‘Bomb Cyclone’ bottoms out near Oregon, leaving records and closed roads

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – It was a 24-hour event that had all eyes on the Pacific Northwest: the “Bomb Cyclone.”

From Tuesday morning to Tuesday evening, this storm was forming and the states of Oregon and California were feeling the life of this strong system come alive. It brought a November low-pressure record to Medford, Oregon, while causing blizzard conditions for portions of Interstate 5, leading to closure for travel.

How about sustained wind speed of 84 mph and a 106 mph wind gust with high seas of 34 feet? That type of wind was equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane.

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The most recent scatterometer pass showed winds as high as 84 MPH on the back side of our "bomb" cyclone approx 200 mile west of Cape Blanco, OR. This storm is NOT – repeat NOT – a hurricane, but that wind speed is equivalent to category 1 hurricane. #orwx #cawx #bombcyclone

— NWS Medford (@NWSMedford) November 26, 2019

In addition to the November record for Medford, it may have been an all-time low-pressure record for the state of California.

This is the type of storm we do not see very often and we will recall for years to come. This area of low pressure is now slicing through Oregon and has gone from bottoming out in the lower 970 mb range to a current 992 mb. The atmosphere is always trying to balance out and what goes down must come up and that is what is going on currently with the backend of this storm.

With this area of low pressure now moving to the east, it’s going to allow for cold air to funnel in from the Columbia Basin. Morning temperatures will drop to the upper 20s by Thanksgiving morning for the Portland metro area and through the Willamette Valley.