Storm rushes through region

A brief thunderstorm dumped nearly an inch of rain and hail in less than an hour in Spokane County, flooding streets, basements and backyards while keeping emergency crews busy.

The storm began in north Spokane about 7:30 p.m. and was south of the city by 9 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. Wind gusts from 30 to 35 mph were reported in northwest Spokane.

“The quantity of hail was outrageous,” said Steve Bodnar, a meteorologist with the NWS in Spokane. “A lot of reports of penny- and marble-size hail an inch deep or so.”

Fire dispatchers said several trees fell on power lines around the region, but they reported no serious emergencies. Most of the flooding reports came from Spokane Valley residents.

The NWS issued a flood warning for Spokane and Kootenai counties that lasted through the night.

One man reported golf-ball-size hail during his drive from Mount Spokane High School to the Bear Creek Lodge that dented his vehicle, according to the NWS.

A weather spotter in Millwood said penny-size hail up to 3 inches deep covered his deck.

Not long after vendors packed up and left the Millwood Farmers Market, wind rattled leaves out of the town’s maple trees. Soon after, dime-size hail fell and the ground turned white.

That soon turned to torrential rain, which flooded the streets.

Storm grates, clogged with fallen leaves, couldn’t keep up with the flow, and water pooled at some residential intersections and over the top of the sidewalks. The water stood 6 to 8 inches deep – up to the axles of a compact car.

Two hours after the storm, in the Northwood neighborhood overlooking Spokane Valley, hailstones piled up as much as 6 inches deep in front of some storm drains, where they had been carried down the steep streets by heavy rain.

Heather Fried watched the approaching storm from behind the counter of the Subway restaurant at 13411 E. 32nd St., where she works. There was no hail, said the recent University High School graduate, but thunder and lightning rattled the windows and made the lights flicker.

With 10 people in line, Fried had to reset all the appliances and credit card machine. Almost everyone was understanding, she said.

“There was this one guy who started freaking out about how we didn’t have a backup system, and he started getting on my case,” she said. He left angry – without a sandwich.