Lightning — Nez Perce, Idaho

2014-08-12 · near East Lewiston, Nez Perce, Idaho

Event narrative

Trained Spotter measured thirty-two hundreths of rain in span of ten minutes under a heavy thunderstorm. Lightning hit and exploded a nearby telephone pole. Spotter was located two miles east of Lewiston.

Wider weather episode

A ridge of high pressure over the region for the last few weeks was nudged east by a potent upper-level trough coming off the Eastern Pacific. The trough took on a strong negative tilt and passed through during peak heating. An east to west line of strong thunderstorms developed over Northern Oregon and tracked northward through Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho during the late afternoon and early evening. Additional storms continued to develop along the gust front which continued to pickup momentum as it passed into the region into an inverted V environment. Winds between 50 and 60 mph resulted in downed trees and power outages. The strongest winds were observed between Latah and southern Bonner County.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (46.4010, -116.9831)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 536197. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.