SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — One of the strongest storms on the West Coast in decades knocked out power for thousands of people, unleashed strong winds that toppled trees and left two dead in Washington before making its way through Oregon to Northern California where on Thursday it dropped heavy snow and record amounts of rain. The National Weather Service extended a flood watch into Saturday for areas north of San Francisco as the region was inundated by the strongest atmospheric river — a long and wide plume of moisture that forms over an ocean and flows over land — so far this season. The storm system roared ashore Tuesday as a “bomb cyclone,” which occurs when a cyclone intensifies rapidly, and it's expected to bring moderate to heavy rain through Saturday, increasing the risk of flash flooding and rockslides, forecasters said.
Here are some things to know about the storm: About 285,000 homes and businesses remain without power Thursday in Washington, where falling trees struck homes and littered roads across the western portion of the state, killing at least two people. One woman in Lynnwood died when a large tree fell on a homeless encampment, while another woman in Bellevue was killed when a tree fell on a home. Cities began opening warming centers offering free internet and device charging.
In the hardest hit areas east of Seattle, power wasn’t expected to be fully restored until midday Saturday, Puget Sound Energy said. At least a dozen schools were closed in th.
