PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
1010 PM PDT MON SEP 7 2009
...BUCKLEY-ENUMCLAW TORNADO ON SEPTEMBER 6 2009...
A THUNDERSTORM THAT FORMED NEAR LAKE TAPPS IN NORTH CENTRAL
PIERCE COUNTY LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON SEPTEMBER 6TH SPUN UP A
TORNADO THAT CAUSED A PATH OF DESTRUCTION FROM JUST SOUTH OF LAKE
TAPPS TO NORTH OF ENUMCLAW.
IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT THE TORNADO MAY HAVE FIRST TOUCHED DOWN
AROUND 419 PM NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF VANDEMARK ROAD EAST AND
214TH AVENUE E...JUST SOUTH OF LAKE TAPPS. BARELY ANY DAMAGE WAS
NOTED IN THIS AREA.
THE THUNDERSTORM AND TORNADO WERE MOVING ALMOST DUE NORTHEAST AT
AN ESTIMATED SPEED OF 36 MILES AN HOUR. THE GREATEST DAMAGE CAUSED
BY THE TORNADO OCCURRED SHORTLY AFTER THE INITIAL TOUCHDOWN. AFTER
SKIPPING OVER A SMALL VALLEY IT TOUCHED DOWN AGAIN AROUND 420 PM
ALONG BUCKLEY-TAPPS HIGHWAY E...WHERE IT DESTROYED A 92 YEAR OLD
BARN...BLEW ROOFING OFF AN ADJOINING BARN...DESTROYED A LARGE
SILO...BLEW OVER A SMALL TRAVEL TRAILER...AND EITHER SNAPPED LARGE
BRANCHES OFF OF NEARBY TREES OR COMPLETELY SNAPPED OFF THE TREE.
DEBRIS WAS STREWN UP TO 240 YARDS DOWNSTREAM ACROSS PASTURES TO
THE NORTHEAST OF THE FARM. A COUPLE OF PIECES OF THE ROOFING WERE
COMPLETELY WRAPPED AROUND TREES. BASED ON THE DAMAGE...THE TORNADO
WINDS WERE ESTIMATED TO BE 100 T0 110 MILES AN HOUR...WHICH
CORRESPONDS TO THE HIGH END FOR AN ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE LEVEL 1
TORNADO.
THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE RATES THE STRENGTH OF TORNADOES
BASED ON THE RESULTING DAMAGE. EF 0 CORRESPONDS TO THE WEAKEST
TORNADOES AND EF 5 IS THE RATING FOR THE STRONGEST MOST
DEVASTATING TORNADOES.
THE BUCKLEY-ENUMCLAW TORNADO CONTINUED TO TOUCH DOWN INTERMITTENTLY
OVER THE NEXT 15 MINUTES AS IT MOVED NORTHEAST ACROSS SOUTH KING
COUNTY. ALONG THE REST OF THE DAMAGE PATH LARGE TREES WITH
DIAMETERS BETWEEN 10 AND 21 INCHES WERE SNAPPED OFF 20 T0 30 FEET
ABOVE THE GROUND. A FEW BUILDINGS LOST PIECES OF ROOFING. THE
TORNADO APPEARED TO CROSS OVER WESTWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BUT ONLY
MINOR TREE LIMB DAMAGE WAS NOTED.
ABOUT 2 MILES PAST THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THE TORNADO PASSED RIGHT
NEXT TO THE GE AND B NURSERY...WHERE THE SECOND MOST BUILDING
DAMAGE WAS NOTED. THE PLASTIC COVERINGS WERE RIPPED OFF OF SEVERAL
OF THE GREENHOUSES...ROOFING WAS BLOWN OFF OF SOME OF THE
BUILDINGS AND TREE STOCK WAS BLOWN AROUND. RIGHT ACROSS THE ROAD
FROM THE NURSERY...SE 400TH STREET...LARGE TREES UP TO A FOOT IN
DIAMETER WERE SNAPPED OFF UP TO 35 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND.
MORE INTERMITTENT TREE DAMAGED OCCURRED ALONG THE REST OF THE
PATH...NEAR KING COUNTY FIRE STATION NUMBER 94...AND JUST
NORTHEAST OF BASS LAKE. ONE LARGE TREE AT BASS LAKE WAS MEASURED
AT 21 INCHES IN DIAMETER WHERE IT WAS AS SNAPPED OFF. THE END OF
THE 9.6 MILE DAMAGE PATH WAS ESTIMATED TO BE ALONG ENUMCLAW-
FRANKLIN ROAD SE ABOUT 4 MILES NORTH OF DOWNTOWN ENUMCLAW...WHERE
A 10 INCH DIAMETER TREE WAS SNAPPED OFF.
TORNADO DATA...
LENGTH OF DAMAGE PATH...........9.6 MILES
MAXIMUM WIDTH OF DAMAGE PATH....150 YARDS
DURATION......,,,,,,,...........16 MINUTES FROM 419 PM TO 435 PM.
SPEED-DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT.....NORTHEAST AT 36 MILES AN HOUR
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WINDS.........100 TO 110 MILES AN HOUR ENHANCED
FUJITA SCALE RATING.............HIGH END EF 1.
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