PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – An EF0 tornado touched down approximately 6 miles east of Sandy on Saturday, damaging roadways, vehicles and homes in the area.
Portland’s National Weather Service office stated that the tornado formed in Cherryville off of Highway 26 at about 4:45 p.m. The twister’s track was 0.8 miles long and 250 yards wide.
Clackamas County spokesperson Scott Anderson told KOIN 6 News that the tornado toppled six trees on Cherryville Drive.
The Clackamas County Transportation Maintenance Division responded to the scene and temporarily closed the road in order to remove debris. An excavator and three dump trucks were used to complete the job.
A Cherryville resident who asked not to be named told KOIN 6 that the falling trees caused major property damage in the area, knocking down power lines, crashing through homes and flattening the hood of a pickup. The truck was not occupied during the tornado and the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office received no calls for reported injuries in connection to the event.
Portland General Electric spokesperson Marsha Sanchez said the storm downed a power line at the intersection of Coalman and Baty Roads, east of Cherryville, affecting 41 customers. Power was restored at 1:49 a.m. on Sunday.
KOIN 6 Meteorologist Kelley Bayern reports that the tornado was a surprising addition to the weekend weather, which also included rain, hail and snow.
“Our first storm of the fall season came in with a bang,” Bayern said. “It’s surprising to have had a tornado pop up this weekend since they are rare for the region. We tend to get one or two during our stormier parts of the year — but our recent storm moved in quickly, dropping temps and raising the convective instability.”
The weekend snowfall brought 12 to 15 inches of snow to Mt. Hood ski slopes. Several more inches of mountain snow will be possible along mountain passes Monday.
Drier weather is predicted for Tuesday morning, followed by an evening downpour with showers lasting into Wednesday morning.