Power Outage in Spokane, WA

ASOS at Fairchild Air Force Base recorded 45 MPH gusts at 1605LST. A gust front passed through Spokane County causing widespread minor damage. Several tree limbs and power lines were downed from Otis Orchards to Airway Heights. A two foot diameter tree was uprooted near I-90 and Hwy 195 interchange. Several 4 to 8 inch diameter pine trees were knocked down along Hwy 2 near Airport Drive.

Tornado followed a due west-to-east path along W. Greenwood Road. The damage indicators along the road mainly consisted of trees that were uprooted or snapped. Several powerline poles were brought down by fallen trees toward the middle of the damage path. No substantial damage was noted to structures along the path. A video that was shared by a resident near N. Kynan Rd. showed a very weak circulation moving due east along W. Greenwood Rd. This video footage confirms the timing and width of the tornado. Residents in the vicinity of Russell Rd. confirmed no further damage beyond this point.

Tornado followed a due west-to-east path along W. Greenwood Road. The damage indicators along the road mainly consisted of trees that were uprooted or snapped. Several powerline poles were brought down by fallen trees toward the middle of the damage path. No substantial damage was noted to structures along the path. A video that was shared by a resident near N. Kynan Rd. showed a very weak circulation moving due east along W. Greenwood Rd. This video footage confirms the timing and width of the tornado. Residents in the vicinity of Russell Rd. confirmed no further damage beyond this point.

A utility company reported approximately 45,000 customers without power, mainly in the Cheney and southwest Spokane area, due to branches falling on the power lines.

Thunderstorm winds downed trees and damaged power lines in the Brown's Addition section of Spokane. Time estimated from Radar.

Multiple reports were received of downed trees, power outages and damaged vehicles from thunderstorm winds in the South Hill neighborhood of Spokane.

Lightning striking a power line caused a fire which spread to a nearby house, gutting it and damaging another neighboring house. Time estimated from radar data.

A member of the public reported power lines down near Sharp and Atlantic in downtown Spokane, Washington.

Avista power reported 1000 people without power associated with thunderstorm wind damage in Spokane, Washington.

Inland Power reported 400 homes without power associated with power-line damage from thunderstorms in Spokane, Washington.

A weather spotter reported that a tree branch fell on a power line at 9 mile road and Francis. Branch size unknown.

Numerous power lines were knocked down between Spokane and Chattaroy due to winds sustained between 25 and 35 mph with gusts 45 to 55 mph. A brush fire destroyed three outbuildings and damaged a house near Mt Spokane Park Drive and Peone Road.

A wet microburst brought sustained winds of 35 to 50 mph with gusts 60 to 70 mph across Spokane County. The winds descended near Cheney and peaked while passing through Airway Heights, Northwestern Spokane, and Deer Park. Hundreds of Ponderosa Pines were snapped and downed from Northwestern Spokane to Deer Park. Downed trees led to widespread structural damage, blocked roads, power outages, and injuries. Significant damage was observed at the Riverside Village Mobile Home Park from trees falling on mobile homes prompting a search and rescue. One woman was trapped but was not injured. At least 40 mobile homes and cars in the park were severely damaged. Forty eight trees were knocked down at a resort on Lake Eloika. Trees fell on six RVs and the resort's oldest cabin forcing the owners to close their doors for a short period of time. One person was injured when a tree landed on his vehicle while driving along Lakeside Dr near Reflection Lake in Elk, WA. A tree branch flew through his windshield and drove him off the road severing his arm and impaling his hip. He eventually lost his arm in the accident. Three other people were injured near the Spokane Courthouse by falling tree branches. Over 30,000 people lost power during the event. Because of the extent of damage, some residents and businesses remained in the dark for up to four days. Downed power poles and lightning strikes sparked several new wildfires which quickly grew due to the strong winds. The winds completely damaged a airport hanger and caused between ten to twelve thousand dollars worth of damage to planes.

A gust front with winds estimated between 30 and 45 mph tore off a secondary metal rood from a one story apartment building located near the intersection of W Manilla and E Espanola Rd. A section of roof blew into the powerlines resulting in power outages along the street. No damage was observed to adjacent structures or vegetation.

Numerous reports of trees falling onto power lines resulting in over a thousand customers losing power. Damage was reported in Cheney, to Spokane, to Mead and in Deer Park. A large tree toppled over at 21st Street and High Drive in Spokane on South Hill. Other trees reported down or snapped off resulting in damage to homes and/or vehicles. Many tents at the Spokane County Interstate Fair were damaged or flipped over due to the strong winds from the gust front.

