Workers cut limbs from a downed tree Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, in Port Orchard, Wash., where a tornado touched down Tuesday. A National Weather Service storm damage survey team was working elsewhere in the neighborhood to assess the damage. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
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SEATTLE (AP) - A National Weather Service storm team is surveying the damage in a town west of Seattle where an extremely rare, strong tornado blew through a neighborhood.
The twister touched down Tuesday afternoon in Port Orchard, Washington. It tore roofs off homes, shattered windows and toppled trees, but no injuries have been reported.
John Mueller's home was among those most severely damaged.
He told KOMO-TV that he was at work at a shipyard when he recognized his home in a video of the tornado on social media.
"If I could describe the house, it would be roofless," Mueller said. "The entire upstairs is gone. There's 2x4 and 4x4s sticking out of the walls. Glass shattered everywhere. The downstairs is just full of water and broken glass...I think (the tornado) landed on top of the house."
The National Weather Service crew arrived at the site Wednesday morning and said on Twitter at that the damage survey had been wrapped up and that they expected to release the tornado's intensity rating shortly.
Washington state averages 2.5 tornadoes a year, but December tornadoes average just 0.1 a year, the Weather Service said.
Most tornadoes in Washington are rated EF-0s that cause minor damage, weather service hydrologist Brent Bower said.
The Kitsap County Sheriff's office called the damage from Wednesday's twister "catastrophic."
Dozens of structures were affected. Fire officials were trying to complete an initial damage assessment by Wednesday night.
Deputy Scott Wilson said Wednesday that the twister caused "a lot of chaos."
"It's traumatic, especially as we approach the Christmas season," Wilson said.
Kitsap County Search and Rescue workers with trained dogs checked for people who may have been injured or stranded but found none.
Other emergency crews still inspecting homes were finding gas leaks in damaged structures, the sheriff's office said Wednesday.
Power had been restored by Wednesday to much of the affected area with the exception of the most severely damaged homes, the sheriff's office said. Some roads remained closed.
Port Orchard is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of Seattle, across Puget Sound on the Kitsap Peninsula.
A worker clears debris at Salmonberry Dry Storage, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, in Port Orchard, Wash., where a tornado touched down Tuesday. A National Weather Service storm damage survey team was working elsewhere in the neighborhood to assess the damage. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
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A worker uses a chainsaw to cut a tree that fell on a home, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, in Port Orchard, Wash., where a tornado touched down Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
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Residents and emergency personnel on Harris Road in Port Orchard, Wash., on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, after a tornado touched down. A rare tornado touched down in a Seattle suburb on Tuesday, damaging several homes and toppling trees, authorities said. (Larry Steagall/Kitsap Sun via AP)
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A roof strut sticks up out of a yard on Plymouth Way after a tornado touched down in Port Orchard, Wash., on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018. A rare tornado touched down in a Seattle suburb on Tuesday, damaging several homes and toppling trees, authorities said. (Larry Steagall/Kitsap Sun via AP)
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Matt Hargis walks through downed trees behind the Walmart in Port Orchard, Wash., on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, after a tornado touched down. Based on radar imagery and video evidence, a tornado touched down south of Port Orchard shortly before 2 p.m., the National Weather Service in Seattle said on Twitter. (Larry Steagall/Kitsap Sun via AP)
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Residents evacuate from their Harris Road in Port Orchard, Wash., on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, after a tornado touched down. A rare tornado touched down in a Seattle suburb on Tuesday, damaging several homes and toppling trees, authorities said. (Larry Steagall/Kitsap Sun via AP)
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Emergency responders huddle on Harris Road to map out the response in Port Orchard, Wash., on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, after a tornado touched down. A rare tornado touched down in a Seattle suburb on Tuesday, damaging several homes and toppling trees, authorities said. (Larry Steagall/Kitsap Sun via AP)
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A home that was damaged near the Walmart in Port Orchard, Wash., on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, after a tornado touched down. A rare tornado touched down in a Seattle suburb on Tuesday, damaging several homes and toppling trees, authorities said. (Larry Steagall/Kitsap Sun via AP)
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Workers cut trees that fell on a business Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, in Port Orchard, Wash., where a tornado touched down Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
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A worker uses a chainsaw to cut a tree that fell on a home, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, in Port Orchard, Wash., where a tornado touched down Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
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People walk through debris at Salmonberry Dry Storage, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, in Port Orchard, Wash., where a tornado touched down Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
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People walk through debris at Salmonberry Dry Storage, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, in Port Orchard, Wash., where a tornado touched down Tuesday. A National Weather Service storm damage survey team was working elsewhere in the neighborhood to assess the damage. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
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A man uses a chainsaw to cut a tree that fell on a van, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, in Port Orchard, Wash., where a tornado touched down Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
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Workers view damaged units at Salmonberry Dry Storage, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, in Port Orchard, Wash., where a tornado touched down Tuesday. A National Weather Service storm damage survey team was working elsewhere in the neighborhood to assess the damage. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
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Workers clear debris from Salmonberry Road, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, in Port Orchard, Wash., where a tornado touched down Tuesday. A National Weather Service storm damage survey team was working elsewhere in the neighborhood to assess the damage. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
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A National Weather Service storm damage survey team is heading to a town west of Seattle where a strong tornado blew through a neighborhood. The rare twister touched down Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, in Port Orchard, Wash. It damaged several homes and toppled trees. There were no immediate reports of injuries.. (Steve Ringman/The Seattle Times via AP)
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Downed trees caused by the tornado in Port Orchard, Wash., Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018. A National Weather Service storm damage survey team is heading to the town west of Seattle where a strong tornado blew through a neighborhood. The rare twister touched down Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, in Port Orchard, Wash. It damaged several homes and toppled trees. There were no immediate reports of injuries. (Steve Ringman/The Seattle Times via AP)
The Associated Press
A National Weather Service storm damage survey team is heading to a town west of Seattle where a strong tornado blew through a neighborhood. The rare twister touched down Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, in Port Orchard, Wash. It damaged several homes and toppled trees. There were no immediate reports of injuries.. (Steve Ringman/The Seattle Times via AP)
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A pedestrian walks with an umbrella near a damaged business, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, in Port Orchard, Wash., where a tornado touched down Tuesday. A National Weather Service storm damage survey team was working elsewhere in the neighborhood to assess the damage. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
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