Lightning — Kootenai, Idaho

2012-07-17 · near Huetter, Kootenai, Idaho

Event narrative

Non-severe thunderstorms during the early morning of July 17th, produced frequent lightning strikes in and around the Post Falls area. One bolt struck a man in his car while driving to work. The man did not receive any injuries from the strike however his car's sensors were damaged and he lost all power control while driving, including the brakes. He was able to safely pull the vehicle to the side of the road then noticed the car could not be turned off even without the key in the ignition. Two tires were also blown out from the strike.

Wider weather episode

An upper-level low sagging down the Pacific Northwest Coastline was responsible for drawing moist, unstable air northward into Northern Idaho. A combination of surface heating and shortwave energy ejecting from the low triggered strong thunderstorms over Northern Idaho during the afternoon of July 17th. Two thunderstorms that afternoon tracked over a similar stretch of Highway 95 just east of Culdesac. Heavy rainfall from the training thunderstorms, steep terrain, and an overwhelmed culvert were responsible for portions of the hillside at milepost 287, along Highway 95, to washout. These storms also produced wind gusts around 60 mph.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (47.7338, -116.8938)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 393697. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.