Strong thunderstorms predicted for Inland Northwest | News

Another set of thunderstorms is predicted to sweep through the Inland Northwest overnight and through Friday and it's expected to pack a wallop. The National Weather Service is preparing for an increased risk for the region with stormy weather producing strong thunderstorms and heavy rainfall.

The storms will travel over the basin and through the Cascades this evening and arrive in the Spokane area by late Friday morning.

The NWS says a “negative tilt trough” is pushing into the the region from the southwest. It will combine with moist and unstable air producing large hail, damaging winds and very heavy rains.

Flooding is also a possibility due to the precipitation. A flash flood watch was issued by the NWS Spokane office for numerous counties in both Idaho and Washington. It’s in effect Thursday night through Friday and could create urban flooding, increased water levels in small streams, landslides or debris flows.

Here’s the full list of affected counties from the NWS:

IDAHO: BENEWAH, BONNER, BOUNDARY, KOOTENAI, LATAH, SHOSHONE

WASHINGTON: DOUGLAS, FERRY, GRANT, LINCOLN, OKANOGAN, PEND OREILLE, SPOKANE, STEVENS