SEATTLE – The Washington Emergency Management Division is keeping a close eye on the weather Wednesday evening.

What they’re saying:

A spokesperson for the state emergency management center says tornadoes can pop up quickly without much warning in the Pacific Northwest.  

He says you’ll want to prepare for possible severe weather by charging your phones and removing outdoor items like lawn furniture before it hits.

An EF2 tornado sent massive trees toppling into Christopher Raymond’s home in Port Orchard back in 2018. He talked with FOX 13 just after the storm.   

“Some of us are just trying to hold on to whatever little we’ve got left. None of us died. That’s the most important part,” said Christopher Raymond during the FOX 13 interview in 2018.

Although tornadoes may be more of a rarity in Washington, they can happen.

Tornadoes were also captured on video in Kent in 2018, in Richaland in 2020 and in Hanford in 2014.

Crews also talked to a man in Longview who was pushed to the floor by a tornado in 2014. It also ripped his auto shop apart.

“Rips the door open, throws my butt on the floor. I watched the roof go. ‘Whoop.’ I don’t know where it went,” said Al Wills during an interview in 2014.

The Emergency Management Division or EMD says Washington state gets around 2.5 tornadoes a year.

“There is about 2% to 4% chance of a tornado,” said Steven Friederich, public information officer for the Public Emergency Management Division, Washington Oceanic Division.

He advises that if you hear a roaring sound from the wind, or see up to baseball-size hail falling during Wednesday’s storm, take cover.  

“Get under something sturdy, keep sheltered until the storms have passed. That’s DUCK,” said Friederich. “That’s phrasing used all over the country.”

Even if the storm doesn’t generate a tornado, he says it’s a good idea to download utility apps associated with your providers in advance and prepare for power outages.  

“Charging those external battery sources for your cell phones, today is a good day to do that, making sure you have batteries for your flashlights, making sure if you have a hybrid or electric car, making sure all that is charged,” said Friederich.

He says it’s also a good idea to stock up on food and other supplies ahead of a storm.

“We like to encourage people to be two weeks ready,” said Friederich.

Friederich says the EF2 tornado in Port Orchard ended up generating $1.8 million in damage.

He says it’s also a good idea to reach out to neighbors ahead of time in order to be able to better assist one another if disaster strikes.

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