Possible funnel cloud spotted in Portland Friday

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Friday evening's heavy rain and stormy weather may have produced a funnel cloud along the Columbia River.

KOIN 6 news has obtained images of the possible funnel cloud formation in northeast Portland during the afternoon hours of August, 23, 2024. Rob Richards and Amber Jean Roberts both spotted the potential signs of a funnel cloud forming around the time rotation is indicated on radar. Portland's National Weather Service wrote in a post on X that they observed the rotation on "radar around 5:12pm and there was a signal that showed very brief and very weak rotation along the Columbia River just to the NE of PDX."

Funnel clouds and even tornadoes are typically difficult to spot on radar here in the Pacific Northwest. That's due to the small and brief nature of this severe weather event.