National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

July

 

 

 

 

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July 1st

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July 31st

 

 

 

 

July 1st

2008: A round of severe thunderstorms occurred over portions of central and eastern Washington. Hail up to one inch in diameter as well as 58 MPH wind gusts were observed from the thunderstorms. The exception to this was a thunderstorm in Douglas county where hail up to 1.5 inches in diameter was recorded. The gusty winds from the thunderstorms knocked down tree branches as well as a few trees. A car windshield was damaged south of Penrith in Pend Oreille county due to hail. Power was knocked out northeast of Elk. 1 inch of rain fell in 1 hour northwest of Newman Lake. The Rattlesnake Point Fire, centered one mile southwest of Malott, was a lightning caused fire that burned 2,625 acres. It was contained on the 9th. The Jackass Butte Fire, centered five miles southwest of Omak, was a lightning caused fire that burned 1,000 acres. Gusty and erratic winds resulted in rapid fire spread shortly after the begin time of the event. Three outbuildings were also destroyed by the fire. A casino and hotel were evacuated during the fire, with 15 homes threatened as well. Six power poles also burned resulting in the use of battery power to keep dispatch and 911 functioning. A transmission structure was also lost during the blaze resulting in power outages in Twisp, Winthrop, Malott, and South Okanogan. Property damage from the fire was estimated to be $20,000. The fire was contained on the 3rd.

2006: 0.75 inch hail fell southeast of Porthill. 

July 2nd

1992: 0.50 inch hail damaged grain crops in Greencreek. The hail also damaged rooftops and cars.

July 3rd

2008: Several severe thunderstorms brought large hail and wind damage to portions of Okanogan County. The largest hail occurred 3.7 miles SSW of Disautel, where golf ball sized hail damaged a fire truck. In addition, a 70 MPH wind gust was estimated just north of Oroville near the Canadian border.

2000: Pea-sized hail fell east of Waterville and southwest of Spokane. A funnel cloud was spotted southeast of Hartline. 

July 4th

2006: A severe thunderstorm caused severe hail damage to winter pear, apple, cherry, Bartlett pear, peach, nectarine, and apricot crops in Chelan county, and wheat, alfalfa, potato and barley in Lincoln and Adams counties. 1.25 inch hail and 50 mph winds blew down several trees throughout Chelan county. 1 inch hail fell at Washtucna, breaking a street lamp. 1.25 inch hail fell at Harrington. Over $26 million in crop damage was reported from wheat crops alone.

1992: During an afternoon of thunderstorms in eastern Washington, a funnel cloud formed north of the Wenatchee Airport. After moving northward, an F0 tornado was spotted 30 minutes later and touched down briefly in a wheat field. The tornado dissipated shortly after with no damage or injuries reported.  

July 5th

2006: Slide Ridge Flash Flood-ChelanCounty

1997: 0.75 inch hail fell in Republic and 1.25 inches fell southwest of Tonasket. 80 mph winds in Republic knocked down trees and caused power outages. Power outages were also reported in Curlew and at Kettle Falls. Trees fell down in Curlew and in Northport. Vehicles were overturned and boats were damaged at Lake Conconully. 

July 6th

2009: A thunderstorm brought strong winds to the Moses Lake area and in parts of Ferry county. Priest Rapids Dam received a peak gust of 61 mph (53 knots). Several trees southwest of Malo had branches snapped off, and metal lawn furniture was being blown over by 48 knot winds. Lightning struck a car at Twisp, blowing out two of its tires and preventing the car from starting. The couple inside was unharmed.

