Thunderstorm Wind in Bonner County, Idaho

Damaging winds led to widespread tree damage across central Bonner County. A navy bouy located on the south end of Lake Pend Oreille clocked a wind gust of 75 mph. Multiple trees were knocked down across the city of Sandpoint and smaller communities surrounding Lake Pend Oreille. Many roads were closed until trees and power lines were removed including Highway 95 near the intersection of McArthur Street. Power was out for the entire city of Sandpoint and majority of Bonner County directly following the storm. Several trees fell on houses. Southern exposed bays on Lake Pend Oreille experienced the worst damage. Over thirty trees were knocked down between Gamlin Lake and Garfield Bay. Two people were injured by a falling tree at Green Bay. Further north on the lake, roughly twenty trees were downed in Shaw Bay. On a ridge, known as Hawkins Point, over fifty trees were snapped four feet from the ground. The winds created three to six foot waves in sections of the lake resulting in dock and boat damage. Broadcast media also reported numerous trees downed at the Western Pleasure Guest Ranch located eleven miles northeast of Ponderay.

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. Falling trees led to some injuries in Eastern Washington.