(UPDATED EARLY FRIDAY with more lightning photos – scroll down)
(Added: Photo by Kevin Callahan, from Seaview)
3:57 PM: Just in time for the commute home – the predicted thunder and lightning have arrived. The National Weather Service has a “short-term forecast” alert, warning that “small hail and heavy downpours” are possible. And as we get ready to publish this – the downpour has arrived. Updates to come.
(Added: Photo by Kersti Muul, from Me-Kwa-Mooks)
4:13 PM: While it’s brightening a bit, @WestSeaWx – who has been tracking this on Twitter for days – says another thunderstorm, currently warned to be “severe,” is moving this way from the Olympia area.
(Photo by Michelle Blakeslee, from Upper Alki, as the storm approached)
For our area right now, there’s an updated short-term alert.
4:58 PM: More thunder.
5:22 PM: And the rain followed. Also a potentially related traffic alert: Colby tells us via Twitter that the traffic signal at 26th/106th/107th is flashing red.
Downpour & thunder pic.twitter.com/xgWXRsjzrm
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) May 5, 2017
5:54 PM: Our short video clip is more for the audio than the video – pouring rain, and some thunder. We’re waiting for it to calm before heading out to our evening meeting coverage. Looks like the clouds are lifting to the west. (added) Sound Transit just sent an alert saying its express buses, including West Seattle/White Center-serving Route 560, are delayed because of the storm.
(Another photo from Kevin Callahan – cloud-to-cloud lightning)
6:01 PM: If your pet got lost in the storm – or if you found someone else’s pet – remember that WSB has the only all-West Seattle lost/found pets page – e-mail us photo, info, phone #. Just added lost dog Shasta a minute ago.
7:58 PM: The weather’s calm now but one last thing – not sure if it was weather-related or not but it wasn’t too long after that last big burst, a car flip on the Delridge offramp from the westbound West Seattle Bridge:
Thanks to “Westwood Charlie” for the photo. No details but checking the SFD log for the response to this incident, no medic or aid unit was in service long enough to transport someone, which means no major injuries.
ADDED EARLY FRIDAY: More lightning views! The first is a frame from video by David Hutchinson:
From Chris Frankovich, lightning in the clouds:
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