A potent storm system called a "bomb cyclone" will trigger powerfully windy weather for communities east of Seattle by Tuesday evening. It will create rare blizzard conditions for the Cascade passes.

Though that type of weather system doesn’t often develop near Washington, the last one that impacted the Pacific Northwest was earlier this year in January. Bomb cyclones are weather systems that form when the storm’s central pressure drops more than 24 millibars in 24 hours.

A storm that’s been building off the West Coast in recent days is expected to hit Washington in the afternoon on Tuesday, Nov. 19. The storm, which some say meets the criteria to be considered a ‘bomb cyclone,’ is expected to bring gusts of wind up ...