6:40pm Thursday…
And exciting couple of hours from 5-7pm as we heard of a possible tornado in the hills just northeast of Hockinson around 4:10pm.
Irene, whose barn it partially destroyed, says it was quick. A bang, and then chunks of her barn were flying away. Most important, she told us twice on-air that she could see a swirling “whitish” mass down over the barn.
The NWS folks are out there right now and we’ll hopefully find out if it was a tornado or not.
7:15pm update…
NWS says it WAS a tornado. EF0 rating. Here’s the statement:
“PRELIMINARY REPORT. ROOF PARTIALLY TORN OFF A BARN CONFIRMED. DEBRIS SPREAD OUT IN A 120 DEGREE CONE FROM THE BUILDING WITH THE LARGEST OBJECTS THROWN TO THE NNE OF THE STRUCTURE. LIGHTER OBJECTS WERE MOSTLY HUNG UP ON A NEARBY FENCE TO THE E AND SE OF THE BARN. NO OTHER DAMAGE WAS NOTED TO NEARBY TREES…STRUCTURES AND OTHER VEGETATION AROUND THE BARN. THE TIME IS ESTIMATED FROM RADAR AND REPORTS.”
Chief Meteorologist Mark Nelsen
Snowed for about 10 minutes SE King Rd, and 75th ave. Milwaukie Dome was compramised for a few minutes.
I wonder if the GORGE has ever seen a tornado during recorded human history? Do you think the prevailing west winds during spring convective season would interfere with the formation of rotating winds in stronger cells?
Here are some pics from the tornado today. Not a lot of damage, but some debris thrown NE, some to the SE.
Thanks for those photos! Next best thing to being there. I especially like the sheet metal “sculptures” with the barn in the distance.
I know the office thanked you already Tyler, but I want to say thanks personally as well. Your photos were extremely helpful with the diagnosis and you’re doing a great service for your fellow citizens by being so proactive in working with us and so generous in sharing your work. That…and your pictures in benign weather are pretty awesome too. 😉 ~ Shawn Weagle
Thanks Shawn! Any kind of weather excitement is good, especially when nobody gets hurt!
Hey, Mark! Your blog seems to still be on standard time. I’m posting this at 7:58pm…
I’m liking those low 60’s for early next week. Will feel so much better than these 30’s-40’s. One more chilly day to get through until things moderate a bit. Temps in the 40’s aren’t going to sit well with the ASU baseball team which opens a 3 game series in Corvallis tomorrow against the #3 nationally ranked Beavers!
Snowing at a good clip. But no tornadoes here
All solid precip (sometimes graupel, sometimes wet flakes) in the Seattle hills by 7pm, but there’s just not much of it falling anymore. If only the precip was more intense, we’d have received a nice dusting.
Looks like Issaquah got hit by a nice intense shower:
http://www.king5.com/news/local/Spring-snow-storm-catches-Issaquah-drivers-off-guard-199456381.html
Photos: Hail and snow dot the Puget Sound region
http://www.komonews.com/weather/blogs/scott/199452151.html
Snowing here and current temp 31. We had all for seasons in the last 24 hrs pretty crazy more excitement then 3 mo of winter we just went thougth.
2nd! Crazy weather we’re having.
Reminds me of a report made by my grandfather (to me) a few years ago. One of these shower/sunbreak days, a quick cell popped up over him and he was looking outside when he saw the fir tree limbs start whipping around and lifting up, followed by a rotating column of debris lifting high into the air.
Really brief one, just about as long as the one up in Hockinson. Just didn’t cause almost any damage, other than outdoor furniture being flipped.
You in!