West Seattle weather/traffic: Thunderous PM commute

5:02 PM: With lightning, thunder, and heavy rain having just moved into the area, and traffic trouble that started hours ago, we’re launching a new story here to track PM commute, and weather, advisories. Stay tuned.

5:10 PM UPDATE: We’re now in Fauntleroy checking out a report of a crash near the south Lincoln Park parking lot, potentially affecting ferry-dock-bound traffic. Here for now is the SDOT camera in that vicinity:

… update, just passed it; those are the crashed cars at the bottom of the camera view. No sign of fire or medics but it’s slow going northbound too.

5:31 PM UPDATE: Per TV weather radar, the cell with thunder, lightning, and downpour is now north of us and continuing to head north. Here in south West Seattle, we’re down to light rain and even an attempted sunbreak.

6:53 PM UPDATE: As commenters have pointed out, there’s trouble on 99 now, too. A southbound crash right by the bridge, according to an e-mail update from WSDOT.

JanS August 29, 2013 (5:09 pm)

Drivers (including truck drivers) need to slow down…they’ll get there much safer….ask the guy in the semi on I-5 at noon…:(

Ari G August 29, 2013 (5:16 pm)

Yeah I think I’ll be taking the water taxi into downtown tonight… eesh! Thanks for the info WSB

smokeycretin9 August 29, 2013 (5:21 pm)

HOLY DELUGE BATMAN!

Noelle August 29, 2013 (5:27 pm)

Admiral is having a thunder storm! I have not seen any lightning yet but the thunder is loud!

miws August 29, 2013 (5:48 pm)

I think we have officially made up for the lack of rain the last couple of months! ;-)

Mike

WSB August 29, 2013 (5:49 pm)

and counting that amazing overnight storm a couple weekends ago, we’ve made up for the years of little thunder/lightning, at least during my 22 years here … it used to be so rare!

JayDee August 29, 2013 (5:56 pm)

Wait…we need More Lightning, not less! We were about -5.8 inches down on rainfall, so not yet Mike.

roh August 29, 2013 (6:11 pm)

There was just another emergency response on 99 bt downtown and the bridge. No idea what.

Robert August 29, 2013 (6:14 pm)

I remember a night at least 20 years ago when my brother and I drove to Alki in a driving rain and watched the lightning move the length of Vashon Island. Such storms are very rare.

olivist August 29, 2013 (6:25 pm)

watched 1 police car, 2 fire trucks, and 1 ambulance get on viaduct at columbia. Bus dispatch reports accident just north of west seattle bridge exit from southbound SR 99.