Surprise storm brings lightning, hail

08:02 PM PDT on Tuesday, April 27, 2004

From KING5.com Staff and Wire Reports

Moss Eric Viewer Eric Moss snapped this photo of an ominous cloud in Edmonds, Wash. He said minutes later, there was lightning and thunder as well.

SEATTLE - Heavy rain, hail and lightning strikes touched down across the Seattle area Tuesday, just in time for the evening rush hour.

The storm left thousands without power in short order as wind gust knocked down trees an power lines across the region.

A wind storm that swept over much of Western Washington Tuesday afternoon brought lightning, hail, high winds and a report of a tornado touching down east of Sumas near the Canadian border.

The National Weather Service received a report of a funnel cloud in Whatcom County shortly after 2 p.m.

The swirling winds tore part of the roof off a barn, scattering strips of aluminum roofing across the yard and tearing down power lines. No injuries or serious damage are reported.

Another funnel cloud was reported in Issaquah.

About 30,000 Puget Sound Energy customers were without electricity, mostly in Kitsap and eastern Jefferson counties, but also in south King County and Island and Skagit counties.

A spokesman said crews would work through the night in the hope to have everyone restored by sometime Wednesday morning.

Ryan Standley Ryan Standley said he was on my way outside to move his car when this tree fell in Mill Creek, Wash.

An estimated 50,000 to 60,000 more were reported without power in Snohomish County.

And wind wasn't the only problem. The weather service received reports of hail a quarter-inch in diameter in Bellevue and Fall City.

Port Townsend had the strongest winds: 45 mph sustained winds with gusts of up to 54 mph.

Lightning struck a home in the Northgate area at 39th and 105th. Nobody was hurt but people scattered and reported that they could feel the strike through their feet.

High winds sent a tree onto a house in Issaquah along Mount Baker drive. And in nearby Newcastle, a tree was blown onto a moving car, slightly injuring the motorist.

In Puyallup, winds toppled a tree onto the roadway near 128th Street East and State Route 162.

And in Island County, power lines were blown down and they're starting brushfires.

The weather quickly made a mess of traffic around Seattle, but was highly localized. As some in Seattle were being pelted with hail in Seattle around 4:30 p.m., the sun was shining at SeaTac. A while later, the roles were reversed.

Edmonds Community College canceled evening classes due to a power outage.