Tornadoes in Oregon

[Cola82]

Hey, anyone else enjoying the crazy weird weather we're having? This happened yesterday where I live:

https://www.oregonlive.com/weather/index ... cminn.html

There was funnel cloud activity all over the state, but apparently this formed from the ground up. Either way, the description one guy gave of watching a sheet metal roof roll up and off the building is otherworldly given that this part of Oregon rarely even gets snow.

It's not at all like what the rest of the country is going through, but it was surprising.

[rainbowgardener]

We had something like that where I am. I am slightly outside of the tornado zone, so we rarely get them. Yesterday most of the city got torrential rains for awhile. Where I work we had briefly super high winds - threw a big semi in the air and flipped it over, peeled the whole roof right off the building next door to mine, ripped a huge tree right out of the ground, power out for about a five block radius in all directions. This happened just before 9AM. I don't know what time the power came back on, but I came back here after doing an appointment in a different office a couple miles away (where they had no idea anything had happened). At 1 PM there was still no power, so we closed up. I climbed the stairs to my fifth floor office twice yesterday, but most of our clients can't do that. I'm glad I don't work on the top (eleventh!) floor.

Very strange that it was so localized. I don't know if they were calling it a tornado or not and I got here just a few minutes to late to see it happen, but the effects seemed like what tornadoes do.

[Cola82]

Yikes! We had the rain, too, big heavy drops for about an hour, but that's all I saw on my side of town. I did notice after it cleared up that my tomatoes were leaning at a bit of an angle, so there may have been some wind.

I don't know how people in the midwest deal with these every year if even little tornadoes can wreak so much havoc in such a short amount of time.

[imafan26]

We rarely have tornadoes. One small one did appear recently. Waterspouts, dust devils, and hurricanes are more common. But, the weather sure has been more unpredictable in recent years.

Waipahu, which is in the leeward district and is generally hot and dry has had hail of all things on a hot day.

In 2003, we experienced a deluge of biblical proportions, 42 days and nights of rain.

[tomf]

I saw that in the Oregonian, we don't get them often, Oregon and Washington have the lowest death rate from tornadoes it averages 0 per year. Texas is the worst with 134 per year, but I think the death rates in the last few years is high in a number of other states. I do think weather is getting more wonky.

[digitS']

I hate to admit how long ago I thought this was. It wasn't that I was involved or knew anyone who lost their life. It seemed to me that it was just a few short years ago . . .

I don't know why tornadoes happen now and then in that area. It may be because of the south north alignment of the Willamette River but, really, I'm just talking thru my hat. (For those of you who don't know this part of the world, Vancouver Washington, not Canada, is just north and across the Columbia River from Portland Oregon. Portland is on the north end of the Willamette Valley.)

Altho' I don't really know the word "wonky," I bet I'm in agreement with Tom. However, some of you reading weren't alive yet because - 1972 was quite a long time ago .

Anyway. Here's the story: A severe tornado strikes Vancouver, Washington, 1972

Steve