Thunderstorm douses heat wave
A pair of intense thunderstorms that blew through the region Friday afternoon and evening ended the recent heat wave and knocked out power in parts of Eastern Washington and North Idaho.
About 2,000 Avista customers between Havana and Vista roads north of Interstate 90 lost power in the first storm, but Avista Communications Manager Catherine Markson said fewer than 320 were still without power by 10 p.m.
But service was cut to 2,500 more in the Davenport area of Lincoln County shortly before 10 p.m. when lightning struck a main substation. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said power also was out in Harrington and Odessa and was believed to be out everywhere west of Davenport.
“We expect to get that back in service relatively quickly,” Markson said.
The outlook wasn’t as good for 1,250 Sandpoint-area customers who lost power because of a lightning strike on a “feeder” line about 8 p.m.
“We’ll be working on that all night,” Markson said.
While traffic was backed up a mile behind a powerless stoplight at Trent and Fancher on Friday afternoon, chicken gizzards were still coming hot out of the fryer at the nearby Burger Royal.
“We haven’t missed a beat,” said Mike Aquino Sr., who took orders for Stromboli sandwiches off the gas-powered grill from a group of women who tiptoed around fresh puddles to reach the window.
The rain was so heavy when the storm hit at around 4:30 p.m., Aquino couldn’t see across the street.
“This happens about three or four times a year,” he said. “But we usually don’t have to close.”
Dark clouds moved in from the southwest after several days of unseasonably warm weather, but National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Fugazzi said there wasn’t anything unusual about the storms.
“This is actually normally what happens in the springtime,” Fugazzi said. “This is how nature equalizes things.”
Storms are expected this morning through noon and may pop up in the afternoon, Fugazzi said. More storms are possible for the next several days as cooler Pacific air clashes with the warmer air that’s been over the region.
In the Spokane area, there were about 52 calls triggered by the storm between 4:08 and 5 p.m., said Spokane Fire Department Assistant Chief Brian Schaeffer The calls involved downed power lines, car crashes and business and home alarms. All the incidents were minor, he said.
Blowing dust was blamed for several car crashes in the Coeur d’Alene area as well.
With more storms expected in the coming week, Markson said people should remember to stay away from all downed lines.
Malfunctioning traffic lights along North Division and Ruby streets were reported, as well as temporary flooding at intersections, said Marlene Feist, City of Spokane Public Affairs Officer.