A shortwave trough moving over the area generated enough instability and lift for a few stronger thunderstorms on May 15 and 16. There was just enough environmental shear for two funnel clouds to develop, one on May 15 and another on May 16.
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The episode as NWS PQR wrote it up.
A shortwave trough moving over the area generated enough instability and lift for a few stronger thunderstorms on May 15 and 16. There was just enough environmental shear for two funnel clouds to develop, one on May 15 and another on May 16.
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 Portland, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 15, 2:18 PM PST, 1 hour 42 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Portland OR 318 PM PDT Wed May 15 2019 .SYNOPSIS...A series of weak storm systems moving across the region will produce near to slightly below average temperatures and bring a chance for rain every 18-36 hours through at least the middle of next week. && .SHORT TERM...This afternoon through Saturday...Radar shows widespread light rain this afternoon as a weak warm front lifts through the area. Rain coverage should decrease noticeably overnight before increasing once again on Thursday. Not much change to the forecast overall. Models generally agree that the surface low will move toward the OR/CA border Thursday and onshore Thursday night, bringing continued shower chances locally. Added a slight chance of thunder to the Lane County Cascade foothills and Cascades briefly Thursday afternoon with the southerly to southeasterly flow on the front side of the low. Shortwave ridging moves over the region late Friday into early Saturday and should result in 12-24 hour mostly dry window across the region. Models are in general agreement a surface low pressure will develop and dumbbell around itself across the northeast Pacific late Friday into Saturday. This should result in an occluded front and attendant band of rain pushing eastward into northwest Oregon and southwest Washington Saturday. This appears most likely to occur during the second half of Saturday. Bowen/Neuman .LONG TERM...No Changes. Previous discussion follows...Saturday night through Wednesday...The active weather pattern appears likely to continue into next week as an unusually strong jet stream for so late in the season will remain aimed at California and southern Oregon. Expect showers to increase in strength and areal coverage Sunday and Monday afternoons/evenings. While short lived thunderstorms are not out of the question during this time frame, models continue to waver on the track of the coldest temperatures aloft relative to our forecast area so have continued to leave the mention out of the forecast for now given the uncertainty. Nonetheless, the cool and unsettled weather appears likely to receive a reinforcing shot Tuesday and Wednesday as another shortwave trough and attendant surface low pressure move off the Pacific Northwest coast and pump additional rounds of valley rain and high mountain snow into the region. /Neuman && .AVIATION...VFR conditions are prevalent over most of the area and should persist through the majority of the day. Rain showers have returned to the area and are expected to persist through the evening. Southern locations could see some lingering MVFR cigs that should lift sometime around 00Z Thursday. Tonight light winds and some clearing may allow MVFR cigs to redevelop late tonight mainly for coastal areas. KPDX AND APPROACHES...VFR conditions expected to prevail for the rest of the day. Rain showers expected to return and persist though Thursday morning. /42 && .MARINE... A surface low over the North California offshore waters is forecasted to be off of Cape Mendocino by Thursday morning. Models continue to move and weaken this low inland near Cape Mendocino late Thursday afternoon. As a result our coastal waters will have wind speeds of 15 kt or less through Thursday. Some isolated 20 kt gusts are expected, but not anticipating small craft advisory level conditions. Early Friday afternoon the next front from a low within the Gulf of Alaska looks to bring solid Small Craft Advisory winds and could also bring some marginal Gales to our outer waters by Friday afternoon. Seas around 6 to 7 ft. The predominant swell is around 4 ft at 11 seconds along with multiple smaller swell trains with periods of 12 to 19 seconds. This is making the sea state very convoluted with the longer period swell coming from the south- southwest. Wave heights to remain below 10 ft through Friday. A larger westerly swell arrives Saturday with seas nearing 10 to 12 feet. /42 && .PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...None. WA...None. PZ...None. && Interact with us via social media: www.facebook.com/NWSPortland www.twitter.com/NWSPortland This discussion is for Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington from the Cascade crest to 60 nautical miles offshore. This area is commonly referred to as the forecast area.
The Portland,OR radar (KRTX), 130 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:06 UTC.
2 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
Viewer sent KMTR a definitive photo of a funnel cloud near the intersection of highway 34 and 99E. Time is approximate based on report, but it could have been an hour or so earlier based on radar.
Public reported a funnel cloud near Brownsville.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, May 2019
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: 818979, 818982.