A storm cell that passed over Portland prompted two tornado warnings Sunday evening after trained storm spotters saw funnel clouds north and south of the Columbia River, according to the National Weather Service.
Forecasters said the storm that created the funnel clouds also brought heavy rain on top of the day’s earlier rain showers. The rain prompted a flood advisory in Clark County. Local authorities said standing water covered some parts of Interstate 5 in Southwest Washington.
Such stormy weather typically does not roll into the area until fall, said Amanda Bowen, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.
Forecasters issued the first tornado warning at 6:46 p.m. after a trained spotter saw a funnel cloud approaching the ground near the northwest edge of Portland’s Forest Park.
Bowen said the funnel cloud dissipated as the storm cell moved northeast. The second warning came at 8:06 p.m. after a funnel cloud was spotted near Orchards, north of Vancouver.
The warnings were in effect for less than 15 minutes apiece.
Bowen said funnel clouds are precursors to tornadoes, and the National Weather Service issued the warnings so residents could be prepared in case tornadoes did touch down.
She said they do not know exactly where and for how long either tornado might have touched down. The agency has not received any reports of damage, she said.
If the first funnel cloud did touch down, it was likely in a rural, wooded area, said Shawn Weagle, a senior forecaster at the National Weather Service in Portland. The most populated area in its path was the small town of Burlington, on Highway 30 west of Portland, Weagle said. Many Portland-area residents still got automated cellphone alerts about the tornado warning.
“Just the perfect combination of conditions had to happen in order for this to spin up like this,” Weagle said.
-- Molly Young
This post has been updated to include more information about Sunday’s weather, as provided by the National Weather Service.