Cool, unstable air mass moved across the region resulting in reports of funnel clouds in the northeast Portland metro.
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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.
The episode as NWS PQR wrote it up.
Cool, unstable air mass moved across the region resulting in reports of funnel clouds in the northeast Portland metro.
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 Oct 16, 2:41 PM PST, 59 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Portland OR
341 PM PDT Mon Oct 16 2023
.SYNOPSIS...Showers behind the cold front will end late tonight.
High pressure develops late Tuesday and continues through Friday,
bringing several days of dry and mild weather. Rain chances increase
over the weekend as the high pressure shifts further east, allowing
Pacific weather system closer to the region.
&&
.SHORT TERM...THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...Radar and satellite showing
post-frontal showers popping up over the coast range. Hi-res models
forecast some heavier showers/possible thunderstorms over the Coast
Range into the Willapa Hills from 1 to 3 pm, and over the I-5
Corridor to north Willamette Valley 2 to 5 pm. Current forecast for a
slight chance of thunderstorms look reasonable. The best chances for
thunderstorms expected roughly north of Hwy 20 this afternoon and
evening, with small hail and locally heavy downpours as the primary
impacts.
Radar showed a good velocity couplet associated with a deep shower (no
thunder) over Vancouver between I5 and I205. Issued a tornado warning
15 257 pm for it based on radar signature. But so far no reports of a
tornado. The warning was cancelled at 315 pm.
So far rainfall amounts over the past 24 hours are 1/2 to 3/4 inch
for the Coast/Coast range with a few spots around 1 inch; 1/4 to 1/3
inch in the valley with a few spots near 1/2 inch. The front is
still moving across the Cascades, but so far have received 1/4 to 1/2
inch rain.
Showers will taper off quickly tonight as the upper trough
departs into the northern Rockies and makes way for shortwave
ridging on Tuesday. Could see some areas of locally dense fog on
Tuesday morning given partial clearing and moist ambient
environment. Temperatures aloft will be somewhat slow to rebound and
result in high temperatures remaining in the mid 60s through Tuesday
afternoon. /mh /CB
.LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY...90%+ ensemble member
agreement is in place for upper level ridging that will produce
predominantly mild and dry conditions through Friday night. The main
exception to this will be some light rain showers by the coast. The
warmest temperatures are expected on Thursday; high temperatures in
the Willamette Valley will see a 20-40% chance of breaking 75
degrees, particularly near the Portland metro. Coastal areas will
have approximately 60% chance of breaking 70 degrees on Thursday.
Sunday sees 70% ensemble agreement of a shortwave trough forming as
the ridge passes, with only about 35% chance of exceeding 0.10" of
rain accumulation in the Willamette Valley. Uncertainty begins to
grow on Monday, but 60-70% of ensemble members show a return to
trough conditions in the Pac. NW from Monday through the middle of
next week. Few signals of impactful rain or wind are expected with
this troughing, though there looks to be a 25% chance of snow levels
dropping below 4000' by the end of next Monday. /JLiu
&&
.AVIATION...Plenty of post-frontal showers have developed across
SW Washington and NW Oregon, some quite intense and capable of
producing lightning, especially in the Willamette Valley and Clark
County/KVUO area. Outflow gusts have been locally strong, up to
30 kt. Shower coverage has been sufficient to lead to MVFR cigs
across much of the area west of I-5 - showers are increasing east
of I-5 so expect MVFR to become more widespread for the east and
south Willamette Valley by 00z. Showers will diminish quickly
after 00z, with conds likely improving to VFR for most inland
areas this evening. Areas of fog/stratus will redevelop later
tonight as the boundary layer cools, bringing a variety of flying
conditions to the region through Tue morning.
As for coastal areas, mixed IFR/MVFR conds prevail as SW flow
persists. Guidance suggests some clearing is likely north of KTMK,
but areas IFR/MVFR may linger through the night and into Tue
morning.
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(October 16th, 2023). You can preview the new website at
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KPDX AND APPROACHES...Showers have increased in intensity along a
line from roughly KPDX-KCVO. No lightning has been detected, but
the showers appear strong enough that lightning is possible. The
line of showers is progressing slowly eastward and showers are
expected to diminish quickly after sunset. MVFR conds in the
showers through 01z should improve to VFR this evening, then
deteriorate again early Tue morning as fog/stratus redevelop
across the area. Weagle
&&
.MARINE...Cold front has passed, and winds have turned
southwesterly and decreased well below gale force. However, seas
will still remain between 12 to 13 feet at 9 to 10 seconds, so a
Hazardous Seas Warning has been issued for the waters through this
afternoon. Another storm system farther offshore near the Aleutians
will maintain southerly winds across the waters Tuesday into mid-
week, and likely bring a powerful westerly swell. Late in the
week, high pressure over the waters will build further and return
northerly winds. Weagle/Alviz
&&
.PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...None.
WA...None.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory until 8 PM PDT this evening for Columbia
River Bar.
Hazardous Seas Warning until 5 PM PDT this afternoon for Coastal
waters from Cape Shoalwater WA to Florence OR out 60 NM.
Small Craft Advisory until 2 AM PDT Tuesday for Coastal waters
from Cape Shoalwater WA to Florence OR out 10 NM.
Small Craft Advisory until 11 AM PDT Tuesday for Coastal waters
from Cape Shoalwater WA to Florence OR from 10 to 60 NM.
&&
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National Weather Service Portland OR
352 PM PDT Mon Oct 16 2023
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0340 PM Funnel Cloud 1 E Parkrose 45.55N 122.52W
10/16/2023 Multnomah OR Trained Spotter
Trained spotter observed funnel cloud near
Sandy and 138th.
&&
jlPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Portland OR
401 PM PDT Mon Oct 16 2023
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1206 PM Rain 2 SW Foster Reservoir 44.39N 122.67W
10/16/2023 M0.35 inch Linn OR Public
0.35 inch in one hour.
&&
jlThe Portland,OR radar (KRTX), 39 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:37 UTC.
1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
Trained spotter observed funnel cloud near Sandy and 138th in northeast Portland.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, October 2023
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: 1145732.