Salem-News.com Washington articles Page 39

NOAA Rates Thursday`s Tornado in Washington as an EF-1

"In the big scheme of things this was not a monster tornado, but around here this is about as big as they get." - Andy Bryant of the NOAA

(VANCOUVER, Wash.) - A tornado made a touchdown in Washington state today, knocking power lines out, ripping trees out of the ground, and blowing the roofs off of homes. It reportedly moved out of Vancouver and traveled northeast. Weather experts in the NW say the potential of the tornado causing more damage is very possible.

There were no reported injuries today in Washington, but KGW-TV reports that people have experienced extreme weather conditions including four-inch hail, high winds and dark clouds. Along with those conditions came numerous sightings of above ground twisters, or funnel clouds.

Northwest Storms Continue (VIDEO)

Possible Santa Ana Wind event next week is predicted by forecasters.

(SALEM ,Ore.) - Weather forecasters say another Pacific storm moving into the Northwest today will spread rain across the lower elevations and snow in the mountains above 3,000 feet. The storm track over the next few days will push to the north, sending new Pacific storms toward western Canada.

A steady rain today will fall along the coasts of Washington and Oregon as the low pressure area moves into southern British Columbia. Some areas of the Cascades could get another foot of snow on top of the record-breaking snow that has fallen over the past week. High pressure building into the Northwest this weekend will create an offshore flow in Southern California.

RECALLING ERUPTION DAY When Mount St. Helens Roared

It is one of many of these mountain peaks that periodically show evidence of explosive violence.

(SALEM Ore.) - The eruption of St. Helens was a very dramatic event in my life, for it occurred on my 49th birthday. My two sons, Mark and Steven were visiting me and my family, helping to celebrate this happy day.

I recall vividly being outside with my two sons, when my wife called to us, "Come into the house and watch Mt. St. Helens erupting." And so we did, and what an awesome sight to behold! As a teenager I had hiked on the flanks of this majestic peak and now in 1980 it was difficult to realize that a major portion of the summit was no more.

Another Day, Another Storm for the Northwest (VIDEO)

Gusts over 50 mph from Washington to Northern California.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Forecasters report that the latest in a stream of Pacific storms will slam the Northwest with wind, rain, and snow that will create hazardous travel conditions, especially in the mountains, today. By tonight, the latest storm will bring gusty onshore winds to coastal areas from Washington to northern California.

A warm front associated with another Pacific storm will approach The Oregon coast this evening. Sustained winds ahead of this front will increase to 25 To 40 mph along the Central Oregon coast early in the evening then spread to the North Oregon coast mainly south of Tillamook by late Evening.

Crude Oil backs off the $100 Mark, but Gas Prices Continue to Rise

It's only January, and already the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded is less than 13 cents away from hitting a new record high. At the same time, the price of crude oil has backed down slightly from last week's record of $100 per barrel.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - "The price of gas is up a few cents again this week, even though the price of crude oil has backed down slightly from the record $100 per barrel set last week."

More Rain and Snow Today in the Northwest (VIDEO)

Another potent storm is on its way for Wednesday.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Weather forecasters report that it will be another day of rain and snow in the Northwest as the latest storm moves in from the Pacific. Over the next several days, the storm track in the west will shift north toward British Columbia.

Rain today will fall along the coast of Washington, Oregon, and northern California before reaching central California by Wednesday. Snow will fall in the Cascades and Intermountain West and will spread into the western Rockies by tonight.

More Bad News for Gorge Casino

New, tighter guidelines for off-reservation casinos bolsters the case for on-reservation or Central Oregon alternative.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - New, tighter guidelines are in store for off-reservation casino, and more scrutiny will be given to environmental compatibility and 'reasonable, regular' commuting distances between reservation residents and new casino locations; 113 miles separates town of Warm Springs from the proposed Cascade Locks location

A January 3rd 2008 memo by Assistant Interior Secretary Carl Artman contains new guidelines for the consideration off-reservation casinos.

New Pacific Storms Bring More Rain and Snow to the Northwest (VIDEO)

At the height of the weekend storms, more than two million people from Eureka to Los Angeles were without power.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Forecasters report a new Pacific storm will bring more rain and snow to the Northwest today; however, the snow and rain totals will be nowhere near the amounts produced by the deadly storms that pounded the West over the weekend.

Moderate to heavy snow will fall today in the Cascades and the northern Sierra Nevada. By Tuesday night, an additional one to two feet of snow could be added to the incredible snowfall amounts produced by the twin monster storms that slammed into the West Coast over the past several days.

Power Restored to Most Areas After Storm Outage

Estimated restoration time for a majority of remaining customers is midnight Sunday.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Pacific Power outage restoration efforts from the weekend storms are substantially complete and the company incident command center expects to deactivate at 11:30 PM, after 62.5 hours.

A limited number of scattered and individual outages remain and crews will continue to work through the night and until all customers have power in Southern Oregon, Northern California and Southeastern Washington.

Most Power Outages on West Coast Restored

Residents should remain prepared for difficult weather and continued or even repeated outages through Sunday.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Power crews made progress overnight restoring power in Southern Oregon, Northern California and Southeastern Washington. The overnight count of customers without power was cut nearly in half, to approximately 5,800 throughout the three states.

Company and contract crews continue to work around the clock to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.