Storms cause snags county-wide

Heavy rain from evening thunderstorms displaced one woman from her home and caused flooding on many Spokane County roadways.

One road near Spangle remained closed late Saturday because of flooding.

Spangle-Waverly Road between state Route 195 and North Pine Creek Road was closed because of about seven inches of mud and water over the roadway, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Motorists were asked to find alternate routes, said Deputy Dave Thornburg, a sheriff’s spokesman.

The Washington State Patrol reported a fatal crash on Interstate 90. It was unclear if the crash was related to Saturday’s severe weather, a dispatcher said.

The crash occurred just after 8 p.m. near the Appleway exit and involved one vehicle. No further details were available late Saturday.

Also in Spangle, three homes were flooded with waist-deep water, along with a school building at the Upper Columbia Academy, Thornburg said.

One woman was displaced from her home, and the American Red Cross was called in to help.

Rain also flooded streets in many areas of Spokane, a dispatcher with Spokane Fire Department said.

More than two feet of water was pooled up where Country Homes Boulevard and Division Street intersect at the “Y”, a dispatcher said.

A foot of water was also reported at Division Street and Third Avenue downtown.

Lightning from the storm left about 85 Avista Utilities customers without power for several hours.

Power was cut to about 35 customers in a northwest Spokane neighborhood, north of Northwest Boulevard on Cedar Street, when lightning struck a transformer about 6:45 p.m.

About 50 more customers lost power on Spokane’s South Hill because of lightning, said Jesse Wuerst, Avista spokeswoman.

Crews were still working to restore power as of late Saturday night.