Weather Eye: Cold front moving in; unsettled weather forecast all week

A severe thunderstorm crossed the Columbia River through downtown Vancouver and moved up through Minnehaha and Walnut Grove and then onward to Five Corners and the Orchards and Covington area.

What appears to be a small tornado touched down in several places, ripping fences down, gardens sheds and small limbs and trees. The National Weather Service rated it an EF0 with winds 65 to 85 mph.

The storm dumped hail closer to downtown, turning the ground white and sent rivers of water down the streets.

Another cold front moves through today with showers Monday. The unsettled weather is in the forecast all week. March could go out like a lamb with a dry day Friday. More cool and unsettled weather is shaping up for early April.

With the heavy downpours Friday, Vancouver surpassed the six-inch mark in the rain department. I think we will surpass the seven-inch mark by midweek. Overnight lows will be warmer but highs cooler than average this week.

We usually see funnel clouds here and there in spring, especially after a strong cold front moves through. We call these cold-core funnels. Occasionally like Friday, they touch down briefly and cause some damage.

Over the past 50 years or so, I can count nearly a dozen official tornadoes in Clark County. Most are small at EF0. The Hazel Dell one that moved up through N.W. Sluman Road in January 2008 was an EF1 and the big one in east Vancouver in April 1972 was an EF3. The last EF1 was in Battle Ground in December 2015.

I missed the local rain and wind action; nothing but the warm trade winds here in the islands. I will arrive back with my jacket on Tuesday along with my column.

Patrick Timm is a local weather specialist. His column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Reach him at http://patricktimm.com.

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