None sighted Friday morning

By Paul Gottlieb

Olympic Peninsula News Group

Three tornado warnings expired early Friday morning for coastal and inland areas off Clallam, Jefferson and Grays Harbor counties without sightings of funnel-shaped clouds, according to the National Weather Service and county first-responders.

The National Weather Services issued notices beginning at 5:02 a.m. The warnings expired at 8:30 a.m.

They covered inland areas of southwestern Jefferson County at Kalaloch, southwestern Clallam County including LaPush and the Quileute reservation, and in northwestern Grays Harbor County, meteorologist Mary Butwin said shortly before noon.

There were no waterspout sightings either; waterspouts are reported as tornadoes if they hit land.

“They usually die out really quickly if that’s the case,” Butwin said.

Clallam County Undersheriff Ron Cameron confirmed there were no tornado sightings in Clallam County, and a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher said there were none that she knew had been reported.

Butwin said average gusts along the coast were about 35 miles per hour.

“It’s also generally windy there today as well,” she said.

Thunderstorms were forecast along the coast and inland. The storms died down by Saturday.

Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.