2006:  Severe thunderstorms rumbled across eastern Washington and parts of northern Idaho. Extensive hail damage and flash flooding occurred in Okanogan county. Reports of In addition, reports of 1.15-1.45 inches of rainfall in one hour led to flash flooding near the towns of Loomis and Oroville. Mud and rock debris were observed at the junction of Loomis-Oroville Road and Horse Springs Coulee Road. Up to four inches of standing water was also observed in downtown Oroville. Several crops in the county were also hard hit. $2.5 million in damages were reported in the county over the past three days due to numerous storms. Hail fell across northern Idaho. 0.75 inch hail fell at St. Maries and south of the town of Santa, in Benewah county. 0.88 inch hail fell at Naples. 1.00 inch hail fell at Potlatch and east of Clarkia. Lightning struck a man as he entered a motor vehicle in Wenatchee. He was knocked unconscious, and was hospitalized, but he survived. Lightning struck an electrical system in Wilbur, forcing the panel to be replaced. Lightning ignites the Tin Pan Fire, which burned until September 30. 9,247 acres of land were destroyed by the fire.

1995:  Thunderstorm winds reached up to 60 mph in Lewiston and in Silver Valley. The winds damaged numerous power lines in these areas and throughout the state. Lake Coeur d'Alene experienced 8-foot swells, destroying a dock. In Washington, flooding and winds damaged a large number of crops in Garfield County. 

 

July 7th

2002: Lightning struck the roof of an apartment building south of Millwood at the intersection of Sprague and Argonne, igniting it and burned a large hole through the roof. Lightning struck a house in Ephrata, igniting it. The house was completely destroyed, along with its possessions. The family living inside escaped without injury.

1999: 0.5 inch hail and 45 mph winds damage an RV and two homes in Athol.

July 8th

2002: Lightning caused extensive damage to the electrical system of one of the wells in Deer Park's water system.

1993: A hail storm caused about $225,000 worth of damage to around 50 acres of apples in Chelan County. 

July 9th

2000: A broad area of thunderstorms moved eastward through the Okanogan Valley. Pea-sized hail fell northwest of Keller, and marble to dime-sized hail fell northwest of Addy. 1.80 inches of rain also fell at Addy in less than an hour, washing out driveways and submerging a bridge. As the storm weakened, it sent an outflow boundary across Pend Oreille county, where the winds knocked over 25 trees at Cusick. One tree fell on a trailer. A woman was indirectly injured when she tripped trying to flee the falling trees.

1998: Strong winds, up to 60 mph in Cataldo, down many trees and power lines in Lapwai, Kendrick, Juliaetta, Moscow, St. Maries, Cataldo, Potlatch and Spirit Lake. The fallen trees started small fires when they fell on power lines in Juliaetta and Spirit Lake. A tree fell on a trailer house in Lapwai. 1 person was injured. Highway 3 was closed from Cataldo of Medimont due to downed trees. 1 inch hail fell in Emida.  

1995: A large thunderstorm affected most of eastern Washington. Golf-ball sized hail fell in Okanogan county, causing nearly $25 million worth of damages to the area. Even larger hail fell in Garfield (2 inch) and Whitman (3 inch) counties, and a further $31 million in damages to the crops and buildings were reported. Strong winds of up to 77 mph affected Garfield, Whitman, Okanogan, Chelan and Spokane counties. Numerous roofs blew off buildings. There were also funnel cloud reports. 

1993: Lightning burned several transformers and knocked out power for hundreds of people in Post Falls and Coeur D'Alene. Lightning also disabled several traffic lights north of Coeur D'Alene. Winds of up to 46 mph was recorded in Moses Lake, blowing out windows, a billboard, a power pole and numerous trees. Lightning caused the southern half of Ferry County to lose power. A funnel cloud was reported at Hatton, 30 miles southeast of Ritzville. There were areas of zero visibility due to blowing dust between Othello and Washtucna. 

