Double tornado strikes Oregon coast with 130mph winds (VIDEOS, PHOTOS)
Two tornadoes walloped Oregon on Friday causing widespread damage, power outages and injuries. Authorities are warning of further storms to come.
Manzanita, Oregon Tornado from today taken by Julee Ward #ORwx#SVLwxpic.twitter.com/LYmiyNUA6q
— StormViewLIVE (@StormViewLIVE) October 14, 2016
A state of emergency has been declared in the coastal town of Manzanita as one of the tornadoes barreled right through the heart of the town, damaging 128 homes, KATU reports.
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Portland said the storm brought winds of up to 125-130 mph.
Here is a loop of the radar velocity during the Manzanita waterspout/tornado. pic.twitter.com/P0EePsrmwh
— NWS Portland (@NWSPortland) October 14, 2016
Close up video showing the #waterspout near Oceanside, #Oregon this morning moving inland. (Video: Saxon Williams) pic.twitter.com/rJY5hPE1hz
— Zach Sharpe (@StormchaserZach) October 15, 2016
A second tornado hit the community of Oceanside a short time later, but the damage wasn't as severe.
“Both of these tornadoes started as waterspouts and became tornadoes as soon as they hit land. We were able to confirm they were on the ground through video evidence,” the NWS said.
Mayor of #Manzanita, Oregon declares state of emergency in wake of a #tornado that tore through downtown. 🎥-Kenzie Bartlette pic.twitter.com/aWKOZfmiez
— Zach Sharpe (@StormchaserZach) October 14, 2016
Tornadoes are quite rare in Portland, with Friday’s twisters the worst to hit the area in more than a decade. “We issued 10 tornado warnings this morning. Since 2005 we have never issued more than 2 tornado warnings in the same day, and have only issued 5 tornado warnings,” the weather service revealed on Facebook.
Just a fraction of the damage in Manzanita. Homeowner had much of his deck ripped right off. #LiveOnK2pic.twitter.com/cJhB2EWb6e
— Reed Andrews (@ReedKATU) October 14, 2016
The heavy rain created dangerous conditions throughout the region, especially for road users. In Seattle, a 4-year-old boy suffered serious injuries when he was hit by a falling tree branch.
Seattle fire treating/transporting to HMC 4yom w/serious injuries and father w/minor injuries after being struck by falling tree branch.
— Seattle Fire Dept (@SeattleFire) October 14, 2016
The NWS said that Saturday will be another stormy day. They warned people to be prepared for power outages and advised against venturing outside.