A tornado with winds in excess of 100 mph tore through Battle Ground late Thursday morning, sending emergency personnel to downed power lines and damaged houses, vehicles and other property. No injuries were reported.
The National Weather Service said the EF1-rated twister reached speeds of up to 104 mph and touched down around 11:15 a.m. in at least two spots along a 2-mile path in the southeast quadrant of the city.
As it headed northeast, the tornado downed dozens of trees 1- to 3-feet wide, and snapped a handful of others, weather service surveyors said. Trees fell onto cars, houses and into roadways, and closed multiple streets throughout the day. The storm also cut power to parts of the city for hours.
Residents captured footage of funnel clouds and debris flying in the air on their cellphones.
The tornado damaged two commercial businesses, Real Deals on Home Decor and IQ Food Market, which share a building on South Parkway Avenue. Officials deemed the building unsafe and it was evacuated, according to the Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency.
Jenny Bauer, an employee at Real Deals, said she had just about stopped shaking by Thursday evening.
There were four workers and a handful of customers in the store when the tornado hit, she said.
“I was amazed at how quickly it hit, without warning,” she said.
The wind and hail picked up, then there was a sudden, loud crash that sounded like a tree hitting the building, she said.
The front door then blew open, and a tree limb flew through a window. Rain started pouring through the ceiling.