July 10th

2008: A strong dry cold front moved into eastern Washington and northern Idaho, bringing high winds and dry conditions. In Idaho, estimated wind gusts to 60 mph resulted in numerous trees falling on houses and mobile homes. Several strong building roofs were blown off as well. A building in the Three Mile area that houses county road and bridge equipment was destroyed with damage to 15 vehicles inside. Bonners Ferry itself recorded a peak wind of 54 MPH. Several small, short-lived fires resulted from downed power lines. In Sandpoint, wind damage occurred to an athletic club, along with a downed power line. Property damage from this event was estimated to be at least $590,000. In Washington, The strongest winds from this front channeled down the Okanogan Valley, where Oroville received a peak wind gust of 74 MPH, and Omak 59 MPH. Numerous trees and power poles were blown down by the high winds. There was a total of 5,000 power outages mostly around Oroville, Tonasket, and Omak. In Tonasket, a ten inch diameter tree was downed by the winds, causing extensive damage to a carport and RV. Power poles were also blown down by the winds in Tonasket. Blowing dust was also common with the front passage with visibilities as low as a half mile in Omak. Colville and areas just north of Colville also saw strong winds with gusts to 55 mph which resulted in numerous 12 inch diameter trees as well as several power lines being knocked down. Eight thousand customers lost power in Colville. Several trees were blown down on highway 20 west of Republic. In Kettle Falls, wind gusts to 55 mph knocked down several tree branches. Many large fires also started in the state, including the Spokane Valley Fire, human caused and destroyed 11 homes and 10 out buildings in the Dishman Hills area and burned 1,006 acres; and the  French Valley Fire, centered seven miles southeast of Omak, which burned 1,420 acres. This fire had an unknown cause, which spread rapidly to the south on the 10th by strong north winds. Other fires in Stevens and Ferry Counties resulted mostly from downed power lines. There was structural damage from the fires to a barn, shed, and home. A fire in Cheney destroyed a garage. These fires were mostly contained by the 19th. On the 11th, Rosalia records a temperature of 29 degrees, the coldest July temperature recorded in the city.

2006: 0.75 inch hail fell at and around Bonners Ferry, and 1 inch hail fell north of Coolin.

2001: Excessively hot and dry conditions caused the "Thirtymile" wildfire, then in mop-up stage, to blow up north of Winthrop. The fire roared back to life, expanding from 25 acres in size to 2500 acres in three hours. The rapidly expanding fire overwhelmed a group of 14 firefighters, killing four, and hospitalizing four others. The fire wasn't extinguished until the 23rd, at the cost of $4.3 million, after it burned 9300 acres.

1998: 60 mph winds knocked down trees and power lines in Bonners Ferry, Lewiston, Copeland and Genesee in Idaho, and in Asotin, Colfax, Ephrata, Almira, Othello, Washtucna, Keller, Sprague, and Colville in Washington. The winds tore a roof off a shed in Lewiston and crushed several cars. 0.5 inch hail fell in Bonners Ferry, Lewiston and Asotin. 0.75 inch hail fell in Almira. 1 inch hail fell in Ephrata, and 1.75 inch hail fell in Lind. 1.0 inches of rain fell in 30 minutes in Lewiston, and 1.80 inches fell overall, the most rainfall recorded in the city for a July day. Several Lewiston basements were flooded. Flooding also occured in Spokane. $5 million worth of wheat, peas and lentil crops were damaged in Genesee. A further $2 million in wheat was damaged in Almira, and other crop damages were reported in Colfax, Othello and Washtucna. Funnel clouds were spotted near Spokane, Deer Park and Newport.

1997: 0.5 inch hail fell in Moscow.

1993: A thunderstorm caused heavy rain in the city of Coulee Dam, flooding the streets and shutting down highways for several hours. The storm also tore through Creston, dumping heavy rains, 1 inch hail, and tore down several trees. Roads in this area were also closed due to flooding and mudslides Thousands of acres of wheat in the area were destroyed.

July 11th

2007: A storm system brought severe winds to Diamond Lake, where several trees were knocked down onto homes and docks. Lightning also ignited numerous fires throughout eastern Washington and northern Idaho. These include the Chimney Complex Fire (19 miles south of Lewiston, 51,000 acres, road closures, contained by 28th), the Coyote Creek Fire (9 miles east of Lewiston, 1,000 acres, destroyed a home, damaged a power pole, closed Highway 12, contained by 18th, not lightning-induced), an unnamed fire east of Grand Coulee (500 acres, 3 outbuildings, a summer home and a pickup burned, temporarily closing Highway 174, contained by 14th), the Overlook Fire (12 miles southeast of Royal City, 30,000 acres, contained by 15th), the Tolo Fire (13 miles northwest of Stehekin, 293 acres, contained by 15th), the Windy Ridge Fire (8 miles northwest of Metaline Falls, 362 acres, contained by 21st), an unnamed fire near Hooper (10,200 acres, contained by 16th), and an unnamed fire near Dusty (5,500 acres, contained by 16th).

