Thousands went without power Thursday night after storm brought strong wind and more than 3,000 lightning strikes

About 1,100 Avista customers were still without power Friday evening after a thunderstorm pounded the Inland Northwest with intense lightning, wind and rain Thursday night.

Numerous streets were blocked by trees or large branches in the Spokane area.

The storm came from the southeast through central Idaho into Spokane County around 8 p.m.

The National Weather Service recorded 3,800 lightning strikes that hit the ground in the 21 counties covered by the agency’s Spokane office, said meteorologist Jeremy Wolf. That number likely will grow as more complete information is tabulated.

Spokane Police Department spokesperson Officer Tricia Leming said dispatch received nearly 100 calls from 7:30 p.m. Thursday to 7:30 a.m. Friday that were weather related. The Spokane Fire Department responded to a majority of them, she said. The calls involved falling trees, downed power lines, traffic lights that went out, trees on fire from lightning and power line sparks, transformers that had blown up and a few people who said they needed power to keep their medical equipment running.

The Spokane Valley Fire Department responded to a duplex fire sparked by lightning at Houk Road and Eighth Avenue. The duplex was under construction and unoccupied at the time of the fire, said the department’s spokesperson, Patrick Erickson. Spokane firefighters also responded to a house fire caused by lightning in the 2400 block of West Sinto Avenue. KHQ reported the homeowner attempted to put the fire out with a hose. He was uninjured and firefighters were able to control the blaze, KHQ reported.

Since 2019, only four lightning-related home fires have been reported in the Spokane area, with two occurring during last night’s storm, according to a Spokane Valley Fire Department news release.

Avista reported more than 15,000 customers without power at 9 p.m. Thursday. That increased to more than 17,000 by 11:15 p.m. as the storm continued north into Stevens County and North Idaho.

At Lewis and Clark High School, a soloist on stage during a theater performance celebrating graduating thespians continued her performance uninterrupted when power was lost and stage lights went dark. The crowd responded by pointing their phone flashlights at the stage. Power soon came back on, but it flickered several more times during the event.

The National Weather Service in Spokane issued multiple severe thunderstorm warnings in the region throughout the evening, including one at 8 p.m. that included the city of Spokane.

The Spokane International Airport recorded a gust of 58 mph at 8:20 p.m., said Antoinette Serrato, weather service meteorologist. The airport received 0.75 inches of rain on Thursday, just below the daily record of 0.79 inches.

Other local utilities reported progress restoring electricity on Friday.

By 4 p.m. Friday, Inland Power had restored all 2,500 customers who lost power Thursday and Kootenai Electric restored all 1,600 who lost power.

Northern Lights reported 11,100 out Thursday. As of 3:45 p.m. Friday, the number had dropped to 5,700.

Pend Oreille Public Utility District reported 1,200 customers out late Thursday. As of 3:45 p.m. Friday, the number was around 300.

Reporter Alexandra Duggan contributed to this story.