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Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
613 AM EDT Thu Apr 25 2024

...SEVERE WEATHER PREPAREDNESS WEEK - TORNADOES IN SOUTHERN NEW
ENGLAND IN 2023...

The National Weather Service (NWS) Boston, MA has declared April
22 through April 26 as Severe Weather Preparedness Week. Each day
this week we will highlight a different preparedness topic.

In a typical summer season, southern New England averages 2 or
3 tornadoes. Last year was above normal with 13 tornadoes in NWS
Boston`s jurisdiction. Most were on the weaker side with EF-0
ratings on the Enhanced Fujita Damage Scale, which ranges from 0
to 5. The strongest was an EF-2 in Rhode Island.

July 16, 2023 - A NWS survey determined that an EF-0 tornado,
with maximum estimated peak wind of 80 mph, touched down in North
Brookfield at 1056 AM EDT. There were no injuries or damage to
homes in the area. There were several eyewitnesses to the tornado,
although none of them saw an actual funnel. One eyewitness was in
an auto body shop and reported strong winds making the garage
door bow inward. Another eyewitness, the Fire Chief of North
Brookfield, saw debris lofted into the air. A third eyewitness
described chaotic swirling as the tornado passed by. The tornado
is estimated to have touched down a little east of the North
Brookfield Waste Water Center. It traveled about 2 miles to the
northeast, although not on the ground continuously, and ended a
little east of the intersection of Ryan Road and Hillsville Road.
The damage was limited to trees, with the most concentrated damage
area along Ryan Road, slightly north of the Ward Street
intersection.

July 29, 2023 - An EF-1 tornado was confirmed to have touched
down in a small neighborhood in Foxboro near the Mansfield town
line very close to the town of Easton. Several locations on a west
to east path in the neighborhood had several large trees up to 2
feet in diameter snapped at the trunk. Observed tree damage had a
convergent pattern consistent with violently rotating winds. No
major damage to homes was observed, but one chimney appeared to
have been knocked over by a fallen tree. Path width was estimated
to be around 25 yards. Path length of the surveyed damage points
was just shy of 300 yards. Per radar data, a velocity couplet was
over the surveyed neighborhood for only a minute or two before
continuing east over conservation land. It is possible that the
tornado was on the ground for longer, but surveyors were unable to
access conservation land east of the last surveyed damage point.
Additional significant tree damage was found east of
aforementioned conservation land in Easton, but patterns were more
consistent with west to east straight line winds. This is also
consistent with archived KBOX radar which displayed strong
outbound (west to east) velocities over this area.

August 8, 2023 - A small EF-1 tornado touched down in the town of
Mattapoisett Massachusetts at 11:20 AM EDT. The storm was on the
ground for approximately 3 minutes. The storm moved to the
northeast at approximately 20 MPH and lifted off the ground on
North Street just north of Eldorado Drive. Numerous large Pine and
Maple trees were uprooted falling in several directions. There
were also numerous pine trees along the path that were snapped off
between 10 and 20 feet above the ground. The most concentrated
damage was found along Eldorado Drive by Granada Court. The top
wind speed was estimated to be 95 mph.

August 8, 2023 - A small EF-0 tornado touched down in the town of
Barnstable, near the village of Marstons Mills, at 11:52 AM. The
storm tracked ENE from Evergreen Drive for approximately four
minutes before lifting over Joe Thompson Road, at approximately
11:56 AM. The primary damage indicators were an uprooted hardwood
tree and a downed electrical pole, supplemented by strewn debris
inclusive of smaller trees, fence posts, and branches. The damage
was most concentrated near the center of the track at the
intersection of Race Lane and Osterville-West Barnstable Road.
Witnesses described a chaotic event, observing airborne fence
posts and branches. Top wind speeds were estimated at 80 mph.

August 18, 2023 - The storm that produced the Rhode Island
tornado produced a second tornado as it crossed into
Massachusetts, just over the Cumberland line in North
Attleborough. Many trees were snapped or uprooted on Mendon Road
near the intersection of Monticello Drive. An eyewitness saw
swirling debris before taking shelter in her home. From there,
damage was more sporadic. A home on Mary Ann Way had its third
floor window blown in. Additionally, there were a number of downed
or snapped trees on Lisa Drive. The tornado then lifted briefly
before touching back down in Mansfield along Gilbert Street, where
it sheared several large trees near their tops, one of which fell
on a car. An air conditioning unit, estimated to have weighed
1000 pounds, was knocked over on the roof of a one-story
commercial building.

August 18, 2023 - An EF-0 tornado briefly touched down in
Stoughton on Eighth Street and Corbett Street. Sporadic damage
along a short path included fallen trees, one of which fell onto a
shed. Part of a fence was blown in.

August 18, 2023 - An EF-1 tornado touched down in Weymouth near
the intersection of Pleasant and Torrey Streets. Numerous trees
were uprooted and snapped. A home at the intersection of Burton
Terrace and Torrey Street had about twenty singles torn from its
roof. On Park Avenue, a three-inch diameter branch from a tree
trop was blown about 120 yards and driven into the ground to a
depth of 2 feet. An eyewitness who received a Wireless Emergency
Alert could see swirling debris out a window as she took shelter
in her cellar. The tornado lifted near a water tower at the end
of Lockewoods Drive.

