Rare tornado touches down on Oahu

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HONOLULU (AP) — Oahu residents were surprised Thursday when a small tornado touched down in the Barbers Point area.

HONOLULU (AP) — Oahu residents were surprised Thursday when a small tornado touched down in the Barbers Point area.

Hawaii News Now reports that people began posting photos of the tornado around 3 p.m. The National Weather Service confirmed that it was a tornado at 3:40 p.m. It was first reported by air traffic controllers.

Though a tornado is rare in Oahu, Thursday’s cyclone was not the first to touch down. In 2009 a larger tornado touched down in Kapokei and in 2012 a water spout moved onto land and became a tornado in Lanikai.

No damage to structures has been reported.