### Washington Braces for Historic 'Atmospheric Bomb' with Hurricane-Like Winds

The state of Washington is gearing up for an unprecedented weather event, described as an "atmospheric bomb," expected to bring hurricane-like conditions and strong winds that could leave tens of thousands without power.

Cliff Mass, an atmospheric sciences professor at the University of Washington, detailed the severity of the situation on "The Jason Rantz Show" on KTTH, AM 770. "We're talking about big winds," Mass noted, emphasizing the unique nature of this storm. "Probably the strongest low that has ever formed off our coast is going to an amplifying place (Tuesday) afternoon and evening. Very deep low. High pressure will be in the interior."

Mass highlighted that the potentially extreme winds will primarily impact regions including Enumclaw, Black Diamond, and North Bend, with gusts possibly reaching up to 50 miles per hour in Renton and Bellevue. A guarantee of power outages was given, highlighting the anticipated disruption.

On Washington's coast, wind speeds between 60 and 70 miles per hour are forecasted, akin to the strength of a hurricane. However, this storm's classification differs due to its formation over the Pacific rather than tropical waters. "The energy source is different, but it's as strong as a category one or two hurricane," Mass explained.

As the storm rapidly intensifies, Mass referred to it as an "atmospheric bomb," detailing that its swift amplification and deepening surpass even the typical criteria of such phenomena. "This is going to be a bomb plus. It'll be stronger than even the bomb definition," he asserted.

Addressing concerns about climate change's role in the severity of the storm, Mass clarified that there is no evidence linking this specific event to global warming. "There's no reason to think this strong storm is associated with climate change," he said. Previous studies conducted with the Climate Impacts Group at the UW found no trend suggesting that strong storms are becoming more frequent or intense due to climate change.

Though rain is expected, it won't play a major role in this event, with precipitation likely to subside by early Wednesday morning. "The winds are from the east, so we're on the downslope side, and so there's going to be a lack of rain on the areas that are getting the very strong winds," Mass explained. Rain will be more prevalent on the southeast side of the Olympics and the Cascade Crescent towards the east, but not in the areas affected by the strongest winds.

Listeners can stay updated by tuning into The Jason Rantz Show on KTTH 770 AM, with broadcasts available on HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3.