Tornado Hits Oregon Coast

The National Weather Service has confirmed it was a tornado that tore through a coastal area of Lincoln City in northwestern Oregon, damaging about a dozen homes.

Photo: Tornado Hits Oregon Coast

The Friday night tornado packed winds that reached 85 mph. The weather service says 11 homes, three cars and three decks were damaged. The destruction path was 150 yards long and 80 yards wide, The Associated Press reports.

Pacific Power representatives said almost 350 homes were without electricity. The power has been restored. No injuries were reported from the tornado.

Resident Brenda Ruble lives on a stretch of coastline in Lincoln City and said it took a moment to realize that a tornado was hitting the coast.

"Your brain is trying to process what's going on and it kept getting bigger and bigger and there was a spin on it," said Brenda Ruble, who lives in the area. "All of a sudden we looked at each other and go, 'That's a tornado!' And my husband says, 'Hit the ground!'", according to Longview Daily News.

The tornado hit Lincoln City around 9:30 p.m. on Friday night. Deputies reported a damage path about two blocks wide, leading from the beach and stretching about three blocks to the east.

The damage mainly consisted of broken windows and downed trees, but one of the homes in the 7400 block of Logan Road suffered extensive damage as the roof was blown off and it was practically split in two.

Nearby, the tornado picked up the homeowners' deck and slammed it against the side of his house.

Most of the affected homes were vacation rentals and were empty. No injuries have been reported, but locals are still a little shaky, Beach Connection reports.