Associated Press
EDMONDS — A state ferry was knocked out of service Saturday evening after it was struck by lightning.
The Puyallup was near the Edmonds ferry dock on its Edmonds-Kingston run when the lightning struck, according to Diane Rhodes of Washington State Ferries.
No one was injured on the boat, but the lightning affected 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 of 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 south Snohomish County and north King County, causing some localized flooding in Shoreline and Bothell.
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