A major storm has swept across the northwest U.S., causing widespread power outages and downing trees that killed at least one person in Washington.

The storm system that hit starting Tuesday is considered a ” bomb cyclone,” which occurs when atmospheric pressure drops at least 24 millibars within 24 hours, according to the NWS. They occur when cold air from the Arctic collides with the warm moist air of the tropics.

As a result, Northwest Washington was struck with strong winds and rain, causing falling trees and littered roads across the region, the Associated Press reported. In Lynnwood, Washington, a woman died Tuesday night when a large tree fell on a homeless encampment, South County Fire said in a statement on X.

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In Seattle, a tree fell onto a vehicle, temporarily trapping a person inside, the Seattle Fire Department reported. The agency later said the individual was in stable condition. Those in the area have been warned to stay inside and avoid being near windows.

“Trees are coming down all over the city & falling onto homes,” the fire department in Bellevue, about 10 miles east of Seattle, posted on the social platform X. “If you can, go to the lowest floor and stay away from windows. Do not go outside if you can avoid it.”

The extreme weather has also brought widespread power outages to the area. By early Wednesday over 600,000 houses in Washington State were reported to be without power on United States Power Outage Map. Outage figures have been hard to keep track of because of internet outages and other technical problems.

More than 15,000 had lost power in Oregon and nearly 19,000 in California. As of 8 p.m., the peak wind speed was in Canadian waters, where gusts of 101 mph were reported off the coast of Vancouver Island, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle.

Along the Oregon coast, there were wind gusts as high at 79 mph Tuesday evening, according to the National Weather Service in Medford, Oregon, while wind speed of 77 mph was recorded at Mount Rainier in Washington. The agency warned people on the West Coast about the danger of trees during high winds, posting on X, “Stay safe by avoiding exterior rooms and windows and by using caution when driving.”

In northern California, flood and high wind watches were in effect, with up to 8 inches of rain predicted for parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, North Coast and Sacramento Valley. Dangerous flash flooding, rock slides and debris flows were expected, according to the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center.

A winter storm watch was issued for the northern Sierra Nevada above 3,500 feet, where 15 inches of snow was possible over two days. Wind gusts could top 75 mph in mountain areas, forecasters said. The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for parts of southwestern Oregon through Friday evening, while rough winds and seas halted a ferry route in northwestern Washington between Port Townsend and Coupeville.

A blizzard warning was issued for the majority of the Cascades in Washington, including Mount Rainier National Park, starting Tuesday afternoon, with up to a foot of snow and wind gusts up to 60 mph, according to the weather service in Seattle. Travel across passes could be difficult if not impossible.