Seattle thunderstorms produce vivid lightning as powerful storm system slams Pacific Northwest
So far, there have been no reports of damaging hail or tornadoes, but powerful thunderstorms produced vivid lightning in areas where thunderstorms are a rarity.
Storms produce vivid lightning, thunder across Seattle area
A powerful storm system swept through the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday, with thunderstorms producing vivid lightning and loud rumbles of thunder. FOX Weather Meteorologists Britta Merwin and Michael Estime have the latest on Thursday, March 27, 2025.
SEATTLE – A rare severe weather event unfolded across the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday, with strong thunderstorms affecting cities along the Interstate 5 corridor, including Seattle and Portland, Oregon.
Forecasters had warned about the potential for large hail, damaging wind gusts and tornadoes across the region.
Because of the threat, forecasters issued the first-ever Severe Thunderstorm Watch for Seattle, while Portland saw its highest tornado threat on record.
So far, there have been no reports of damaging hail or tornadoes, but powerful thunderstorms produced vivid lightning in areas where thunderstorms are a rarity.
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Watch: Seattle lightning captured on video
A dramatic slo-mo video recorded in Washington shows vivid lightning above Seattle on Wednesday, March 27, 2025.
A dramatic video recorded Wednesday evening showed lightning stretching across the sky above Seattle as thunderstorms rolled across the region.
Another video recorded in the Seattle area also showed lightning illuminating the sky, with loud claps of thunder heard rumbling throughout the area.
Watch: Bright lightning, loud thunder heard across Seattle
A video recorded in Seattle on Wednesday, March 26, shows lightning illuminating the sky during a thunderstorm.
So far, there haven't been reports of significant damage.
However, the Everett Fire Department in Washington said crews responded to a home that reportedly caught fire after a lightning strike.
This image shared by the Everett Fire Department in Washington shows crews responding to reports of a home that caught fire after a lightning strike on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Everett Fire Department/Facebook / FOX Weather)
According to officials, crews responded to reports of the lightning strike just before 8:30 p.m. In a Facebook post, the fire department said firefighters were able to quickly extinguish a fire on the home's roof before it spread but said the home's electrical system had been compromised.
Luckily, no injuries were reported.
Radar also detected hail in Island and Snohomish counties, but it was not large enough to trigger Severe Thunderstorm Warnings.
Images shared by the Washington Department of Transportation showed lightning in the sky in Mount Vernon, with officials saying they were monitoring conditions in Skagit County as storms rolled through the area on Wednesday.
Hurricane Ridge as storms move across the Olympic Mountains. (NOAA)
National Weather Service meteorologists posted ominous-looking clouds moving in from the west and south, associated with the 970-millibar storm system – the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane.
"Here's a look from Hurricane Ridge at the storms moving across the Olympic Mountains. More storms are moving into Lewis County and Grays Harbor County," NWS forecasters posted on social media on Wednesday.