A weak cold front passing through the Pacific Northwest brought mostly dry and windy conditions across the eastern half of Washington on June 24th. By early afternoon, isolated showers and thunderstorms moved into the northern mountains.
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Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS OTX wrote it up.
A weak cold front passing through the Pacific Northwest brought mostly dry and windy conditions across the eastern half of Washington on June 24th. By early afternoon, isolated showers and thunderstorms moved into the northern mountains. With afternoon convection, there were numerous strong thunderstorm cells forming in Stevens and Pend Oreille counties. These thunderstorms brought gusty winds, brief heavy downpours, isolated hail, and a funnel cloud. There were reports of hail sizing from 0.25 to 1.5 inches in diameter. With the hail, some locations received an additional rain up to 1 inch that afternoon. The winds, with gusts up to 55 mph, resulted in trees down. Other locations within eastern Washington only received a trace to 0.03 inch of rain. There were widespread winds with gusts reaching 25-40 mph.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Spokane, WA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 24, 10:46 AM PST, 1 hour 54 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 1146 AM PDT Wed Jun 24 2020 .SYNOPSIS... Scattered thunderstorms are expected over north Idaho as well as north central and northeast Washington this afternoon. A few storms will be capable of brief heavy rain, nickel size hail, and wind gusts to 45 mph. Thursday and Friday will be dry, with temperatures well above average. The arrival of a strong cold front late Friday will bring in cooler temperatures, breezy winds, showers and the chance for thunderstorms this weekend. The weekend into the beginning of next week have the potential to be significantly cooler than average. && .DISCUSSION... A weak cold front will cross the Idaho Panhandle by early this afternoon. Surface winds have begun to shift to the west or southwest in Central Washington, the Columbia Basin, and the Palouse in response to the frontal passage. Look for the winds to increase this afternoon with 10 to 20 mph westerlies common across the open country of eastern Washington. Locally higher winds gusting into the 30 to 35 mph range are expected around Wenatchee, Vantage, Waterville and Chelan. Any grass fires that start in these areas today could have the potential to spread. Our morning air mass is more humid than we usually experience with dewpoints in the 50s. These numbers will tumble during the afternoon with marginally drier west winds. We expect widely scattered showers and thunderstorms to develop by noon over north central Washington (before our dewpoints decrease). It will be interesting to see how much convection forms this afternoon as our post-frontal air mass continues to dry. Cells that do form will be able to tap into relatively steep lapse rates aloft leading to the potential for hail...possibly nickel size or bigger. Wind gusts of 45 mph or more and brief heavy rain will be possible as well with these cells as the track to the northeast around 25 to 30 mph. At this time, we are looking at the Republic, Colville, Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint, and Kellogg areas for the scattered thunderstorms...some possibly strong. /GKoch && .AVIATION... 18Z TAFS: By noon scattered showers are expected to develop over far north Idaho and northeast/north central Washington. The high resolution models aren't forecasting a high concentration of thunderstorm activity, but a few cells could be strong given rich surface dewpoints and relatively steep mid-level lapse rates. Some of the stronger cells will be capable of producing nickel hail, brief heavy rain, and wind gusts to 45 mph in the Republic, Colville, Northport, Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint, and Kellogg areas. At this point, probabilities for thunderstorms in Spokane, Couer d'Alene, Pullman, and Lewiston is less than 30 percent and not included in the TAFs. They may be added as we watch radar and satellite trends this afternoon. /GKoch && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Spokane 85 56 83 58 88 62 / 10 10 0 0 0 10 Coeur d'Alene 83 55 81 56 85 61 / 20 10 0 0 0 10 Pullman 82 53 79 55 85 61 / 10 10 0 0 0 0 Lewiston 90 61 87 62 92 67 / 10 10 0 0 0 0 Colville 85 53 85 56 90 58 / 60 20 0 0 0 20 Sandpoint 83 55 81 57 85 60 / 50 30 0 0 0 20 Kellogg 82 56 79 57 83 62 / 30 20 0 0 0 10 Moses Lake 91 60 91 59 98 64 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Wenatchee 87 60 91 63 94 66 / 0 0 0 0 0 10 Omak 87 59 89 62 93 62 / 20 0 0 0 0 10 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ID...None. WA...None. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Spokane WA 501 AM PDT Wed Jun 24 2020 WAZ034-035-041>044-251215- Moses Lake Area-Upper Columbia Basin-Wenatchee Area- East Slopes Northern Cascades-Okanogan Valley-Waterville Plateau- 501 AM PDT Wed Jun 24 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of Central Washington...East Central Washington and North Central Washington. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT This afternoon and evening dry, warm and breezy conditions are expected in Central Washington which may elevate concern for fire spread in dry grass. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY Friday and Saturday dry, warm and breezy conditions are expected in Central Washington which may elevate concern for fire spread in dry grass. IDZ001>004-026-027-WAZ031>033-036>038-251215- Northern Panhandle-Coeur d'Alene Area-Idaho Palouse- Central Panhandle Mountains-Lewiston Area- Lewis and Southern Nez Perce Counties-Northeast Blue Mountains- Lower Garfield and Asotin Counties-Washington Palouse- Spokane Area-Northeast Mountains-Okanogan Highlands- 501 AM PDT Wed Jun 24 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of North Idaho... North Central Idaho...North Central Washington...Northeast Washington and Southeast Washington. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT Today and this evening a chance of thunderstorms is forecast over the northern Washington mountains into the Idaho Panhandle. Some storms will be capable of producing lightning, downpours, and gusty winds. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY Saturday to Monday a threat of isolated to scattered thunderstorms will bring the threat of lightning and gusty winds as well as small hail and heavy downpours.
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Spokane WA 1220 PM PDT Wed Jun 24 2020 WAZ038-241945- Okanogan Highlands WA- 1220 PM PDT Wed Jun 24 2020 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHWESTERN FERRY AND EASTERN OKANOGAN COUNTIES UNTIL 1245 PM PDT... At 1217 PM PDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 14 miles west of Sherman Pass, or 10 miles southwest of Republic, moving northeast at 20 mph. Nickel size hail and winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with this storm. If this cell remains intact, it will impact... Republic and Curlew Lake State Park. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm, and may lead to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways. && LAT...LON 4850 11891 4861 11895 4878 11867 4854 11859 TIME...MOT...LOC 1917Z 239DEG 15KT 4857 11879 GKOCH
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Spokane WA 1249 PM PDT Wed Jun 24 2020 WAZ038-242015- Okanogan Highlands WA- 1249 PM PDT Wed Jun 24 2020 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHEASTERN FERRY COUNTY UNTIL 115 PM PDT... At 1248 PM PDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm between Republic and Sherman Pass moving east at 20 mph. Nickel size hail and winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Sherman Pass on Highway 20. LAT...LON 4853 11860 4866 11869 4883 11833 4859 11821 TIME...MOT...LOC 1948Z 248DEG 15KT 4864 11855 GKOCH
The Spokane radar (KOTX), 114 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:38 UTC.
3 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
A member of the public at Blue Moose Lodging reported hail with a diameter of 1.5 inches from thunderstorms near Marcus.
A member of the public reported hail with a diameter of 1.5 inches from thunderstorms near Marcus.
A member of the public reported quarter size hail on Sullivan Creek from a thunderstorm near Metaline Falls.
Photos shared on social media by a member of the public showed several downed trees due to thunderstorm winds near Ione.
A member of the public reported a funnel cloud from State Route 20 near Blueslide.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, June 2020
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 904677, 904676, 904679, 905930, 904678.