Ultra-rare whirlwind tears through garden center and destroys it
A hardware store worker could only watch helplessly as a whirlwind ripped through rows of plants stacked beside the parking lot.
The freak weather hit Ruggiero's Ace Hardware in Spokane, Washington, last Sunday, knocking over displays and throwing plants across the asphalt.
Store worker Max initially ran around trying to contain the damage as the wind grew stronger and stronger, but had no success.
Within seconds, the whirlwind was strong enough to knock over shelves with plants on them and carry parts of them into a swirling vortex.
Max stopped running and just stared in dismay as his carefully arranged display was violently destroyed.
Ruggiero's made light of the situation by posting the CCTV footage on its social media channels.
What the garden area of the hardware store usually looks like
'Here's hoping the weather this weekend treats us better than it treated our South Hill store on Sunday,' it wrote.
'Max did his best, but Mother Nature said "not today".'
The store was also quick to point out that 'only plants and egos were injured in this event'.
Cleanup efforts lasted the entire week.
Whirlwinds like the one spotted in Spokane are effectively minor tornadoes.
They're created when winds begin to spin on the ground until a funnel forms.
That funnel is then pushed by the same winds that first formed it.
As the whirlwind picks up dust and debris, it becomes more visible.
It dissipates on striking an object that is too heavy to be moved.
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