1998: Strong winds as a result from the previous day's storm knock down trees in Newport, Ione, Colville, and Metaline. Several trees blew down across the highway between Newport and Metaline.

1993: 80% of a 300 acre apple farm in Chelan county was damaged by 0.50 inch hail. Estimated losses came to around $1.1 million. A tree was blown down by strong thunderstorm winds in the town of Ione.

July 12th

2010: Dust Storm

2009: 66 mph (57 knot) winds were reported near Worley. Hail was reported in Stevens county, with 1.25 inch hail falling at Kettle Falls and 0.75 inch hail falling at Ford.

2006: Strong winds were observed in eastern Washington and northern Idaho. 60 mph winds were reported at Athol and Davenport, and 50 mph winds were observed throughout eastern Washington. A barn was blown down near Warden, and paint was peeled off homes. Several trees were blown down across North Spokane, with one such tree landing on a home. Up to 1,000 power outages were also observed in Spokane.

1993: Two funnel clouds were observed just northeast of Sandpoint.

July 13th

2001: 3-5 inches of rain caused a significant flash flood over the higher terrain of northeastern Okanogan county. The worst flooding occurred east of Oroville, where 3 separate drainages caused a "wall of mud" to blast through a road, washing a van away. A 56-year-old grandmother was able to get her grandchild to safety, but could not escape herself. She was missing and has been presumed dead, as her body was never found. Roads and bridges were washed out in rural areas of the county. The water rose high enough to damage parked cars. A grain bin and other farming instruments were washed away. Mud filled another grain bin, a basement, garage, shop and barn.

1995: Wind gusts reached 60 mph in the Palouse. Trees were downed in Orofino and Peck. 

1991: Lightning struck an antenna at Priest River. 1 person died in the resulting fire. 

July 14th

2014: Carlton Complex Fire Starts

1993: Flooding was reported after heavy thunderstorm rains fell in Spokane, Wilbur, Edwall, and Blue Stem. 0.75 inch hail fell in Spokane.

July 15th

 

July 16th

2005: 0.75 inch hail fell at Rockford, and 1.00 inch hail fell at Diamond Lake.

2003: 35 mph gusts and very dry conditions fanned a human-caused fire near Okanogan. The fire spread to 300 acres and engulfed a residential district. 6 houses were destroyed and several others were damaged.

July 17th

2008: Okmok Volcanic Cloud Over PacNW

1993: A storm cell lingered over Grant County, dumping 1-2 inches of rain over 9 hours. One location measured 0.9 inches in a single hour. Roads were flooded out in the southern parts of the county and in Royal City. 2.02 inches of rain fell at Sandpoint, the most precipitation recorded in the city for a July day.

July 18th

 

July 19th

2007: A tree in Coeur d'Alene was uprooted by 50mph winds.

1992: A thunderstorm outbreak dumped 3 inches of rain in 2 hours south of Wilbur. Lightning caused power outages in Grand Coulee and Spokane, and started numerous brush fires on the Colville Indian Reservation.

July 20th

1992: Heavy rain caused flooding in Pullman, Garfield, Belmont and Farmington. There were reports of 0.50 inch hail.

July 21st

1999: 0.25 inch hail and 40 mph winds knock down several tree branches at Grand Coulee.

1997: 50 mph gusts cause a tree to topple onto a house in Coeur d'Alene. No injuries were reported. Lightning starts a grass fire in Lewiston. The fire went on to burn 300 acres of land. 0.75 inch hail fell in Pullman and Spokane, and 1 inch fail fell in Deer Park and Cheney. Two F1 tornadoes spotted in Kettle Falls. Minor damage was reported. Two more F1 tornadoes were spotted in Nespelem. Minor damage was reported. 70 mph winds lift a roof off a house and downed numerous power lines in Marcus.

