PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A tornado touched down in Northeast Portland Monday evening during a heavy storm that swept across the Portland metro area.
From strong winds and whipping rain to lightning and hail — stormy weather left a mess in some areas.
A significant weather advisory for the Portland metro area, including Vancouver and Clark County, was lifted at 5:30 p.m.
It all started with penny-sized hail and ominous skies in Washington County and by the end, trees had taken out power lines in Northeast Portland.
The National Weather Service said their team confirmed an EF-0 tornado touched down in North Portland at 5:24 p.m. and traveled about 1 mile.
On the Enhanced Fujita Scale, EF-0 — between 65 and 85 mph is considered weak.
The tornado’s peak wind speed was 80 miles per hour, it was about 40 yards wide and was on the ground for about 6 minutes.
The tornado knocked down trees near NE Going Street and 18th. They landed on several cars but there were no reports of injuries. The tree also took out power lines and residents are expected to be without power until around 10 a.m. Tuesday according to Pacific Power.
Gutters and shingles were also torn off roofs and some bricks off a chimney.
Portland General Electric — Power Outages
Pacific Power — Power Outages
Clark County PUD — Power Outages
Residents around NE Going and 18th told KOIN 6 News described the storm as a mini twister.
“All of a sudden there was this swirl of things flying up in the air, the wind blowing sideways,” said Randy Blazak, who lives near the downed trees. “This huge tree just fell against the power lines. There was this crack, explosion of lights.”
Neighbors say a lightning strike caused an attic fire near NE 37th and Bentley in Hillsboro. Firefighters got the fire under control and are investigating the cause.
“We had been listening to the thunder and the rain and all of a sudden we hear this super loud clap of thunder,” neighbor Noah Marek said. “It felt like it was right outside the window we were next to.”
Showers increased Monday afternoon as an area of low pressure moves across Oregon Monday evening. This is triggering showers and thunderstorms across the Cascades and eastern and central Oregon as of Monday afternoon. These will continue until dark Monday evening, before coming to an end.
The stormy sky over Beaverton around 5:30 p.m. on July 1, 2019. (KOIN) 
The stormy sky over Portland around 5:30 p.m. on July 1, 2019. (KOIN) 
Hail fell in a quick storm in Cornelius, July 1, 2019 (Courtesy: Leslie Weisgerber) 
The stormy sky over Beaverton around 5 p.m. on July 1, 2019. (KOIN) 
A tree went down in Northeast Portland during a heavy storm on July 1, 2019. (KOIN) 
A tree went down in Northeast Portland during a heavy storm on July 1, 2019. (KOIN)
Stay with KOIN 6 News for the latest weather details.
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