Severe Thunderstorms in the Upper Midwest; Heat Continues in the Southwest

Scattered severe thunderstorms may produce damaging winds, large hail, a tornado or two, and heavy rain across parts of the Upper Midwest, mainly this evening through Saturday. Very hot temperatures will continue through today across the Desert Southwest, which could break daily high temperature records. Read More >

How to Report

There are a variety of ways to report severe weather to NWS Pendleton. You can use any/all of these to reach us. Below the contact info are the types of information we'd like you to report. Please be sure to include the location of the weather event, e.g. 5 miles northwest of Pasco. You may also indicate if you are a trained spotter, a ham radio operator, a member of law enforcement, or other affiliation if applicable.

Call Us

Call the unlisted spotter number provided in spotter training, or dial our public service line at 541-276-7832.

Submit Web Report

Use this Web Based Form: Submit Report

Facebook

Post information on our Facebook page: https://facebook.com/NWSPendleton

Twitter

Send us a tweet: @NWSPendleton

Mobile App

Send reports from your location via a smartphone app: MPing

Tornado

Damaging Winds

Hail

Flooding

Heavy Rain

Snow

Freezing Rain/Icing

Strong Winds

Fog

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm cloud to the ground. The Enhanced Fujita Tornado Intensity Scale is used to categorize tornadoes

Funnel Cloud: A condensation funnel extending from the base of a towering cumulus or cumulonimbus, associated with a rotating column of air that is not in contact with the ground (and hence different from a tornado). A condensation funnel is a tornado, not a funnel cloud, if either a) it is in contact with the ground or b) a debris cloud or dust whirl is visible beneath it.

What kind of damage did the wind cause?

Small limbs down (less than 2" in diameter)
Large limbs/branches down (more than 2" in diameter)
Trees snapped or uprooted
Power lines down
Structural damage and/or Roof damage

What size hail did you see?

Pea Size: 0.25 inches
Small Marble: 0.50 inches
Penny: 0.75 inches
Nickel: 0.88 inches
Any hail size at or above a Quarter (1.00 inches) is severe thunderstorm criteria:
Quarter: 1.00 inches
Half Dollar: 1.25 inches
Ping Pong Ball: 1.50
Golf Ball: 1.75 inches
Hen Egg: 2.00 inches
Tennis Ball: 2.50 inches
Baseball: 2.75 inches
Grapefruit: 4.00 inches
Softball: 4.50 inches

What kind of flooding was observed?

Minor street flooding
Low water crossings flooded
Widespread flooding
Home/Business flooded
Creek/Stream out of banks
River out of banks

How much rain fell, e.g. 1.50".
What period of time did the rain fall? (e.g. 1 hour 15 minutes.)
Was the rainfall measurement estimated or measured with equipment?

How much snow fell (to nearest tenth of an inch if possible), e.g. 3.5".
What period of time did the snow fall? (e.g. 1 hour 15 minutes.)
Was the snowfall measurement estimated or measured?

How much icing was observed (to nearest tenth of an inch if possible), e.g. 0.5".
What period of time did the ice accumulate? (e.g. 2 hours 30 minutes.)
Was the rainfall measurement estimated or measured?

39-54 mph: Twigs break off trees; wind generally impedes progress.
55-72 mph: Damage to chimneys and TV antennas; pushes over shallow rooted trees.
73-112 mph: Peels surfaces off roofs; windows broken; light mobile homes pushed or overturned; moving cars pushed off road.

We are mainly interested in visibility reports of a half mile or less.

PDT RSS Feed

Severe Thunderstorms in the Upper Midwest; Heat Continues in the Southwest

Submit a Storm Report