On Wednesday evening, severe thunderstorms swept across northern Washington, dazzling the region’s skies with electronic displays.
The storms caused localized industrial flood by bringing significant snowfall, while hail fell across the Puget Sound region. ShannonO’Donnell, the KOMO reports main meteorologist, reported hail that surpassed the Olympics in size by 0.9 inches.
Numerous houses were seriously damaged by lightning attacks. Emergency services responded to a lightning-stricken residence in Everett, technology was damaged along SR 109 in Grays Harbor County, and a house fire broke out on Camano Island.
South Seattle experienced power interruptions on Wednesday evening at 9:40 p.m., according to Seattle City Light, which reported 1,050 users having outages. About 1, 500 customers without power, according to Pipet Sound Energy.
The national weather service issued a severe storm view for Western Washington and Oregon on Wednesday due to the possibility of serious rains, lightning, strong winds, and thunder.
Seattle and King County’s initial severe storm enjoy since June 1999 was noted by The Storm Prediction Center, while Pierce, Lewis, and Thurston regions were the last to receive one since May 2017.
The wind system made its way across the Oregon-Washington borders on Wednesday at 5 p.m., passing through the Chehalis Valley to Long Beach by 6 p.m., before settling in Aberdeen-Olympia between 6 and 7 p.m., intensifying throughout its trip.
Around 7 p.m., lightning was visible from central tower cameras, and the system made its way to Seattle. The NWS announced a reduced severe weather risk west of Jefferson and Snohomish regions by 9:20 p.m.
Seattle Public Schools canceled night activities and closed all houses at 5 p.m., including the Rainier Beach High School Board Community Engagement program. Another neighborhoods followed suit by imposing first closures.
To guard equipment and staff from the anticipated extreme weather, Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s 62nd Airlift Wing proactively evacuated the C-17 Globemaster III plane.
The NWS advised drivers to stay inside their cars and seek safe havens during thunderstorms, citing the prevalence of large hail as the main risk.
Winter levels are expected to drop to 4,500 feet on Thursday and 3,500 feet by Saturday, with hills precipitation reaching elevations of up to 8,500 feet.
Areas in the coastal region can expect stormy rain and heat in the 50s on Thursday and Friday. By Saturday night, rain should stop, resulting in a warmer, peaceful trip.
