BELLINGHAM, Wash. — The National Weather Service said it received reports of a waterspout or tornado on Lake Samish near Bellingham Monday night.
NWS said video taken between 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. confirmed a waterspout formed over the lake before it quickly dissipated as it came onshore.
Video from viewer Amy Ping showed the waterspout flip over two small boats along the shore.
NWS said that based on the small size of the waterspout seen in the video, it was not likely that Doppler radar would have detected the event.
In addition, there was no tornado warning in effect.
“There was no conclusive evidence based on the available radar data that would lead to the conclusion that a tornado was occurring or about to occur. Reports from the public did not arrive well until after the event, and so no warning was issued for this event. Small, brief and weak tornadoes are much easier to detect and issue warnings in advance,” NWS said in a statement.
Anyone with additional information about the waterspout is asked to contact the NWS in Seattle at nws.seattle@noaa.gov or 206-526-6095.
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