Damage to an Albert Lea house during heavy storms early Wednesday is believed to have been caused by downburst winds, according to a preliminary review by a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The winds ripped off a portion of the roof the house, at 1349 Eastgate Road, along with a portion of the garage. It also broke out windows and snapped large oak trees in half in the backyard. Debris from the house was found across Goose Lake in the Tiger Hills neighborhood.

Jim Taggart, with the Chanhassen Bureau of the National Weather Service, said he talked with Freeborn County Emergency Management Director Rich Hall about the damage to the property, and he does not believe the damage was the work of a tornado.

He said no one from the National Weather Service has seen the damage in person, but he did see photographs.

The house is owned by Matt and Anne Greibrok.

The Greibroks said they were awakened at about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday to the sound of pounding on their windows, and then glass started to crack. They also described hearing a loud sound, similar to a train. The couple ran to the basement.

Other residents in the area suffered downed branches and trees, but no houses nearby suffered damage to their structures.