The Spokane NWS clocked a wind gust of 62 mph on the RSOIS. Numerous trees, some large, were downed in Nine Mile Falls area, especially along West Charles Road. Some trees were uprooted and other were snapped halfway up the trunk. Trees fell on a combination of roofs, outbuildings, fences, and power lines resulting in multiple power outages. A large tree was uprooted along Highway 2 in the Deep Creek community. A large tree fell on a power line in Chattaroy leading to 178 power outages.

Lightning struck a transformer box in an alley behind a residential house, traveled through the lines and blew out a second transformer. Several homes loss power that afternoon until utility companies were able to replace the transformers. The transformers were located between Broadway and Boone Streets in west Spokane. The exact time of the lightning strike was estimated.

Several portable business signs in Cheney were blown over. In Spokane, large tree limbs were blown down into Grand Boulevard near Manito Park, blocking traffic for a time. Further east, several trees were blown down throughout the Spokane Valley. One tree fell into Bigelow Gulch Road, blocking traffic there for a time. A trained spotter in Otis Orchards measured a wind gust to 61 mph (53 knots) with several larger tree limbs down in that area. Avista Utilities reported about three dozen power outages caused by either trees blowing into power lines or wind blowing over power lines.

Widespread thunderstorm activity across Eastern Washington. It brought several reports of damage and power outages.

During the evening of July 23rd, a strong upper level trough triggered thunderstorms in a moist and unstable air mass over northeast Oregon. These storms moved northeastward into eastern Washington and north Idaho forming into a line of thunderstorms featuring severe wind gusts as they passed through the region. Numerous reports of 60 mph wind gusts, downed trees and power outages were received from northeast Washington and north Idaho during the late evening hours as this line swept through the region. Lightning and downed power lines caused multiple brush and structure fires around the area. An estimated 30,000 customers lost power during this thunderstorm outbreak in northeast Washington and north Idaho.

A moderately unstable warm southerly flow of moisture allowed thunderstorms to develop that moved rather quickly to the north at 25 mph. A few of the thunderstorms downdrafts resulted in power lines and trees down in the Spokane Area.

A ridge of high pressure over the region for the last few weeks was nudged east by a potent upper-level trough coming off the Eastern Pacific. The trough took on a strong negative tilt and passed through during peak heating. An east to west line of strong thunderstorms developed over Northern Oregon and tracked northward through Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho during the late afternoon and early evening. Additional storms continued to develop along the gust front which picked up momentum as it passed into the region into an inverted V environment. The outflow winds picked up dust through Northern Oregon and Southern Washington resulting in a damaging dust storm or haboob. Visibility along Interstate 90 was reduced below a quarter of a mile and numerous locations clocked winds between 50 and 60 mph resulting in isolated downed trees and power outages. Proactive measures were taken at the Grant County Fair hours before the storm hit with nearly 8000 people evacuated and the fair cancelled to ensure the safety of the staff and attendees. Reduced visibility from the dust led to multiple accidents in the Columbia Basin.

A strong upper-level ridge during the end of July and beginning August helped fuel a moist and unstable air mass over the region. The ridge broke down on the 1st of August and was overrun by two weak midlevel impulses on August 2nd. As the second impulse passed over Central Washington during the late afternoon, strong to severe storms developed over the Waterville Plateau producing a combination of heavy rain and moderate size hail. Meanwhile, dewpoint depressions over Eastern Washington had grown between 40 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The rain and hail cooled outflow winds from storms over the Waterville Plateau spread east and gained momentum while tracking along the Highway 2 corridor across the Upper Columbia Basin. Additional storms fired along the gust front and continued to reinforce the cold pool and resultant winds. Gusty winds and blowing dust which originated over the Waterville Plateau traveled across Banks Lake and through much of Lincoln County but generally remained below severe speeds. It wasn't until the outflow boundary moved into Eastern Lincoln County and Lake Roosevelt near Seven Bays Marina when wind speeds ranged between 60 and 70 miles per hour. The winds led to numerous downed trees, waves four to six feet on Lake Roosevelt, widespread boat damage, power outages, and structural damage. The winds also fanned new wildfire starts from lightning. As the afternoon progressed, a combination of forcing from the shortwave and gust front continued to fuel additional storms over Northeastern Washington. Outflow winds from these storms generally moved north to south. As the north to south boundaries interacted with the westerly boundaries, some locations were spared experiencing wind gusts between 35 and 45 mph. In this absence, winds of 50 to 70 mph were observed coupled with widespread tree damage. A few storms briefly produced quarter size hail between Davenport and Northwest Spokane.

