At least one person is dead and hundreds of thousands of were without power early Wednesday as a powerful bomb cyclone hit the Pacific Northwest and northern California.

One person is reported killed as the largest atmospheric river system of the year sweeps across California, Oregon, and Washington, where up to 16 inches of rain could fall.

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 forecast to develop offshore of Oregon and Washington on Tuesday,