Heavy waves break against the Oregon coast in Depoe Bay during a 2021 bomb cyclone storm system. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

By Ben Noll

An unusually powerful force is fueling weather hazards in the northwestern United States and Canada, including an intense atmospheric river headed to California. The record-strong low-pressure system is developing offshore of Oregon and Washington, causing low air pressure that is more typical of a major hurricane.

On Tuesday evening, a buoy off the coast of Washington, near the storm’s center, was reporting an air pressure of 950 millibars with wind gusts of 74 mph. Although the center of the storm will remain offshore, winds were forecast to intensify along the Oregon and Washington coastline through Tuesday evening.

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