One person was killed and two were injured by falling trees in Washington state as a powerful storm moved into the Pacific Northwest.
In Lynwood, a woman in her 50s was killed when a tree fell on a homeless encampment Tuesday night. In Puget Sound, two were transported to hospitals when a tree fell on a trailer, officials said.
The storm exploded into a bomb cyclone off the coast, near Vancouver Island, Canada, where winds gusted near 101 mph.
A bomb cyclone means the pressure in the center of the storm drops 24 millibars within 24 hours.
Wind gusts reached 50 to 84 mph from Northern California to Washington.
As the storm sits and spins over the ocean this week, it will help to push a plume of Pacific moisture called an atmospheric river into Oregon and Northern California.
Alerts are in effect through Friday for flooding, snow, avalanches and high winds.
Some places could see more than 1 foot of rain this week. A flood watch has been issued in Northern California.
(PETROLIA, Calif) — A 7.0 magnitude earthquake was reported off the coast of Northern California on Thursday, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The epicenter is off the coast near Petrolia, in Humboldt County, the USGS said.
Also, a tsunami warning that had been issued for coastal areas in California and Oregon, including San Francisco, was canceled just before noon local time.
“The tsunami Warning is canceled for the coastal areas of California and Oregon,” the National Tsunami Warning Center wrote on X. “No tsunami danger presently exists for this area.”
The warning had been in effect from Davenport, California, to Douglas/Lane Line Oregon, the National Tsunami Warning Center said.
Police in Berkeley, California, had issued an evacuation order for parts of the city “due to a tsunami coming to West Berkeley.”
“People in the Tsunami Zone are in IMMEDIATE DANGER and MUST EVACUATE NOW,” the police department said. “Stay east of 7th St. This is a lawful order to leave now.”
The earthquake was reported at 10:44 a.m. local time, according to the National Tsunami Warning Center.
Subsequent earthquakes were reported in the region, including a 4.2 magnitude earthquake near Petrolia, according to the USGS.
Shake alerts in the USGS’s earthquake early warning system were delivered as far north as Lincoln City, Oregon, and as far south as Salinas, California, the agency said.
“System was activated and performed as designed. Still trying to ascertain how much warning people received,” the USGS said.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said officials with the state’s Office of Emergency Services are “actively responding to the earthquakes this morning in Northern California.”
“Californians should follow guidance from local emergency responders,” he said on social media.
Regarding aftershocks, there is currently a 5% chance of a magnitude 6 or larger earthquake occurring in the next week, and a 34% chance of a magnitude 5 quake occurring in that time frame, the USGS said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(GEORGIA) — A Southwest Airlines pilot was arrested this week for allegedly reporting to work at a Georgia airport intoxicated, causing his Chicago-bound flight to be delayed for hours.
The pilot, identified as 52-year-old David Allsop, was arrested at Hilton Head International Airport in Savannah on Wednesday after a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer noticed he allegedly “smelled of alcohol and appeared intoxicated,” the agency said in a statement to ABC News.
Southwest Airlines confirmed the pilot had been removed from duty and apologized to customers whose travel plans were disrupted.
The flight Allsop was scheduled to operate, Flight 3772 headed to Chicago, was delayed several hours from 6:05 a.m. to 10:56 a.m. while Southwest got a new pilot, according to the airline.
Allsop was taken into custody around 7 a.m. by the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office and charged with driving under the influence, according to the booking document obtained by ABC News.
In its statement, TSA said this event was an example of its “see something, say something” motto.
“TSA always reminds passengers that if you see something, say something, and that is exactly what our Transportation Security Officer at Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) did when they saw something out of the norm. Upon encountering an individual in the crew screening lane who smelled of alcohol and appeared intoxicated, the TSA officer contacted local law enforcement who then engaged the individual directly,” the agency said.
“TSA maintains close relationships with our local law enforcement partners precisely for these types of situations. The TSA workforce is vigilant and always maintains heightened awareness in their efforts to secure our transportation systems and keep the traveling public safe,” the agency added.
