WATCH: Footage of the tornado that touched down in Longview, Washington on Thursday
LONGVIEW, Wash. – A rare tornado ripped roofs off buildings, uprooted trees and shattered windows Thursday afternoon in the southwest Washington city of Longview, but there were no reports of injuries.
A National Weather Service storm survey team from nearby Portland, Oregon, estimated the EF1 tornado carved a path of 1.3 miles and packed winds of 86 to 110 mph, meteorologist Miles Higa said.
Longview Fire Chief Phil Jurmu admitted his first reaction was disbelief.
“I kind of furrowed my brow, probably, and said ‘What?'” he told KATU-TV of Portland.
Still, police and fire crews responded quickly to the hardest-hit area and cordoned it off with help from the National Guard, which has an armoury nearby, Jurmu said.
Caught on tape: Roofs ripped off buildings in Longview, Washington
Police Chief Jim Duscha told the Daily News of Longview the full extent of damage wouldn’t be known until Friday. Crews quickly started cleaning up under sunny skies that followed the windstorm.
Roofs were torn off an assisted living building and a towing company structure, the newspaper reported.
Tornadoes are rare in Washington state and the Pacific Northwest, where the nearby Pacific Ocean generally prevents severe temperature changes. However, one packing winds of 136 to 165 mph struck Vancouver, Washington, just across the Columbia River from Portland, in April 1972.
Longview is located about 50 miles north of Portland.
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