Rare Winter Tornado Damages Homes In Washington State

Rare Winter Tornado
A tornado with maximum sustained winds of up to 104 mph damaged dozens of homes in Battle Ground, Wash., the National Weather Service confirmed. Photo by Daniel Berkompas/Twitter

BATTLE GROUND , Wash., Dec. 11 (UPI) — The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado with maximum sustained winds of 104 mph damaged dozens of buildings in Battle Ground, Wash.

The EF-1 tornado touched down late Thursday morning. Downed trees, broken fences and damage to at least 36 homes were reported, though there were no injuries.

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The town of about 18,000 people is located 160 miles south of Seattle in southwestern Washington. Stores and businesses were evacuated, and students were ordered to shelter in place in schools.

The Weather Service warned of a significant weather event affecting Clark County, Wash., that morning, with isolated thunderstorms expected. The area had already been affected by heavy rains since last week, and Wednesday Gov. Jay Insleedeclared a state of emergency in the state.

More rain was expected, as were wind gusts of up to 50 mph.

During the cleanup after the tornado in Battle Ground, utility crews responded to reports on a possible gas leak in the Tukes Mountain area. Power was shut off in the area.

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