Seattle storm forecast turns into a "nothing burger"
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Seattleites braced for a dramatic spring storm — hail, lightning and even a twister or two — that never happened this week.
State of play: Social media posts showed locals draping mattresses over cars and dragging plants inside.
"I'm going to feel like an idiot if it doesn't hail," said 3magdnim, who posted a picture on Reddit of a car covered with inflatables and bedding.
Yes, but: Instead of the "severe thunderstorm" predicted by the National Weather Service for Wednesday, the day brought mostly dry skies and sunshine across Puget Sound.
- There were no reports of hail or tornadoes either, Maddie Kristell of the National Weather Service in Seattle told Axios, though some areas saw thunderstorms, lightning and heavy rain in the evening.
What they're saying: The Facebook Group Washington State Memes lightly roasted the overblown forecast, writing: "Marked Safe From WA meteorologists."
- "It turned out to be a big nothing burger," said Axios reader Derek Wing.
What happened: While most ingredients for a strong storm were present, including moisture, lift and wind shear, and the forecast models showed a high degree of certainty, the predicted atmospheric instability didn't occur, Kristell said.
- That's because morning fog, showers and cloud cover blunted daytime heating, so there wasn't enough rising warm air to fuel a storm.
- That said, the weather service doesn't regret sounding the alarm, Kristell said.
- The forecast models showed the right ingredients for severe weather and "it was definitely worth talking about given how perfectly everything seemed to align," she said.
What's next: Light showers are expected through Saturday, with clearer skies on Sunday, per Kristell.