x
Breaking News
More () »

Lightning appears to strike Seattle’s Rainier Square Tower in second thunderstorm this week

Approximately 100 lightning strikes were recorded along the Washington coast Thursday.

SEATTLE — A storm brought rain and lightning to western Washington for the second time in a week Thursday night.

There were reports of lightning across the Puget Sound region including Mason, Kitsap, Pierce, King, and Snohomish counties. 

Video captured by KING 5 appears to show a bolt of lightning strike the new Rainier Square Tower in Seattle. The tower is currently under construction and is expected to be finished by 2020.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said there were approximately 100 lightning strikes along the Washington coast between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. Thursday. Around 50 of those strikes were in Grays Harbor County between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. 

Also see | 5 ways to stay safe during a thunderstorm

The storm moved east from the coast and brought at least 2.49” of rain to Quillayute Thursday, breaking the daily record of 0.93” set in 1985.

The NWS said they don’t keep lightning strike records but said that western Washington gets an average of five to 10 thunderstorm days each year.

While Thursday's storm brought lightning and rain to the area, it wasn’t as powerful as the rare summer storm that pummeled western Washington last weekend. That storm produced around 2,200 lightning strikes and caused thousands to lose power.

Also see | Why was there so much lightning Saturday night?

Track the forecast with our free KING 5 app: 

Download for iPhone: https://kng5.tv/iPhoneApp 

Download for Android: https://kng5.tv/AndroidApp

Before You Leave, Check This Out