Was that a tornado in Tacoma?

Part of Point Defiance Park in Tacoma is shut down Friday after what people in the area thought was a tornado.

“The enormous noise some people have described as like a freight train coming through,” resident Lowell Larson told KIRO Radio.

But the National Weather Service says it was actually a straight line wind gust from the southwest. Based on the damage, wind speed estimates are 60-70 mph.

The storm knocked-down and split 14 trees near the park, but no major damage was reported. Johnny Berg, with the NWS, says the downed trees are very sporadic – with no apparent pattern.

The smallest tornado, an F-0, is defined as winds measuring 40-72 miles per hour. But again, Berg says the gust moved across the area in a straight line.

Berg says while they don’t believe the event was a tornado, they’ll continue talking with folks in the area about what they witnessed.

The National Weather Service says spring is the peak time for tornadoes in Washington and averages close to two per year. Read more.