July 22nd

2010: A severe thunderstorm brought large hail and strong winds to portions of Bonner and Boundary counties. Trees were reported down two miles south of Bonners Ferry as well as in Ponderay. Estimated wind gusts of 60 miles per hour were also reported two miles NNE of Sandpoint.

2000: A weather disturbance moved from south to north across eastern Washington into Canada. It spawned a cluster of severe thunderstorms over Okanogan county. 0.5 inch hail was reported in Brewster , northwest of Okanogan, and north of Malott, 0.75 inch hail was reported southwest of Malott, and 1.00 inch hail was reported at Malott. The Rocky Hull wildfire, which had started several days prior, destroyed 33 homes in the Mount Hull area. 1 man died of a heart attack while trying to extinguish the flames. The fire burned 9,375 acres and caused $3.3 million in property damages.

1993: 2.5 inches of rain fell for over two hours in Ritzville and resulted in numerous flooded homes and fields. 

1992: Six cows were killed when lightning struck a tree nearby about two miles west of Mazama.

July 23rd

2019: With very warm temperatures, heat combined with a low pressure system triggered many severe thunderstorms. These storms brought strong winds, lightning, heavy rain, and small hail to the region. There were three significant mudslides on parts of US-2 and Hwy 97A. Waterville, Chelan, and Grand Coulee got 1-1.5” per hour which caused flash flooding and debris flow This was also a major lightning event with approximately 3,500 cloud-to-ground strikes and over 28,000 cloud flashes in a 24-hour period across the Inland Northwest. This created many power outages, trees down, and started new fires. In Spokane, as well as the northern Idaho Panhandle, there were widespread power outages and trees down, creating hazardous road conditions.

2014: High Winds & Hail (Additional Info)

2009: Noctilucent Clouds in Spokane

July 24th

1994: Thunderstorm winds reached 66 mph at Waterville, 70 at Moses Lake and caused a dust storm near Moses Lake which caused an accident, killing one and injuring 14 others. Lightning started several  fires around Entiat and Buckley, dealing $5500 in damage to a home in the latter city. Sandpoint ties an all-time record high temperature of 104 degrees. 2.10 inches of rain fell at Potlatch in 30 minutes, the most rainfall recorded in the city for a July day. Several trees were knocked down in Potlatch due to strong winds.

1991: A swath of unstable air causes 1 inch hail near Waterville, a mudslide at Tumwater Canyon  and at Sunset Hill, and .68 inches of rain and .875 inch hail fell in 15 minutes near Spokane. I-90 was shut down briefly. Winds gusted to 45mp5, damaging two homes near Mead. 

July 25th

2011: Heavy rain fell across the Wenatchee area. 0.30 inches of rain fell in 6 hours, causing significant damage to the cherry crop. Damage estimations of $640,000 were based on a loss of 150 tons of cherries combined with the additional costs of renting roughly a dozen helicopters used to dry the orchards. One helicopter pilot died when the low-flying aircraft clipped a power-line and crashed. A wildfire started five miles north of Marlin. Strong winds through the day carried the fire into Lincoln County before a brief period of rainfall later in the afternoon helped fire fighters put out the blaze. The fire burned approximately 3,000 acres of sagebrush and destroyed one machine shed filled with farm equipment.

2009: Heavy rains led to flash flooding in Colville. A weather spotter reported two inches of flowing water over a driveway, while standing water was found on many other roads in Colville.

1991: A thunderstorm blows down numerous trees in Colville. With this storm, 1.20 inches of rain fell in less than an hour, with 1.34 inches total. This was a record for a July day (as of 1991).

July 26th

2009: 45 knot winds in Omak damaged a roof at an athletic club. In addition, the winds toppled a large weeping willow tree onto a vending truck.

