Thunder and lightning again lighting up sky

The thunderstorm crashing over the Seattle area this evening will likely continue for the next few hours, according to meteorologist Johnny Burg from the National Weather Service.

"After midnight, things should die down considerably," he said.

Burg predicted this storm would drop more of the pea-sized hail that Seattle saw last night, as well as winds from the southwest at 15-25 mph. Within a few hours, though, the storm should subside to showers.

Forecasts call for similar action this weekend, Burg said, with more thunderstorms developing shortly after noon on Saturday. But he said things should calm down in the evening, and continue to taper off on Sunday.

The weekend should bring snow to the Olympics, Cascades and the mountains in northeast Washington. A winter storm watch is in effect through Saturday for the Cascades with up to 2 feet of new snow forecast.

Forecasters also say there will be big swells on the Washington Coast, up to 25 feet or higher, and there is a high-surf warning.

The thunder and lightning storm that blew through the area late on Thursday lit up the night and knocked out power in several neighborhoods in what the National Weather Service says is an unusual event for Seattle.

Chris Burke, with the National Weather Service in Seattle, said, "It was the best thunderstorm for a few years," adding that the storm was so intense it woke him up.

Such nighttime storms are rare here. Charts showed several bolts of lightning flashed over North Seattle, but Burke said he doesn't know how many hit the ground.

Seattle City Light reported power outages for about 8,000 customers. Scattered outages occurred in Madrona in central Seattle and other neighborhoods in northeast and northwest Seattle. Power was restored early this morning. Outages also were reported Thursday night to about 3,800 customers in the Queen Anne neighborhood. It was restored by 9 p.m.

Tacoma Power reported about 6,000 customers were left in the dark.