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.

MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE

Gov. Ferguson cancels parole for man convicted in brutal 1980 triple murder

Thurston County, WA officials investigate 2 fentanyl overdoses in jail

UW lab technician detained at ICE detention center in Tacoma

Search underway for suspect after man shot, killed in Parkland

New Bigg’s orca calf spotted in WA waters

To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.

Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national coverage, plus 24/7 streaming coverage from across the nation.

A confirmed case of measles in Washington, D.C. is being investigated by health officials after the contagious person visited several locations in the district.

The DC Department of Health warned the public of the potential exposure in a press release shared late Tuesday morning.

TENNESSEE REPORTS FIRST MEASLES CASE AMID U.S. OUTBREAK

According to the release, those who were in the following places in the district at the listed times may have been exposed:

Amtrak Northeast Regional 175 Train (Southbound): March 19, 7:30 p.m. through 1:30 a.m.

Amtrak Concourse, Union Station: March 19, 11:00 p.m. through 1:30 a.m.

MedStar Urgent Care, Adams Morgan: March 22, 7:00 p.m. through 11:00 p.m.

Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms usually start 7 to 14 days after exposure. Symptoms include a fever over 101°F as well as a cough, runny nose, and red or watery eyes.

The most distinctive symptom of measles, appearing 3 to 5 days after onset of symptoms, is a rash that starts on the face and spreads across the body. Infected people can spread measles four days before the rash appears and up to four days afterward.

MARYLAND CONFIRMS FIRST MEASLES CASE IN TRAVELER AT MAJOR DC AIRPORT

If you have been exposed to measles or were at one of the locations shared by the DC Department of Health during the times listed and are not vaccinated, health officials recommend watching for symptoms until 21 days after exposure. 

If you are in Washington, D.C., health officials also recommend calling a doctor or DC Health at 844-493-2652 for additional guidance. Those exposed to measles are urged to stay home and avoid others if any symptoms appear.

A syringe is pictured ahead of MMR vaccination at the City of Lubbock Health Department in Lubbock, Texas, U.S. February 27, 2025. REUTERS/Annie Rice (REUTERS/Annie Rice)

Nearby Maryland experienced its first confirmed case of measles in a traveler at the Baltimore airport on March 10. The virus has swept much of the Northeast this winter.

People who have received two doses of the MMR or measles vaccine or were born before 1957 are considered protected. Those with only one dose of the vaccine are mostly protected but may seek a second shot for full immunity. Measles is considered preventable with the MMR vaccine, which offers lifetime protection with two doses.

A view shows MMR vaccine at the City of Lubbock Health Department in Lubbock, Texas, U.S. February 27, 2025. (REUTERS/Annie Rice)

Infants under 12 months old and those who are unvaccinated are considered most at-risk for measles.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Measles has been on the rise across the nation this cold and flu season, with 327 cases reported in Texas as of Tuesday, March 25. 40 people have been hospitalized from the outbreak so far in the Lone Star State.

The CDC has confirmed a total of 378 cases nationwide as of March 20 in a release.

Waymo on Tuesday added Washington to its pioneering robotaxi service’s steadily expanding list of U.S. markets, although passengers will have to wait until next year until they can take a driverless ride around the nation’s capital city.

For now, Waymo’s robotaxis will continue to map Washington’s streets and corridors with a safety driver sitting behind the wheel to take control of the vehicle if something goes wrong — a precaution required under the regulations currently in force in the District of Columbia.

That’s something Waymo already has been doing since it began sending out its robotaxis in Washington in late January after a brief trial run in the capital last year.

While the robotaxis continue to learn their way around the city, Waymo executives expressed confidence they will be able to work with regulators to clear the way for completely driverless rides at some point next year through its Waymo One app.

“We’re excited to bring the comfort, consistency, and safety of Waymo One to Washingtonians, those who work and play in the city every day, and the millions of people from around the world who travel to the District every year,” Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana.

If Waymo’s ambitions pan out, Washington and Miami next year will be added to four other U.S. markets where its robotaxis are transporting passengers — Phoenix, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and Austin, Texas as part of a partnership with ride-hailing leader Uber. Waymo and Uber also are teaming up to begin dispatching its robotaxis in Atlanta later this year.

The growth has helped turn what began as a head-turning novelty in Phoenix and then in San Francisco into an increasingly common sight in the cities where Waymo operates. The company says it had provided more than 4 million driverless rides to paying customers through the end of this year, and is now providing them at a pace of 200,000 paid trips per week.

That has established Waymo as the early frontrunner in driverless technology while others are racing to catch up. Both Amazon and Tesla are gearing up to launch their own services in different U.S. cities while another ride-hailing service, Lyft, has announced plans to add robotaxis as an option in Atlanta and Dallas.

Waymo’s early lead in the still-nascent robotaxi market is a vindication of a technology that began as a secret project within Google in 2009 before it was spun off into a separate company owned by Alphabet Inc. in 2016.