A tremendous peel peal of thunder coincided with reports of an explosion at 18th and Republican Monday morning just before 5a.
Seattle City Light currently shows an extremely limited power outage at the location. There were no other outages immediately reported in the city. The 18th/Republican location is several blocks from the radio and television towers on E Madison that more typically draw strikes.
Heavy rain accompanied the boom and the resulting standing water on I-5 has lead to a series of motor vehicle accidents Monday morning as Seattle prepares for its first weekday commute during the 9-day Viaduct closure period.
Was wondering what that was! It sounded like a crane or part of the tunnel collapsed to us!
I heard the thunder in my ‘sleep’ this morning and didn’t know if it had really happened or if I’d dreamed it.
I live at 19th and Republican and I have my power. I must have really been sleeping hard – I didn’t hear a thing.
I live at 18th and Republican and both my girlfriend and I woke instantly when the explosion occurred. It was very loud. Even so, after getting up I couldn’t see any damage or indication as to where exactly it happened. But again, it was very loud.
But we are light sleepers. So was it a lightning strike with thunder? Anybody know something definitive?
Seriously sounded more like an explosion! Live at 17th and Republican.
Will be taking a look when I walk my dog this morning.
I must’ve been half awake at the time because I saw the flash out my window seconds before the boom. I thought maybe a transformer bit the dust, but it sounds like something was struck.
Sounded like Ww3 was starting. I sat up in bed and thought I was about to die lol
I was awake at the time, saw a blue flash, followed by a thunder clap about 1 second later. Pretty standard stuff really…
I am just glad I’m not the only one who wondered what the hell had jolted me out of a dead sleep. I also thought the light rail crane had come down (live right next to it) but couldn’t see anything out my window.
I thought it was a bomb and turned the radio on expecting to hear an alarm. A friend texted to assure me it was probably thunder. Oh, yeah – thunder. Forgot about that possibility! I’m at 19th & Republican and it sounded like an enormous bang or explosion.
live right by Miller at 22nd and it was louder than crap! one big thunder/lightning clap = impressive.
I live at Lee and 25, 12 blocks a away from 18 and Republican, so not sure where it was above exactly. It was incredibly loud here and set off several car alarms.
Glad to see I wasn’t the only one who was jolted awake. It still seems a little unclear whether it was the thunder or an electrical explosion. Either way it was alarming.
That was loud. Jolted me awake five blocks away. Thanks for the update.
That thunder was insane – it was like a cannon going off outside our window. It happened at exactly 4:43AM – 21st and East Denny.
I was so excited for a spit second when it woke me up! I was about to jump out of bed and look outside because I had thought “THUNDER SNOW!!!” But then I remembered it was probably 50 degrees outside and only October. Rolled over and sighed, just thunder, and went back to sleep.
I thought a 747 had crashed next door or we had been bombed…
Scared the hell out of me. It sounded like a bomb went off. I thought, must be thunder, but that was some LOUD thunder.
I heard it at Boylston and Aloha! I hid under my covers for a minute until I figured it was probably thunder but I wonder if it was actually the explosion.
I live at 17th and Howell. I happened to be awake at the time and saw the blinding flash, and the boom followed about a half (or maybe a whole) second later. It struck me as pretty strange though. The first thing I thought of was lightning and thunder, but the “thunder” didn’t really rumble and fade out like normal thunder. I’m still wondering about it, myself.
I clocked it at 4:42a as well. sounded and felt like an explosion next door, and I’m in Madrona! a little sad I missed the lightening strike! anybody have pictures?
btw… kudos to CHS for this story, searching on mainstream news sites = 0 results. I knew I should have started here.
Because thunder is news? Did you check with the BBC?
>> A tremendous peel of thunder
Or a peal of thunder? (Unless maybe the viaduct slipped on the thunder peel and fell down?)
I should just use simple words like “the” and “it”
yep, this is how i woke up this morning at 21st & union. lovely. then the kiddo woke up from it and i ended up having to sleep with him for the next two hours, which of course means i didn’t sleep. i do love thunder storms though.
I live right up the street – man talk about a wake up call. My cat practically levitated off the bed and took off like a shot!
I live near the convention center. The thunder explosion woke me up straight away. I swear there were two bangs though… maybe five minutes apart?
Everyone knows that the best idea in an emergency is to hide under your covers.
Luckily this was a false alarm, but you’ll certainly be prepared to hide in pathetic terror next time something bad happens.
You have a strong survivial instinct and excellent common sense.
I didn’t see any trees that were hit or anything. It sounded so NOT like a lighting strike that I was waiting for the sirens of an ambulance, but they never came.
or so i thought in my sleep. shit was loud.
My husband and I both woke from a dead sleep when it happened. We live on 19th and Republican. I seriously was convinced that a bomb had been dropped or an airplane had crashed. It was so freaking loud. When describing it to friends and coworkers this afternoon I think they thought I was exaggerating. It does make me feel better to see that other people thought the same thing!!
yo yo