EDMONDS — A Washington State Ferry was knocked out of service Saturday evening after it was struck by lightning, and repairs kept it out of service into Sunday.
The M/V Puyallup was near the Edmonds ferry dock on its Edmonds-Kingston run when the lightning struck, Diane Rhodes with the Washington State Ferries told KOMO-TV.
No one on the boat was injured, but the lightning did affect the navigation system. The Coast Guard said the ferry would have to stay docked after nightfall until the system could be repaired. As a result, three ferry runs were canceled Saturday night and several cancellations lingered into Sunday morning.
It would have been quite the jolt to the boat, according to Chris Vagasky with Vaisala. His company’s lightning sensors estimate the lightning bolt delivered 133,000 amps.
“For reference, most electrical outlets are 15 amps,” Vagasky tweeted.
It was part of a wild afternoon of weather in the North Sound, as pair of robust Puget Sound Convergence Zones brought heavy rain, hail and lightning to southern Snohomish County and northern King County, and causing some localized flooding in Shoreline and Bothell.