SEATTLE -- A sudden storm struck the Puget Sound area Wednesday morning, causing thunder, lightning, power outages and heavy rain that left standing water on the roads.
The storm moved in fast and didn't stay long. Reports about the storm started coming in around 7:45 a.m. from Kitsap County to Mount Vernon to Federal Way. By 9:00 a.m., the storm had made its way through the Puget Sound region.
Drivers had to navigate a treacherous morning commute as standing water filled I-5 and other major streets and highways. The heavy downpour punished some streets in Seattle. On Mercer Street, it created a driving obstacle.
"20 minutes ago it was just a river," said Ralph Lyshol, resident in northwest Seattle.
Further north in Snohomish County, Mona Anderson said her morning drive to work at the Snohomish County Airport turned dicey quick.
"Gusts of hugh wind and rain just pshhh - you couldn't see," she said.
"Rain (was) so heavy, the windsheild wipes couldn't keep up," said Bruce Goetz, the airport's superintendent. Goetz said wind gusts clocked in at 58 miles per hour, but it didn't last long.
"It just blew right through and it's gone, and now the sun is out there. But it was pretty darn treacherous on the freeway. Not something you want to go through very often," said Anderson.
People tweeted up a storm as high winds and thunder whipped through the region. Wind gusts from our Schoolnet sites hit the 40-50 mph in quite a few spots including a 55 mph gusts in Mount Vernon, KING 5 Meterologist Rich Marriott tweeted.
Strong winds and lightning strikes knocked out a few power lines and created scattered outages for thousands around the Puget Sound area. Strong gusts brought down a tree in North Seattle, leaving thousands in the area without power for awhile.
"Just suddenly happened, didn't hear a big pop or anything - just suddenly out of power," said Lyshol.
At the height of storm, about 4,000 Seattle City Light customers were without power around the Viewland and North Park neighborhoods. Power has since been restored to those customers. Another 3,000 customers in the Northgate area had power go out around noon; crews are working to restore power there. CLICK HERE for contact info for power and utility companies.
Some 2,500 customers are without power in Bothell, say Snohomish County PUD officials. And scattered outages have been reported around Kitsap County.
About 120 customers in Grays Harbor are without power. Grays Harbor PUD officials say power should be restored by now.
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