Fierce Winds Slam into Eastern Washington - June 21, 2005

During the evening of Tuesday June 21, a pair of thunderstorm complexes traveled across extreme eastern Washington. What made these thunderstorms so unusually was not the rain or hail they contained, but the fierce winds they produced. The outflow from these high based thunderstorms measured over 60kts from the NWS Doppler weather radar. As the storm traveled over the Columbia Basin and the Palouse, the winds pick up dust, dirt and sand producing a black back drop of the approaching storm.

Here are some top wind reports from that evening...

THE 77 MPH GUST AT THE SPOKANE INTL AIRPORT IS A NEW OFFICIAL MAXIMUM
RECORD GUST. THE OLD RECORD WAS SET IN JANUARY 9 1972 WITH A SPEED
OF 67 MPH.

The view from the Spokane NWS office of round one of the wind storm, roughly at 630 pm. The Spokane Airport reports winds up to 77 mph.

The view from the Spokane NWS office of round two of the wind storm, roughly at 830 pm. The Spokane Airport reports winds up to 49 mph.

Other damage

Large street sign down on Highway 2 (2E Airway Heights)

Large tree limb down 3NE Airway Heights

Large tree top down 4 ENE Airway Heights.

Approaching dust cloud looking northeast at Mt. Spokane (round #2) from 4NE Airway Heights.