2 days ago
A tornado near Pocatello? Using radar, Idaho weather experts issued warning
Weather officials said they spotted a rare tornado on radar in Southeast Idaho on Wednesday afternoon, prompting them to warn locals to take cover.
The tornado warning was in effect from 3:12 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. for Idaho towns south of Pocatello, including Downey, Swanlake and Virginia, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Jack Messick.
Messick said the warning was issued after experts noticed patterns on their radar that indicated a tornado.
Tornadoes are an unusual event in Idaho, with an average of not even one confirmed tornado touching down in the Gem State each year, according to previous Idaho Statesman reporting.
National Weather Service meteorologist Dan Valle said that as of 5 p.m., officials had not received a confirmed sighting of a tornado touching down Wednesday. There were reports of winds exceeding 60 mph and up to half an inch of rain falling in the tornado warning zone, according to Valle.
The area near Pocatello was hit by the weather conditions that created the perfect storm for a possible tornado, Messick said.
'We have a cold front pushing through, and a cold front can trigger thunderstorms,' Messick told the Statesman by phone. 'The instability in the air was caused by the really hot weather we've been having, and then this cold air coming in behind it. The stronger the temperature difference across that boundary, the stronger the thunderstorms can be.'
