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Saturday, May 22, 2004
Tornado, lightning, hail hit Spokane
SPOKANE -- A rare tornado touched down here yesterday during a storm that also brought lightning, hail and heavy rain to northeast Washington.
The tornado touched down in a rural area west of Fairchild Air Force Base about 4:15 p.m., said John Livingston, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Spokane.
Weather Service employees found only minor damage, he said -- "a tree down, some light equipment blown around ... some shingles off a roof." No injuries were reported.
Lightning may have been to blame for a fire at a Spokane apartment complex, and a lightning-caused fire burned a hole through the roof of a house.
The storm forced the temporary shutdown of flights leaving nearby Spokane International Airport. After the tornado report, officials evacuated the air traffic control center for about 15 minutes, airport spokesman Todd Woodard said.
Hail as big as three-quarters of an inch in diameter was reported, along with flooded roads and basements, as more than an inch of rain fell in Spokane, Livingston said.
The ground was already covered in dime-sized hail when the tornado hit.
Washington averages just one tornado per year.
However, three have been reported in the past three weeks -- one April 27 near Sumas, in Whatcom County, another in East Wenatchee Wednesday, and yesterday's near Spokane.
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