A stationary trough of low pressure along the Pacific Northwest Coastline resulted in moist, unstable, southwesterly flow over the Inland Northwest. A shortwave embedded within the flow, triggered thunderstorms during the afternoon hours of August 25, 2013. The storms originated in the Lower Columbia Basin and quickly moved through the Basin and into the northern mountain regions of Washington and the Idaho Panhandle. A strong squall line emerged from this activity which created damaging winds resulting in a dust storm and numerous downed trees and power lines. There was one fatality and one injury at campground from a large tree falling on a tent. Several other areas experienced property damage.

One of the most widespread severe weather events occurred across the Spokane County Warning Area on July 20th. Several days prior to the day of the event, a deep upper-level low slowly sagged down the Pacific Northwest Coastline. Southerly flow ahead of the low pumped moist, unstable air into the Inland Northwest. The combination of afternoon heating and smaller impulses ejecting from the offshore low kept the region very unsettled with several rounds of severe thunderstorms from the 15th through the 19th. On the morning of the 20th, the remnants of Tropical Storm Fabio became ingested into the southerly flow and transported toward the region. Meanwhile, a shortwave dropping into the Gulf of Alaska acted to kick the upper-low off the southwestern Oregon Coast inland. The upper-level wave took on a strong negative tilt, driven northeastward by a 75kt jet streak, crossing through Eastern Washington during the early to late afternoon on July 20th. The combination of strong dynamic forcing along the shortwave, presence of an abnormally moist, unstable air mass, time of day, highly diffluent flow aloft, and jet streak dynamics led to numerous severe thunderstorms across Eastern Washington. Severe hail, winds, and flash flooding were observed with storms during the early afternoon but the threat transitioned to severe winds by the mid to late afternoon as storms migrated into the Northeastern Mountains. These storms blew down hundreds of trees causing one fatality. Ferry and Okanogan Counties were the hardest hit counties and experienced power outages in some remote communities in excess of one week. Consequently, state and federal assistance was necessary. Preliminary damage figures for Ferry County estimated 2.6 million in debris removal, 1.6 million in emergency protective measures, 128 thousand for road and bridge repair, 570 thousand to building and equipment, 3.2 million for utility repair, and 163 thousand for parks and recreation. 7000 people lost power in Ferry County and three major roads were closed for sometime due to downed trees. These roads included Highway 21, 97, and 155. Utility companies estimated 200 downed power poles and 40 miles of line needed restoration. In Okanogan County, estimations of 82 thousand in debris removal, 36 thousand in emergency protective measures, 180 thousand for road and bridge repair, 419 thousand to building and equipment, 364 thousand for utility repair, and 25 thousand for parks and recreation. Cumulative figures indicated a total of 8.4 million for Ferry and 1.1 million for Okanogan. Due to the complexity and magnitude of this event, Appendix B was utilized to estimate individual costs for each event. Cumulative figures listed in the Episode narrative would be more representative of the actual event. Some reports stated that private weather instruments at residents' houses recorded winds between 80 and 100 mph.

A strong cold front brought high winds to portions of Central and Eastern Washington. In addition, as the front approached the Spokane area extending south to the Palouse and Blue Mountains, thunderstorms developed resulting in even stronger wind gusts. Numerous power outages and down trees were reported during the storm. The trees damaged several cars and homes. A portion of the High School roof in Clarkston was blown off. A communications tower atop the Asotin County Jail was blown over. In Pullman, shingles were blown off of homes. One particular tree in Pullman landed on a portion of a home, destroying a collectable car, boat, travel trailer, and golf cart. Estimated damage from this report was $40,000. In Albion shingles were blown off the post office roof. In East Wenatchee the winds blew a carport 300 feet. The lightning was isolated so the event was entered as both a thunderstorm wind and high wind event. The exception to this was over the Palouse where the lightning was abundant. However winds prior to the front gusted to 60 miles per hour in Pullman. Wind gusts reported during the storm in miles per hour include: 85 in Pullman, 64 Wenatchee, 63 Uniontown, 59 Ephrata, and 58 in Beverly.

Outflow winds from a thunderstorm caused damage to several trees and knocked down power lines.

A severe thunderstorm with a strong outflow boundary tracked from Grant county northeast through Lincoln and Spokane counties. Near Warden, a 30-40 foot barn was blown down and paint peeled off homes. As the storm tracked through Lincoln county, a wind gust of 60 MPH was estimated in Davenport. When the storm hit Spokane county, several trees were blown down across North Spokane, with one such tree landing on a home. Up to 1,000 power outages were also observed in Spokane.

A powerful Pacific storm brought heavy rain and snow melt to Whitman and Spokane Counties in Washington from the 10th through the 12th of January. Estimated basin rainfall of 0.75 to 1.50 inches caused Pine Creek to flood and close Highway 27 between Tekoa and Oakesdale in Whitman County. The Little Deep Creek near Colbert in Spokane County flooded and closed Dunn Road. The Little Spokane River in Spokane County flooded and caused some homes and parks along the river to become partially inundated.

A Canadian cold front moved across northeast Washington during the early afternoon hours of the 12th of August. There were a few embedded thunderstorms with the front that brought severe weather to Spokane, Whitman and Lincoln counties.In Spokane County, a severe thunderstorm dropped 3/4 inch diameter hail across eastern Spokane County. The severe thunderstorm also brought damaging winds to most of the county that same evening. there were at least 29 fires started in Spokane county. An estimated 10,000 customers were without power along with numerous accidents due to visibilities reduced to less than a quarter of a mile in blowing dust. Numerous trees fell due to the severe wind causing property damage and a few injuries. The severe wind caused a fire to start in a mobile home Park near Silver Lake destroying five homes. Property damage throughout the county was estimated to be one hundred thousand dollars. In Whitman county, the severe storm caused numerous power outages along with some property damage due to fallen trees. Crop damage was estimated to be around fifty thousand dollars due to the severe thunderstorm's wind.In Lincoln county, the severe wind caused numerous power outages and some downed trees caused property damage. The wind also caused some crop damage.

On the evening of the 21st, two severe thunderstorm gust fronts moved across eastern Washington. The first one hit between the hours of approximently 5pm PST to around 7pm from northern Spokane County to eastern Stevens and western Pend Orielle Counties. Widespread power outages, downed trees and structure damage was caused by the severe thunderstorm wind gusts. In Spokane County, the Spokane International Airport measured sustained winds at 62 mph with a gust to 77 mph. This was the highest wind gust measured on record. There was wind damage to hangers and other structures at the Fairchild Air Force Base. There was widespread structure damage and power outages to the town of Airway Heights. In Pend Orielle County, numerous power outages and downed trees were reported. A barn and a truck were damaged at the Fairgrounds of Newport.The second severe thunderstorm gust front occurred between the hours of 630pm and 815 pm PST. The severe winds first started across Adams and Whitman Counties and moved north to eventually affect southern Pend Orielle and Stevens Counties. In Adams county, the towns of Ritzville and Ralston had downed trees and many power outages with visibilities reduced to a half a mile in blowing dust. In Whitman County, an official weather sensor measured a wind gust to 61 mph. Widespread fallen trees, power outages, fire starts and structure damage were experienced near the towns of Rosalia and St. John. In northeastern Lincoln County, the town of Davenport was especially hard hit. Widespread power outages, fallen trees and some structure damage occurred. In Spokane County, at least 30,000 homes were without power. Many homes and businesses were damaged in the Spokane metro area. There were at least a dozen injuries due to the severe wind. The wind also caused at least a dozen fire starts visibility was reduced to a quarter of a mile at times across Spokane County. Southern Stevens and Pend Orielle Counties were the last to be hit by the second severe thunderstorm wind gust. Many homes were without power along with some damage to structures. there were a few fire starts as well in both counties.

During the evening of May 24th thunderstorms formed over southeast Washington. A gust front from these distant storms rolled through the Spokane area around sunset downing power lines and collapsing a section of fence around Avista Stadium. This gust front also triggered a line of severe thunderstorms in northeast Washington which created more intense downbursts througout Lincoln, Stevens and Spokane Counties. In Lincoln county winds peeled a roof off of a trailer home. In Stevens County law enforcement reported numerous trees down througout the southern and central part of the county. Near Springdale a 15 inch diameter tree was knocked down. In Spokane county Deer Park ASOS measured a wind gust of 61 mph and numerous trees were reported uprooted northwest of Deer Park. Tree branches blown into power lines produced electricity outages to an estimated 7000 customers in northeast Washington.

Summary of events for April 27 2001:A cold front moving into a moist (dewpoints in the mid 50s) and unstable airmass across eastern Washington touched off severe thunderstorms across the Palouse region of far eastern Washington on the afternoon of April 27. The strongest thunderstorm of the day developed just west of Pullman, moving quickly north-northeast and dropping severe hail from there all the way to the northeast corner of Whitman County. One other notable thunderstorm (non-severe) developed over southwest Whitman County. This storm eventually moved north into Spokane County with an unusual display of frequent lightning and many lightning-related power outages. Downtown Spokane received one-half inch of rain in just 15 minutes with this storm.