After lightning hits Spokane region Wednesday, more thunderstorms possible

Thunderstorms brought isolated downpours, power outages and hundreds of lightning strikes to the area on Wednesday evening, some of which sparked brush and house fires.

Those storms tapered off Thursday but could return Friday and Saturday, according to the National Weather Service Spokane.

“We were forecasting thunderstorms, but yesterday’s environment was pretty chaotic,” Valerie Thaler, meteorologist at the weather service, said of Wednesday’s wild weather.

Rainfall was “very isolated,” with some spots, like the Spokane International Airport, receiving a trace amount and others, like the Nine Mile Falls area, getting three-quarters of an inch, according to Thaler. “These storms were moving very slow, and so it was just sitting over areas and allowing just the rain to pile up,” she said.

Ken Daniel, meteorologist at the weather service, said thunderstorms on Thursday night popped up in portions of the Idaho Panhandle, southeastern Washington and parts of northeastern Washington near the Canadian border, but the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene metro was quiet.

Thunderstorms are possible Friday and Saturday. They were expected to be primarily in counties north of Spokane and Kootenai counties, but the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene areas could see some activity, Thaler said.

Temperatures will start to cool Friday after highs in the upper 90s this week, according to the weather service. Highs in the mid- to upper 80s are forecast through the weekend in Spokane before bottoming out in the upper 70s Monday.

Thaler said nearly 260 lightning strikes were recorded in Spokane, Stevens, Pend Oreille and Kootenai counties. Spokane County got 99 strikes, and Stevens County received 105. Some of those sparked small wildfires that were quickly extinguished, according to local fire officials.

One house was also struck by lighting, according to the Spokane Valley Fire Department. Patrick Erickson, Spokane Valley Fire Department interim community affairs director, said firefighters put out one brush fire at Indiana Avenue and Mirabeau Parkway, another at Boone Avenue and Bates Road, and a third was a house on the 13000 block of East 10th Avenue that was struck by lightning. All three fires were reported within about five minutes of one another.

Two other brush fires, possibly caused by lightning, were reported about 15 minutes later, Erickson said. David LaChapelle, Spokane County Fire District 4 assistant fire marshal, said crews responded to about eight brush fires and one structure fire caused by lightning Wednesday night. He said the structure fire was a barn full of hay, and firefighters extinguished it quickly, preventing significant damage. All the brush fires were less than one acre, which he partly attributed to members of the public quickly reporting the fires, he said.

LaChapelle said another brush fire Thursday morning may have been caused by a lightning strike the previous night. He called lightning that hits the ground and simmers for a day or two before igniting into a fire “sleepers.” LaChapelle said extra crews were called in Thursday to be alert for “sleepers” and any new lightning strikes. “We’re paying close attention in case any strikes that didn’t show themselves last night,” he said.