Wednesday’s thunderstorms were not as severe as forecast. Here’s why
Early-morning fog Wednesday is likely the reason severe weather predicted for South Sound on Wednesday was not as intense as expected.
“Widespread thunderstorms are expected later this afternoon and evening across Western Washington, along with the threat for severe thunderstorms. Main hazards we remain concerned about are: hail, excess of 1-inch diameter; wind gusts in excess of 58 mph; isolated, brief tornadoes,” the National Weather Service predicted Wednesday.
The thunderstorms that blew through brought lightning and rain but little to no hail or damaging winds.
“Forecast-wise we had the right combination of ingredients coming together,” NWS meteorologist Maddie Krispell said Thursday morning.
There was moisture on the ground, a lifting component to trigger the thunderstorms and a lot of instability which can contribute to their strength, Krispell said.
The thunderstorms mostly fell short because of the fog and overcast that lingered throughout the morning.
“We needed more afternoon clearing in the day for the sun to heat up the surface of the ground and contribute to that instability,” Krispell said.
Krispell said forecasting severe thunderstorms in Western Washington, which does not typically get that type of weather, can be challenging. She said that forecasters saw the right combination of ingredients coming together that would create severe thunderstorms, which is why they made the forecast.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was issued by the NWS Wednesday for parts of western Washington and expired at 9 p.m.
This story was originally published March 27, 2025 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Wednesday’s thunderstorms were not as severe as forecast. Here’s why."
