See images of rare electric thunderstorm that lit up Thurston County on Monday

Shaun Goodwin
·2 min read

Northwest Washington residents got front row seats to a surprise thunderstorm that formed over Thurston County late Monday night into early Tuesday morning.

The storm, which was fully formed by about 1 a.m., lit up the sky and rattled windows with loud claps of thunder as it moved across the county.

Olympia-area photographers, Olympia residents, and meteorologists captured the storm in all of its terrifying beauty before it moved inland and weakened. Here are some of the best shots from the storm:

Olympian photojournalist Steve Bloom captured these pictures above Rainier in southeast Thurston County:

A lightning flash can be seen over Rainier early Tuesday morning.
A lightning flash can be seen over Rainier early Tuesday morning.
Lightning strikes above Thurston County in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Lightning strikes above Thurston County in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Pacific Northwest meteorologist and storm chaser Michael Trofimov also captured several pictures of the storm as it traveled into Clark County and posted them on social media:

The National Weather Service in Seattle captured two time lapse photos from its office in Seattle. Several residents replied to the Weather Service with videos of their own.

Here are some other stunning photos from last night’s storm from other local photographers and weather enthusiasts: