Hail — Whitman, Washington

2014-07-23 · near Wawawai, Whitman, Washington

Event narrative

Hail ranging from quarters to the size of golf balls fell across southwestern Whitman County impacting the communities of Pullman and Palouse. Winds of 50 to 55 mph also accompanied the storm which blew a large water tank about 200 feet. Whitman County Commissioner relayed a report that there was heavy crop damage in the Colton and Pullman areas, but the extent was unknown.

Wider weather episode

A deep trough of low pressure dropped down the Washington Coastline then swung inland into the Inland Northwest during the afternoon of July 23rd. The wave took on a strong negative tilt and moved into a moist and very unstable air mass. The outcome was a widespread severe weather event for Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho producing large hail, flash flooding, and widespread wind damage. Large hail and heavy rain were the initial threats early in the afternoon. Late in the afternoon, the threat shifted to damaging winds with hundreds of downed or snapped trees. The hardest hit areas were Northeastern Washington and Northern Idaho. Falling trees led to some injuries in Eastern Washington.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (46.6345, -117.3779)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 532167. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.