The National Weather Service in Seattle confirmed Friday afternoon that a small tornado likely made contact with the ground in the Grand Mound-Tenino area. No injuries or damage have been reported.
The rare event happened at about 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4. Residents report having seen a funnel cloud develop near a hillside southeast of Grand Mound, according to NWS.
“The tornado touched down in an area where there were no structures in a field south of the Tenino Grand Mound Road (Old Highway 99 SW),” read a statement by NWS. “The preliminary determination is that this was an EF-U (unknown) tornado, with a width of less than 50 feet, a path length of less than 100 feet, that touched down for less than 1 minute with an unknown peak wind.”
An EF-U rating is given to tornados with an unknown rate of strength, and the rating system is based on the amount of damage caused.
Chris Burke, meteorologist with NWS, said they don’t plan on sending survey crews out to the area unless damage is reported. NWS is encouraging individuals with video reports or alleged damage to contact their offices through Facebook or by calling 206-526-6087.
There was no tornado warning in effect in the area on Friday afternoon, NWS officials said.
Videos of the unstable weather pattern can be seen here. https://www.facebook.com/groups/630799750313622/permalink/2561703967223181/.
More information from NWS below:
