A Big Hailstorm in...Seattle

Normally this time of the year, spring hailstorms are expected across the Plains, the South and even the Southeast. But you probably don't typically think about spring hailstorms striking Seattle, Washington, or the Pacific Northwest in general. Though to be clear, hailstorms happen a few times in Seattle each year, but some of the scenes from Monday's hailstorm would've been impressive in Texas or Oklahoma, let alone Seattle. Take a look at just some of the impressive videos from Tuesday afternoon, when the storm struck the area: https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1244943522312138758?s=20 https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1244912819751043072?s= While the hail that fell was generally smaller in size, it was enough to cover roads and slow things down on the roads. Monday's hailstorm, which struck the city and the nearby suburbs of Bellevue and Sammamish, around 12:30 p.m. local time, came as a result of a potent upper-level trough moving through the area. That generated - in short - enough energy to create the potential for storms, and there was enough cold air at the upper levels of the atmosphere to support small hail. The storms and hail may not be done yet, either. More storms are in the forecast for both Tuesday and Wednesday, mainly owing to a lot of mid- and upper-level instability, and just enough energy at the surface to spur storms. Tuesday appears to have the better chance of producing more storms, including the possibility for more large hail. "Should be enough (energy) for some isolated thunder and more small hail in some of the heavier showers," the National Weather Service office in Seattle wrote in their forecast discussion on Tuesday. https://twitter.com/NWSSeattle/status/1244766278218203136?s=20 Meanwhile in the nearby Cascades and throughout the higher terrain of the Northwest, several rounds of snow will pile up totals in this part of the country. Meteorologist Mace Michaels has more on that aspect of the Northwest here. Stay with WeatherNation for the latest on an active stretch for the Pacific Northwest.