1993: Thunderstorms caused urban flooding in Post Falls and Coeur D'Alene, closing several roads. Several homes had water pooling in their basements. There were unofficial reports of 1 to 1.5 inches of rain falling in Coeur D'Alene. Lightning struck a church in Rathdrum, burning a hole in its roof.

July 27th

2009: 60 knot winds were reported at Priest River, where at least eight to nine trees were blown down on structures and streets in town. Roof damage was also noted from the storm.

July 28th

2010: Slow-moving thunderstorms brought heavy rain and flash flooding across central and eastern Washington. 2.55 inches of rain fell at Plain, the most precipitation to fall in the city for a 24 hour period in July. The west side of Wenatchee was hardest hit as a very slow moving thunderstorm brought 0.85 inches of rain in 45 minutes. Road washouts were reported on Number 1 and Number 2 Canyon Roads. Manhole covers were blown out in Downtown Wenatchee with standing water on some roads. Four miles south of Wenatchee on Squillchuck Road, the heavy rain resulted in a mudslide. Flash flooding resulted in water threatening homes, with several reports of house flooding. Mud inundated indoor tennis courts at an athletic club. Another thunderstorm brought heavy rain just north of Entiat, sending a mudslide onto Highway 97A between mileposts 220 and 222. The mud was up to six inches deep with two cars towed from the mud. The road was closed during the night and opened the next day. Another slow moving thunderstorm in Lincoln County resulted in road washouts along Highway 23 between Sprague and Harrington. The Wenatchee River Complex Fire, located near Cashmere, consisted of four fires which burned 2,065 acres. The fires were caused by several lightning strikes which occurred in the area. The largest fire was the Nahahum Fire at 1,947 acres which burned five miles north of Cashmere. Numerous structures were threatened by the fire. The other fires were all less than 100 acres in size.

2009: T-storms Priest Lake to Newport

July 29th

1998: A funnel cloud was spotted near Moses Lake.

1907: 2.42 inches of rain fell in 40 minutes at Rosalia, an all-time record for the city. The rains came with a severe thunderstorm that also brought large hail and some minor crop flooding.

July 30th

1998: Marble-sized hail fell in Kellogg. 60 mph winds were also reported. An inch of rain fell in 30 minutes in the city, and 2.20 inches fell overall - a record for a day in July - flooding Main Street and many buildings, including the library, the fire department and the police station. I-90 was shut down between the city and Cataldo.

1996: 0.75 inch hail fell at Keller, in Ferry county. 

July 31st

2010: Strong thunderstorms brought heavy rains and hail to Waterville, Entiat, and Omak. The strongest storm occurred on the Waterville Plateau where significant rain damage from flash flooding as well as nickel size hail fell. Heavy rain with 2.25 inches in two hours was reported four miles northeast of Waterville which washed out a road. The headwaters of Douglas Creek took out fences and parts of Road 11 NW. The water was 10 feet deep in spots. Some fields received a complete wheat loss. Meanwhile, heavy rain on the Nahahum fire north of Cashmere resulted in a shoulder being partially washed out on Nahahum Canyon Road between milepost four and five. Heavy rain resulted in water washing out the shoulder of several roads in Pearrygin Lake State Park Campgrounds. This caused gravel to cover roads in several locations. 0.75 inch hail fell at Okanogan and at Entiat, and 0.88 inch hail fell 4 miles northeast of Lamoine and at Waterville. Strong winds and hail were reported in Lewis county, with these winds, up to 50 knots, blew a tree onto a house on Hill Street in Kamiah. 1.75 inch hail was reported in the city.

1998: Heavy rains and some minor flooding was reported in Coeur d'Alene. 3 inches of rain fell in 3 hours in Ephrata, causing flooding to occur downtown. 1.73 inches of rain fell at the airport, the most precipitation on record to fall in the city. Heavy rain caused mudslides in Ellisforde.

1997: 0.75 inch hail fell in Pinehurst. 55 mph gusts reported in Kendrick and 65 mph gusts reported in Lenore.