Funnel Cloud in Washington, May 9, 2005

Name: Funnel Cloud in Washington, May 9, 2005
Start: 2005-05-09T16:45
End: 2005-05-09T16:45
Location: Washington

May 9, 2005 · NWS PDT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 funnel cloud, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Pendleton, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 9, 1:30 PM PST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 9, 1:30 PM PST, 3 hours 15 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
230 PM PDT MON MAY 9 2005

.SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT...THE FLASH FLOOD
WATCH FOR NORTHEAST OREGON WILL BE CANCELED SHORTLY AS THE THREAT
FOR WIDESPREAD FLASH FLOODING WILL DECREASE AS THE WEATHER
DISTURBANCE HAS MOVED NORTH AND INSTABILITY WILL DECREASE WITH THE
SUN SETTING. HOWEVER...AN ENERGETIC UPPER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL
CONTINUE TO BRING SHOWERS AND SOME THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN
ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING.  A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVED UP THE
YAKIMA VALLEY EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON AND BROUGHT HEAVY RAIN AND
URBAN FLOODING TO YAKIMA AND NEARBY LOCATIONS.  A SMALL AND BRIEF
TORNADO WAS ALSO REPORTED NORTHEAST OF YAKIMA BY SEVERAL SPOTTERS.
THE BAND OF PRECIPITATION AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT BROUGHT THE HEAVY
RAIN TO THE YAKIMA VALLEY IS STILL OVER YAKIMA COUNTY AND IS MOVING
NORTHWARD.  IT IS NOT CURRENTLY CREATING HEAVY RAIN BUT WILL BE
MONITORED FOR A THREAT OF SMALL STREAM AND URBAN FLOODING.  TOMORROW
WILL BE ANOTHER CLOUDY DAY WITH NUMEROUS SHOWERS BUT THERE IS
WARMING ALOFT AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED.  SNOW LEVELS LOWER
TO AROUND 5500 FEET OVERNIGHT TONIGHT BUT WITH LIGHTER PRECIPITATION
ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE LESS THAN AN INCH EXCEPT FOR HIGHER
ELEVATIONS.  TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT THERE WILL BE A
DRYING TREND AS THE UPPER LOW EXITS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.  80

.LONG TERM...THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY...QUIETER PERIOD IN STORE AS
UPPER RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE AREA FOR THE END OF THE WEEK BRINGING
WARMER AND DRIER WEATHER. ECMWF HOLDS ONTO THE RIDGE A LITTLE LONGER
INTO SATURDAY WHILE THE GFS PUSHES A WEAK COLD FRONT ACROSS THE
REGION. FOR NOW HAVE INTRODUCED SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FOR SATURDAY
THROUGH MONDAY AND SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES SUNDAY AND MONDAY
AFTER WE WARM WELL INTO THE 70S LOWER ELEVATIONS THURSDAY-
SATURDAY. COULD BE SOME THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY AFTERNOON BUT FOR NOW
JUST LEFT A MENTION OF SHOWERS. 78

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT  45  58  42  65 /  60  50  30  10
ALW  47  60  45  67 /  60  60  30  10
PSC  49  65  45  72 /  60  30  20  10
YKM  44  63  40  69 /  60  50  20  10
HRI  47  63  44  70 /  60  40  30  10
ELN  49  56  39  68 /  60  50  20  10
RDM  36  55  33  61 /  70  50  20  10
LGD  43  51  42  58 /  90  50  50  20
5J0  37  54  42  61 /  90  60  30  20
DLS  51  59  45  70 /  60  50  20  10

&&

.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...NONE.

WA...NONE.
&&

TI:GGG
FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT...
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/PENDLETON
80/78

Hazardous weather outlook, May 9, 2:50 PM PST, 1 hour 55 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
350 PM PDT MON MAY 9 2005

