Tornadoes are not usually asssociated with Oregon or December and certainly not the two of them together. Tuesday however that rarest of event did occur when an EF-2 tornado packing 110+ mph winds struck the town of Aumsville.
The first report of the tornado was at 11:59am PST when emergency personnel reported spotting the twister. Power was knocked out to thousands and several homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. Two minor injuries were reported.
The National Weather Service completed their preliminary investigation of the twister and rated the tornado as an EF-2 with winds between 110 and 120 mph. At its maximum the twister was 150 yards wide and carved an intermittent path 5 miles long.
For more details on the tornado including video and a photo slideshow of the damage, please visit the Natural Disasters Examiner.
Here is a page with a closer view of that tree. On the way to the redwoods, I stopped by to see the tree damage form the tornado. It was worth the stop to see how the winds can break large healthy roots. From a distance, I was expecting small decayed roots.
http://www.mdvaden.com/tornado_oregon.shtml
MDV – Oregon