Heightened Risk of Severe Weather Hits Western Oregon and Washington

The risk for substantial hail and a chance of tornadoes has grown significantly over the past 24 hours. Severe thunderstorms are anticipated to develop by 2 p.m., prompting the issuance of a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for western Oregon and Washington.

“Today could prove to be remarkable,” forecasts Storm Tracker 2 Meteorologist Rhonda Shelby. “This kind of heightened large hail threat is uncommon for us.”

At 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the SPC released its first mesoscale discussion concerning the afternoon’s storm risks. “Supercell formation may occur later this afternoon. The storm events could bring large hail, isolated intense wind gusts, and possibly one or two tornadoes,” the agency reported. Should large hailstorms develop, they could potentially damage vehicles, homes, individuals, pets, livestock, and crops.