Rare tornado threat issued in three US states in just HOURS

Residents in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho face tornado risk beginning Thursday afternoon and continuing through the night. Spokane and Yakima in Washington, Boise in Idaho, and Bend in Oregon are warned for severe thunderstorms, damaging winds, and large hail into early Friday. Bend, Kennewick, Richland, Pasco, and Lewiston are identified as the most likely places for tornado formation, though the overall chance is slight. More than two million people are in the path of the most severe weather, including hail that could shatter glass and damage cars. Over 900,000 people are in the supercell risk zone. Wind gusts may reach 85 mph, comparable to a Category 1 hurricane. Tornadoes are extremely rare in the Pacific Northwest, with only one to three forming each year in Oregon and Washington.

"The National Weather Service has warned that residents in Washington, Oregon and Idaho are in the risk zone for tornado activity starting Thursday afternoon local time and lasting throughout the night. Major cities including Washington state's Spokane and Yakima, Boise, Idaho and Bend, Oregon have been warned of severe thunderstorms, damaging winds and large hail lasting into early Friday morning."

"Bend, Oregon, Washington state's Kennewick, Richland and Pasco, and Lewiston, Idaho are the most likely communities to see a tornado form, although NWS has called the overall chance of this happening 'slight.' Meteorologists estimated that more than two million people are in the path of the most severe weather, including hailstones that could potentially shatter glass and damage cars or injure people caught outdoors."

"More than 900,000 are estimated to be in the zone most likely to see a supercell, a rare and extreme thunderstorm capable of producing tornadoes that topple trees or tear apart roofs. Severe wind gusts have also been predicted to reach 85 mph, which would equal the strength of a Category 1 hurricane."

"It is extremely rare for a tornado to touch down in the Pacific Northwest, with both Oregon and Washington state seeing only one to three twisters form each year. Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air that swirl down to the ground. They can vary in strength and destructiveness, from weak ones that cause minor damage to roofs, all the way up to powerful monsters that can completely destroy well-built homes and flip cars."

Read at Mail Online