WASHINGTON, USA — This week's bomb cyclone brought damaging high winds to western Washington. It was a rare storm for the region, but how does it compare to past windstorms the state has experienced?
Washingtonians can pinpoint a few major windstorms in years past.
A windstorm on Columbus Day in 1962 produced wind gusts of up to 100 miles per hour. Impacts could be felt from California to Canada and caused over $280 million in damage.
Then, a storm on Inauguration Day in 1993 brought wind gusts between 60 to 75 mph. In this event, more than 750,000 people were without power.
Another major windstorm hit the state on Hanukkah Eve in 2006. In that storm, the maximum wind gust recorded was 113 mph at Chinook Pass. Around 700,000 people were without power for multiple days.
Back in 2012, over 476,000 people lost power in January, and it wasn't completely restored for eight days.
While it's still too early to know the total amount of damage this week's bomb cyclone caused, initial reports show wind gusts reached up to 77 mph in Sunrise at Mount Rainier, 74 mph in Enumclaw and 71 mph in Kosmos.
Puget Sound Energy said the hurricane-force winds resulting from this storm will likely cause it to go down in the history books.
It's currently undetermined what the cost of the windstorm cleanup will be. At the storm's peak, over 600,000 people were without power, and it's expected to take multiple days to restore electricity to everyone who lost it.