Rare Tornado Touches Down Near Portland

The National Weather Service has confirmed it was a tornado that came down near McMinnville, Oregon, late Thursday afternoon.

The storm, packing winds in excess of 90 mph, damaged at least three commercial buildings around 4:30 p.m.

While it was classified as an EF0 by the Weather Service, which pales in comparison to the EF4 and higher twisters seen in other parts of the country, tornadoes are almost unheard of in the Pacific Northwest.

The disturbance lasted about six minutes but sent debris flying off buildings well over 100 feet in the air. Funnel clouds were also seen near Albany and Harrisburg the same afternoon.