SPOKANE, Wash. -- The month of May typically signals the start of each thunderstorm season, but this year has a chance to bring less severe storms as in years past.
The Inland Northwest does not see thunder and lightning as extreme as in Tornado Alley, but the storms that do pass through our region are enough to cause damage. The Inland Northwest has seen them knock out power to neighborhoods and cause fires that burn thousands of acres.
"Lightning hits in an unpopulated, remote area in the forest and then just turns into a major wildfire," KREM 2 Chief Meteorologist Tom Sherry said. "All of that smoke that we dealt with last year, most of that was from lightning-related fires."
For thunderstorms to occur, you need the perfect combination of ingredients, mainly beginning with cold, dry air combining with warm, moist air. The lightning produced from thunderstorms is a leading cause of weather-related deaths, accounting for over 30 every year. Plus, lightning is not the only threat that comes around.
"We mostly get from our thunderstorms, our damage, usually from straight-line winds and gust fronts. There's no vorticity but it's a strong 55-65 mile an hour gust that causes damage and causes trees to topple over."
But the last few years have brought fewer severe thunderstorms than in years past. Over the past five years, the number of severe thunderstorm warnings issued has been on a steady decline. In 2014, 42 warnings were issued, whereas last year there were only 5. So far in 2018, only one has been issued.
However, as the saying goes, correlation does not imply causation. Experts say they can't attribute the downtick to anything beyond chance. Plus, fewer warnings doesn't mean fewer storms. It just means that certain storms weren't strong enough to meet the criteria of severe.
According to the 90-day outlook, we'll be seeing slightly below average precipitation, which could point to another year of fewer severe storms. But, this year's thunderstorm season has really just begun, leaving chances of an uptick in numbers open.