Inland NW usually sheltered from severe thunderstorms

Thunderstorm season in the Inland Northwest is right around the corner.

Our region sees an average of 11 days with thunderstorms each year – one in April, two in May, three in June, two in July, two in August and one in September.

These numbers are relatively low when compared to other parts of the country, or even the world. Some cities and towns in Florida have more than 100 days with thunderstorms each year. Meteorologists estimate that there are about 1,800 thunderstorms in progress over the Earth’s surface at any given moment. In the U.S. there are approximately 100,000 thunderstorms each year – 10 to 20 percent of those are severe.

Lightning is one of the most dangerous and potentially fatal elements of thunderstorms.

Large hailstones cause at least $1 billion a year in property damage, plus widespread crop losses every year. Hurricane-force straight-line winds can reach velocities exceeding 100 miles per hour. Downburst winds cause plane crashes. Flash floods, associated with severe thunderstorms, can cause rivers to overflow their banks and often result in human and livestock deaths.

Thanks to the Cascade Mountains to the west and the Rockies to the east, our region does not often receive severe thunderstorms. The mountains protect the Inland Northwest from the warmer and more humid air from the Gulf of Mexico, one of the key ingredients needed for severe conditions.

After a dry February and early to mid-March, we’re now in a wetter six-week cycle. We’ve already seen record rains earlier this month and I still see cooler and wetter weather in our part of the country from now into early May. With a wetter spring, we should see approximately 13 to 18 days in 2015 with thunderstorms, a bit higher than average.