Severe Weather in Washington Could Produce Tornadoes

National Weather Service in Spokane says there is a risk for damaging thunderstorms east of the Cascades.

A special weather briefing says the risk to north central Washington is low, but any thunderstorms occurring tonight could produce damaging winds, heavy rain, and potential rises in streams complicating travel in rural areas.

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"Locally heavy rain that could produce runoff on small streams and potentially cause rises that would be rapid enough to cause issues with travel in rural areas," the spokesperson said.

The weather briefing also indicated between a five and nine percent chance of tornadoes in western Washington.

The most likely timeframe for central Washington is around 9 to 11 p.m this evening. The briefing covered the possibility of quarter-size hail, which is about an inch in diameter. NWS says there is enough instability the storms could cross the Cascades and produce such storms.

"There will certainly be a potential for gusty winds and maybe some small hail, but will they be severe, our confidence is moderate to low at this point," the spokesperson said.

The NWS also says there's high confidence level storms will move into the region but the question mark is whether the storms will be unstable enough for significant impacts.

"We have a high confidence storms will move into this area," said a spokesperson for National Weather Service in Spokane. "The confidence is moderate to low to whether they will have a significant impact."

NWS says the earlier the storms start in the evening, the more potential there is for significant impacts.