August 18, 2023 - An EF-2 tornado caused significant damage along
a discontinuous path in Scituate, Johnston, and North Providence,
Rhode Island. This is the strongest tornado to have struck Rhode
Island since the F-2 tornado in Cranston and Providence on August
7, 1986. The tornado first touched down near Byron Randall Road
in Scituate which is where the most severe damage occurred. There
were hundreds of large trees either uprooted or snapped at their
bases. One home sustained damage to its roof, the top of its
chimney was blown off, windows were blown in, and an exterior door
was dislodged from its framing. Damage was consistent with winds
of around 115 mph which is classified as EF-2 on the Enhanced
Fujita Scale. The tornado then tracked into Johnston where it
crossed I-295 at Exit 10 and lifted a vehicle into the air before
dropping it back onto the highway. The driver was transported to
an area hospital with minor injuries. From there, the tornado
moved across Bridle Way and Carriage Way where a number of trees
were snapped or uprooted, some of which fell onto homes or
vehicles. Some homes also lost some singles from their roofs. A
metal Stop sign pole was bent in half and the sign was blown away.
The tornado then caused damage in Highland Memorial Park Cemetery
where a number of large trees were either snapped or uprooted.
The damage observed in Johnston was consistent with winds of 90 to
100 mph which is classified as EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
Finally, the tornado crossed into North Providence. Similar to
Johnston, a number of trees were either snapped or uprooted, some
falling onto homes or vehicles. Most of the damage observed was to
the north of Mineral Spring Avenue. One of the harder hit areas
included Lydia Avenue, Armand Drive, and Bennett Street where two
homes were made uninhabitable from fallen trees. The damage
observed in North Providence was consistent with winds of 90 to
100 mph which is classified as EF- 1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
The National Weather Service would like to thank the Rhode Island
Emergency Management Agency, the Scituate Police Department, the
Johnston Police Department, the North Providence Fire Department,
and Skywarn Amateur Radio Operators for their assistance with the
damage survey.

August 18, 2023 - A tornado caused damage in the town of
Scotland, located in Windham County, CT. The tornado touched down
on Bass Road and continued along Route 14 (Huntington Road) and
crossed Pinch Street before it eventually lifted near Brook Road.
While there wasn`t much in the way of structural damage observed,
other than gutter damage to two homes, there was significant tree
damage. It was estimated that well over one hundred trees were
either downed or sheared off at their tops.

September 13, 2023 - An EF-0 with maximum winds of 75 mph briefly
touched down in a rural area of North Attleborough on Ellis Road
which caused tree damage south of High Street. The tree damage
was limited to the tops of three trees having been twisted off and
lofted into nearby pasture. After speaking with the homeowners
they described seeing the sheets of rain change direction before
seeking shelter in their basement. The tree damage along the path
was consistent with wind speeds between 65 and 75 mph, resulting
an EF-0 rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.


September 13, 2023 - An EF-1 with maximum winds of 100 mph began
on Bailey Hill Road in the town of Killingly, CT between
Cranberry Road and Ledge Road, here the tornado removed shingles
from a two story home and either snapped or uprooted healthy and
mature trees. The tornado moved northeast towards Ledge Road
causing similar tree damage before dissipating on Shippie
Schoolhouse Road in the town of Foster, RI. Tree damage along the
path was consistent with wind speeds between 90 and 100 mph,
resulting an EF-1 rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.


September 13, 2023 - An EF-1 with maximum winds of 100 mph began
in a wooded area between Chopmist Hill Road (Route 102) and Bungy
Road in the town of Glocester, RI here the tornado either snapped
or uprooted an estimated 75 or more, healthy and mature trees.
The tornado moved northeast and crossed Bungy Road before
dissipating over an open field. Most notable, a small
outbuilding, used as bus stop shelter was blown away by the
tornado with remnants littered west of the original location. Some
pieces were found an a neighbors roof. This damage and the tree
damage along the path was consistent with wind speeds between 90
and 100 mph, resulting an EF-1 rating on the Enhanced Fujita
Scale.


September 13, 2023 - An EF-1 with maximum winds of 100 mph began
east of North Central State Airport along Wellington Road in the
town of Lincoln, RI. A video did show a funnel cloud passing over
the adjacent airport but found no damage. The tornado uprooted a
large tree and damaged am estimated 20` by 30` section of roof on
a building across the street and due north of the uprooted tree.
Video provided by Lincoln Animal Control showed a thin tornado
passing at the end of the facility`s driveway and twisting a
large branch from a tree. The tornado moved northeast into a
field of solar panels which uplifted two sections. From here,
the tornado likely lifted before moving across Route 146 at
Route 116 which was documented on a DOT camera. This damage and
the tree damage along the path was consistent with wind speeds
between 90 and 100 mph, resulting an EF-1 rating on the Enhanced
Fujita Scale.

$$

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