‘Bomb cyclone’ slams western US, leaving two dead and 600,000 without power

A powerful storm called a 'bomb cyclone' rotates off the West Coast of the United States on November 19 [US National Weather Service Portland via AP]

A powerful storm known as a “bomb cyclone” has killed at least two people and knocked out power for hundreds of thousands across the West Coast of the United States.

The bomb cyclone, named for the rapid intensification of a storm over a brief period of time, brought excessive rainfall and winds of 80 kilometres per hour (50 miles per hour) on Wednesday to Oregon, Washington, and California. Heavy rain and harsh winds are expected to continue through Friday.