VIDEO: Photographer captures lightning show near Mount St. Helens

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A local photographer captured multiple lightning strikes on the north end of Mount St. Helens on Aug. 17, when severe thunderstorms passed through the Pacific Northwest.

Mount St. Helens Science and Learning Center employee Ian Reed captured the lightning hitting a hillside near Coldwater Lake during the evening hours on Saturday. While there were plenty of people enjoying outdoor activities on the mountain that day, everyone left the area before the lightning hit, he said.

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“The timing of this storm couldn’t have been more perfect as it was a rather busy day up here,” Reed told KOIN 6. “Lots of people were on the water kayaking, paddle boarding, and swimming not long before the storm arrived. It did appear everyone made it off the water in time, and all the runners from Daybreak Racings “Backcountry Rise” event had made it off the course.”

More than 7,000 lightning strikes recorded in Oregon, Washington in 48 hours

More than 7,000 lightning strikes were recorded in Oregon and Washington between Aug. 17 and Aug. 18. A few new wildfires were ignited by the lightning. However, Northwest Interagency Coordination Center spokesperson Carol Connolly said that the rain and cooler temperatures provided by the storms also helped firefighters make significant progress in containing the larger wildfires burning across the Pacific Northwest.

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