UPDATED TO REMOVE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING FROM NORTHEAST OREGON

WAZ024>030-ORZ041>050-101200-
EAST SLOPES OF THE SOUTHERN CASCADES-KITTITAS VALLEY-
YAKIMA VALLEY-LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN OF WASHINGTON-
FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS OF WASHINGTON-
NORTHWEST BLUE MOUNTAINS-EASTERN COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE OF OREGON-
NORTH CENTRAL OREGON-CENTRAL OREGON-
LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN OF OREGON-
FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON-BLUE MOUNTAINS-
JOHN DAY BASIN-OCHOCO-JOHN DAY HIGHLANDS-GRANDE RONDE VALLEY-
WALLOWA COUNTY-
350 PM PDT MON MAY 9 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST OREGON
AS WELL AS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THUNDERSTORMS
     EAST COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE OF WASHINGTON, EAST SLOPES OF THE
     SOUTHERN CASCADES, KITTITAS VALLEY, YAKIMA VALLEY, LOWER
     COLUMBIA BASIN OF WASHINGTON, FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS
     OF WASHINGTON, NORTHWEST BLUE MOUNTAINS, EASTERN COLUMBIA
     RIVER GORGE OF OREGON, LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN OF OREGON,
     FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON

WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH
TONIGHT. EXPECT HEAVY RAIN WITH SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS THIS
EVENING AND A CHANCE OF URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

THE LOW RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST
INTO SOUTHWEST IDAHO ON TUESDAY WITH SHOWERS CONTINUING TO WRAP
AROUND THE LOW AND ACROSS EASTERN WASHINGTON AND OREGON.  THE LOW
WILL SLOWLY EXIT THE REGION WEDNESDAY WITH SHOWERS DIMINISHING. DRY
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS LIKELY TODAY AND THIS EVENING DUE TO THE FLASH
FLOOD POTENTIAL.

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

PROTOTYPE GRAPHICAL FORECASTS OF WEATHER HAZARDS OUT TO SEVEN DAYS
ARE DISPLAYED ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT:

WWW.WRH.NOAA.GOV/PENDLETON/CURRENTHAZARDS/HWO.HTML

ALL LETTERS IN THE ABOVE URL ARE LOWER CASE...EXCEPT THE H IN
CURRENTHAZARDS.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 9, 11:06 AM PST, 5 hours 39 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
1206 PM PDT MON MAY 09 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1148 AM     FUNNEL CLOUD     4 E YAKIMA              46.60N 120.44W
05/09/2005                   YAKIMA             WA   TRAINED SPOTTER

            FUNNEL CLOUD SPOTTED EAST OF YAKIMA.

1153 AM     FUNNEL CLOUD     YAKIMA                  46.59N 120.53W
05/09/2005                   YAKIMA             WA   OFFICIAL NWS OBS

            FUNNEL CLOUD SPOTTED 3 MILES EAST OF THE AIRPORT.

1157 AM     TORNADO          1 SSE TAMPICO           46.52N 120.84W
05/09/2005                   YAKIMA             WA   TRAINED SPOTTER

            POSSIBLE TORNADO SPOTTED OVER TERRANCE HEIGHTS.

&&

JAS

Local storm report, May 9, 11:27 AM PST, 5 hours 18 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
1227 PM PDT MON MAY 09 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1226 PM     FLOOD            YAKIMA                  46.59N 120.53W
05/09/2005                   YAKIMA             WA   EMERGENCY MNGR

            WATER RUNNING OVER ROADWAYS AND SIDEWALKS.

&&

JAS

Local storm report, May 9, 11:29 AM PST, 5 hours 16 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
1229 PM PDT MON MAY 09 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1228 PM     FLOOD            4 E MOXEE CITY          46.56N 120.31W
05/09/2005                   YAKIMA             WA   TRAINED SPOTTER

            WATER RUNNING DOWN THE STREET.

&&

JAS

Local storm report, May 9, 11:38 AM PST, 5 hours 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
1238 PM PDT MON MAY 09 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1236 PM     FLOOD            YAKIMA                  46.59N 120.53W
05/09/2005                   YAKIMA             WA   TRAINED SPOTTER

            WATER RUNNING INTO THE BASEMENT OF A BANK.

&&

JAS

Local storm report, May 9, 11:59 AM PST, 4 hours 46 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
1259 PM PDT MON MAY 09 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1258 PM     HAIL             1 N WAPATO              46.45N 120.41W
05/09/2005  0.25 INCH        YAKIMA             WA   TRAINED SPOTTER

            VERY HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL

&&

JAS

The radar

The Pendleton radar (KPDT), 67 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:43 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.

Funnel Cloud, Walla Walla

When: May 9, 4:45 PM PST
Where: Walla Walla County, 3 mi SSE of Walla Walla
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.230, -118.478 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Funnel Cloud: A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Washington in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Washington, May 2005

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5451690.