McMinnville tornado damages four buildings, causes no injuries

A tornado in McMinnville, Ore. damaged four buildings, but caused no injures Thursday.

The EF-1 tornado formed at about 4:30 p.m. at the intersection of Northeast 11th Way and Alpine Avenue. With the wind running from 86 to 110 mph, the tornado was able to tear the sheer metal roof of a storage garage. Spencer Wriggelsworth, who owns the building and was inside the shop when the tornado formed, said he herd it approaching.

"It sounded like hail so I got up to see what it was and opened that door and the wind hit me," he said. "And I had a heck of a time getting that door shut. And then things started rattling and I said, 'It's time for me to leave,' so I went to the office."

Three other commercial buildings lost their roofs and a home suffered minor damage because of the tornado said McMinnville Fire Chief Rich Leipfert.

According to the National Weather Service radars in Portland the forecast revealed rain but no funnel clouds in the area. The agency sent two meteorologists to McMinnville to investigate what happened, after witnessing the damage they confirmed the event has been a tornado.

Officials said no injuries were reported.