robert Shackelford, Mary Gilbert, Karina Tsui, Isaac Yee and Hanna Park contributed to this report
Add Comment