Widespread thunderstorms moved through western Washington Wednesday night, with lightning illuminating skies across the region.
As lightning scattered across the sky, heavy downpours lead to short-term urban flooding in some areas. Hail was also reported in parts of the Puget Sound region, with 0.9-inch sized hail reported over the Olympics, according to KOMO News Chief Meteorologist Shannon O’Donnell.
VIEWER PHOTOS | Thunderstorms light up the sky over western Washington
Multiple structures were also damaged by lightning during the storm. A residential fire was reported on Camano Island due to a lightning strike, Grays Harbor County PUD reported damage to equipment along SR 109 due to lightning, and there was a large response from fire crews after lightning hit a house in Everett.
Seattle City Light reported lightning was also the cause of a power outage in south Seattle Wednesday night. The utility company said around 1,050 customers were impacted by outages as of 9:40 p.m. Wednesday, while Puget Sound Energy reported nearly 1,500 customers were without power.
The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for King, Pierce, Lewis and Thurston counties Wednesday afternoon before the storm reached the Puget Sound region. A severe thunderstorm watch means “conditions are favorable for hazards to occur,” the NWS said. A severe thunderstorm warning is issued when a severe thunderstorm is “happening or about to happen.”
ALSO SEE | Lightning causes power outages across western Washington, affecting Sound Transit services
According to the Storm Prediction Center, this was the first time Seattle and King County have been included in a severe thunderstorm watch since June 1999. A severe thunderstorm watch was last issued for Pierce, Lewis and Thurston counties in May 2017.
The storm system reached the Oregon-Washington border around 5 p.m. Wednesday. A broken line of thunderstorms pushed through the Chehalis Valley into Long Beach around 6 p.m. and reached the Aberdeen – Olympia area around 6-7 p.m. as they grew in strength.
The front arrived in the Seattle area around 7 p.m., with several lightning bolts seen on tower cameras looking over downtown Seattle.
By 9:20 p.m., the risk of severe thunderstorm impacts was “rapidly falling in areas south of Jefferson and Snohomish counties,” the NWS tweeted. “There could be some additional rain and lightning overnight but the risk of damaging winds, hail, and tornadoes is behind us.”
Before the storms reached western Washington, Seattle Public Schools announced all events on Wednesday evening were canceled due to the forecasted hazardous weather.
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“For everyone’s safety, all school buildings will close at 5 p.m. This includes the Board Community Engagement session at Rainier Beach High School scheduled for 5:30 p.m. today,” the school district posted on Facebook. “All sports practices and after-school activities should end early enough to allow families time to safely pick up their students.”
Other school districts also announced early closures. Click here to see the latest list.
The 62nd Airlift Wing stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord also took precautions before Wednesday’s thunderstorms arrived in the Puget Sound region. Several C-17 Globemaster III aircraft were being prepared to evacuate “out of an abundance of caution due to the forecasted severe weather event” to avoid serious damage to the aircraft and personnel.
While there are other risks associated with this storm system, the NWS said large hail was the “primary hazard” from Wednesday’s thunderstorms. The weather service said if large hail begins to fall while you’re driving, stay in your vehicle and slowdown or pull over and stop in a safe location.
The rain will also fall up in the mountains on Wednesday as high as 8,500 feet! But with cooler air, snow levels will drop to 4,500 feet Thursday and then 3,500 feet by Saturday.
We’ll feel the cooldown in the lowland cities as well, with 50s returning Thursday and Friday with gusty passing showers each day. The rain tapers on Saturday morning, so we can dry out and calm down for the weekend.
Stay with KOMO News for updates during severe weather by downloading our app and following us on X, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. You can also share your storm photos with us on Chime In.
Click here to see the full forecast for western Washington.
