04:46 PM PDT on Sunday, June 6, 2004

From KING5.com Staff and Wire Reports

NWCN A funnel cloud was spotted about 3 miles southwest of Woodland, Wash.

SEATTLE - A weather spotter reported a funnel cloud southwest of Woodland, Wash., hours after the National Weather Service on Sunday warned of the possibility of cold air funnel clouds across Western Washington. The funnel cloud did not touch down.

The Weather Service said several sources in Cowlitz County also reported seeing a waterspout/tornado at approximately 3:15 p.m. A tornado reportedly left the Oregon side of the Columbia River and traveled across the river to the mouth of the Kalama. The waterspout crossed the mouth of the Kalama and moved onto land as a tornado. Shortly after moving onshore the tornado dissipated.

The Weather Service said one witness, working on a ship docked on the Columbia River, saw the waterspout move across the river. Another witness, a fisherman on the river, reported a similar occurrence. Residents of a nearby cabin also saw and heard the waterspout/tornado and quickly left the area. The waterspout was reportedly drawing a lot of water from the river and was quite loud. The tornado knocked a tree down as it moved onshore near the Kalama River.

The storm that caused the tornado dissipated and was not expected to cause additional tornadoes.

Cold air funnel clouds are usually associated with weak thunderstorms, but they can also develop in a strongly building shower without thunder. These funnel clouds usually do not reach the surface, but if they do reach the surface they are commonly very short lived and any damage is minimal.

NWS investigating possible tornado sightings

The National Weather Service said Saturday evening that it was investigating reports of possible tornados in northwest Washington, but did not immediately confirm any.

The National Weather Service in Seattle said it had received reports of at least one funnel cloud near Interstate 5 in the Stanwood area, but had not confirmed that it touched the ground, which would qualify it as a tornado, said meteorologist Dana Felton.

There were no immediate reports of damage, although a weather service investigator will visit the area on Sunday, Felton said.

Washington has had at least five tornados in the calendar year.

That's well over the yearly average of 1.8, according to the National Weather Service. They have ranged in geography from the Spokane area in northeast Washington, to Sumas in northwest Washington, to La Center in southwest Washington.

On Saturday, radar rainfall estimates indicated over three inches of rain fell in the vicinity of Mount Higgins in Skagit County. Heavy rain also fell Saturday in southwest Whatcom County, northwest Snohomish County and south central King County.