‘Lightning, wind and hail’: Weather Service warns of thunderstorms aimed at Whatcom County
Much of Western Washington enjoyed a brief respite Tuesday from an atmospheric river that drenched Whatcom County with record-breaking rainfall for two straight days.
Temperatures rose well above normal for late March in Bellingham, topping the record of 62 for March 25 set in 1960.
That will change Wednesday as a cold front arrives, “with impactful weather on tap for all of Western Washington,” the National Weather Service in Seattle said online.
In an online briefing, the weather service said Whatcom County could see thunderstorms with lightning, wind and hail — and an outside chance of a tornado — on Wednesday.
“There is the potential for some of the strongest storms to be severe, producing hail at least 1 inch in diameter or wind gusts of at least 58 mph. The threat of tornadoes is unlikely, but rotation or a brief spin up cannot be fully ruled out.,” the weather service said in an online briefing Tuesday afternoon.
“As a low-pressure system approaches the Pacific Coast (Wednesday), showers and embedded thunderstorms are likely to form over the Olympic Peninsula throughout the mid- to late morning hours. A dynamic warm front will lift across the region throughout the afternoon and into the evening, bringing a round of widespread and potentially strong thunderstorms northward. The primary threats for these storms will be hail and/or gusty winds, alongside frequent lightning and locally heavy rain,” the weather service said.
Everett southward will be the focus of the worst weather, which is expected to track along the Interstate 5 corridor and hit the Bellingham area in the late afternoon or early evening, the weather service said.
This story was originally published March 25, 2025 at 1:37 PM.
