Behold, the majestic and terrifying power of the extratropical cyclone that swept the Pacific Northwest this week.

The satellite image above shows the cyclone as it appeared on November 19, 2024, swirling with hurricane-force winds and rain. It reveals the distinctive comma-shaped clouds of the extratropical cyclone and the atmospheric river that will continue to douse the region through Friday. But in addition, the satellite image shows the significant size of the rapidly intensifying system.

As the atmospheric pressure in the center of the system dropped, its wind speeds increased rapidly, according to a NASA Earth Observatory drop. The intensification of the storms was more than double what is necessary to constitute bombogenesis – a very cool name for when a normal cyclone becomes a bomb cyclone (basically a cyclone out of nowhere).

The cyclone downed trees and power lines across the Pacific Northwest, leaving nearly 600,000 people without power in Washington state alone. According to BC Hydronearly 30,000 people were without power in British Columbia this morning; approximately 320,000 customers were initially affected by the storm. According to CNNthe cyclone killed at least two people.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s JPSS-1 satellite captured the image—specifically, that satellite’s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite. The storm and the place of the storm belong to one atmospheric river that swept into the Gulf of Alaska from the Pacific Ocean in September, causing several inches of rain in parts of Alaska and British Columbia. An atmospheric river is exactly what it sounds like: an airborne corridor of moisture that carries rain over a large area of ​​land.

Atmospheric rivers have specific dimensions; according to NASA’s Global Hydrometeorology Research Councila corridor of atmospheric moisture must be more than 1,245 miles (2,000 kilometers) long and less than 620 miles (1,000 km) wide to be considered an atmospheric river.

Now, the extratropical cyclone has spawned an atmospheric flood that will cause heavy rains in the region through Friday. According to NASA, the atmospheric river is expected to dump between 12 to 16 inches (30 to 41 centimeters) of rain over parts of Oregon and California. The The Weather Prediction Center announced flood watches and wind warnings are in effect for northern California, wind warnings for Oregon, a storm warning for waters off Oregon and Washington, and winter storm warnings and watches for California and the Washington Cascades and Sierra Nevada.

The Pacific Northwest should be out of the woods by Friday, depending on how much of the forest is still standing after these storm winds. Until then, stay safe and stay dry.