More than 500,000 energy customers on the West Coast were without power early Wednesday and one person was killed by a falling tree as severe weather brought on by powerful storm systems began to batter the Pacific Northwest.

The death of a woman in her 50s at a homeless camp in Lynnwood, Snohomish County, was reported as firefighters and power companies worked through the night to clear debris and restore power after winds of up to 75 miles per hour caused extensive damage. South County Fire confirmed the death in a statement and said there were no other injuries, but provided no further details.

A storm system in the Pacific Ocean about 300 miles off the coast of Washington – described as a “bomb cyclone” because of the sharp, rapid drop in pressure that increases its strength – is bringing heavy winds, rain and snow, downs trees and power lines and causes snowstorms. conditions in the Cascades.

More than 570,000 customers were without power as of 8:30 a.m., including more than 100,000 in Seattle early Wednesday, the public electric utility Seattle City Light said on X.

Seattle NBC affiliate King 5 broadcast footage of cars being destroyed by falling trees. A public bus was hit, but there were no passengers on board and the driver escaped unharmed. In some places the winds were strong enough to be classified as hurricane strength.

“There are so many trees and power lines down, we would post the locations until the lights come on. Stay home and stay safe!” Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue said on X. The entire city of North Bend, Washington, was without power, King 5 reported.

“Trees are falling and falling on houses all over the city. If you can, go to the lowest floor and stay away from windows. Don’t go outside if you can avoid it,” the fire department in Bellevue, east of Seattle, said on X on Tuesday evening.

Firefighters in Puget Sound, Washington, rescued two people who were trapped when a tree fell on their trailer. While one person was quickly retrieved, it took an hour to rescue the second, Puget Sound Fire said. Both were taken to a local hospital for treatment.

The National Weather Service station in Seattle — which itself was damaged by the high winds — warned that the winds would not start to subside until around 4 a.m. PT.

The Wednesday morning commute can be difficult or impossible for many in the Pacific Northwest. Amtrak announced a revised schedule Wednesday with fewer trains

These strong winds should die down across the region by afternoon, but the atmospheric river event already over California is expected to bring “extreme precipitation totals” and will last through the end of the week, the weather service said.

Between 4 and 6 inches of rain will hit Northern California’s coast and inland mountain ranges, “likely to increase the threat of life-threatening flash flooding, rockslides and debris flows,” the agency said.

To make matters worse, a separate storm will develop and quickly strengthen off the northwest coast on Friday, amplifying the atmospheric river effect.

Northern California has already been hit by storms, with nearly 25,000 utility customers without power as of 5:30 a.m. ET, according to poweroutage.us, while 8,500 were without power in Oregon.

Canada has also experienced high winds, with gusts of 163 km per hour recorded on Vancouver Island on Tuesday evening, wind speeds associated with a Category 2 hurricane.

Experts have warned that climate change is worsening the atmospheric effect. A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, increasing the likelihood of warmer, wetter and more intense atmospheric river storms, with greater flood risks and higher costs.