WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A “bomb cyclone” will likely bring serious wind to Whatcom County on Tuesday, Nov. 19.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Seattle has issued a wind advisory that’s in effect from 2 p.m. on Nov. 19 until 4 a.m. on Nov. 20 across all of northwest Washington.

Wind gusts are expected to reach up to 50 mph, which could blow around unsecured objects and tree limbs to cause power outages.

It comes as part of the effects of a “bomb cyclone” hitting the region. Bomb cyclone is a term weather enthusiasts use to describe a process that meteorologists usually call bombogenesis. It’s the rapid intensification of a cyclone in a short period of time, and it can happen during powerful storms such as the one northern California and the Pacific Northwest are preparing for this week.

Southern Oregon and northern California will likely see the worst of the storm, but its effects will linger well into the upper PNW.

A blizzard warning is also in effect for the North Cascades this afternoon until 10 a.m. on Wednesday and travel over the passes could be “very difficult to impossible.”

According to the NWS, snow accumulations could reach 12″ with wind gusts as high as 60 mph.