PHOTOS: Rare Tornado Touches Down in Washington State
A weak, brief tornado touched down in the sleepy Washington town of Longview. The town, located between I-5 and the Columbia River, is about 50 miles north-northwest of Portland, Ore.
According to a Twitter post from the National Weather Service in Portland, a tornado touched down at 12:40 p.m. And damage is being reported in Longview.
A NWS Survey Team is heading out to assess the tornado that touched down around 1240 PM this afternoon. #wawx #pdxtst
— NWS Portland (@NWSPortland) October 23, 2014
The Daily News — a local newspaper that serves the area — reports the tornado “tore the roof off buildings, shattered windows and scattered debris over a commercial area at the Longview/West Kelso border, down Vandercook Way and other scattered locations Thursday afternoon.”
The Fox affiliate in Portland — KPTV — shared pictures with WeatherNation that show damaged roofs, partially-collapsed walls and blown-out windows.
As of publication, there were no known injuries.
Tornadoes aren’t totally unheard of in the Pacific Northwest, but they are pretty rare. Washington State and Oregon only average three tornadoes per year (1991-2010 20-year average). A series of strong systems are coming onshore in the Pacific Northwest, and the immense amount of atmospheric energy pouring into the region likely aided in the development of this brief spin up.
Below are some of the images we’ve gotten into our newsroom:
