The National Weather Service has confirmed that an EF-1 tornado touched down Saturday night in Massachusetts.
According to the NWS, the tornado hit a small neighborhood in Foxboro near the Mansfield town line, very close to the town of Easton. Its peak wind reached an estimated 105 mph, with a path width of 25 yards and a path length just shy of 300 yards.
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, the NWS said in a public information statement, adding that observed tree damage had a convergent pattern consistent with violently rotating winds.
There was no major damage to homes that was observed, though one chimney appeared to have been knocked over by a fallen tree.
According to 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 the NWS said surveyors were unable to access conservation land east of the last surveyed damage point.
Additional significant tree damage was found east of that conservation land in Easton, however the NWS said those patterns were more consistent with west to east straight line winds.
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This is the 5th tornado that has hit New England in July alone; data shows the region usually averages eight per year.
NWS storm survey teams were focused Sunday from Chaplin to Killingly in Connecticut and from Easton to West Bridgewater in Massachusetts.
One team that was surveying in Massachusetts concluded that straight-line winds or a microburst brought wind damage in Brockton, East Bridgewater and portions of Easton, Mass.
In Easton, the fire and police departments were working with the Department of Public Works to respond to the damage caused Saturday night.
According to National Grid, there were approximately 200 Easton residents without power Sunday afternoon, and crews were continuing to work to restore power to those affected.
Anyone who requires a town inspection to restore power can call the Easton Police Department at 508-230-3322 and press 0.
The Brockton Emergency Management Agency said staff members were out Sunday conducting post-storm preliminary damage assessments with NWS representatives.
As of 11:45 a.m., there were still 226 people without power in the city.
Crews were working to restore power and reopen blocked roads.
People are reminded to stay away from downed wires both in the street and on private property.
After the NWS confirmed a tornado in Massachusetts, it said a second storm survey team remained in Connecticut, investigating wind damage in Mansfield, Chaplin and other surrounding towns.
Tornado warnings were issued for Plymouth and Bristol counties around 8:30 p.m. Saturday as severe storms tore through communities like Easton, Bridgewater and West Bridgewater, leaving a path of damage in their wake.
The tornado warnings expired at 9 p.m., at which point police and emergency crews began responding to damage.
Around 9:45 p.m., the West Bridgewater Department asked residents to stay inside and to call 911 for any emergencies or National Grid for any power outages.
Department of Public Works crews have been out since the tornado warnings lifted cleaning up debris.
Multiple trees and branches came down in Easton, some of them taking down power lines.
On Poquanticut Avenue, a tree came crashing down on a house, causing a leak inside and breaking several windows.
No one was injured but people driving by on Sunday kept stopping to stare at the severe damage to the Butlers home.
"My wife was actually on the porch when it happened, and then I heard the big noise and I come running out, and she's like, 'the tree almost hit me!' and I'm like 'Oh Jesus!'" homeowner Mark Butler recalled of what happened Saturday night.
"I come out and took a look at the damage," he continued. "I called the fire department, they came out and checked it out, we're safe. We've got a little leak on the inside, a couple busted windows, but we'll be good."
“We put our heart and soul into it… it’ll be fixed. We’ll be OK.”
Neighbors say the powerful storm that tore through Easton moved fast.
"My husband said, 'Oh it sounds like a freight train,' and I'm like, 'tornado!'" Tammy Genereux said, adding that they didn't even make it down to their basement. "By the time we got downstairs, it was over, 30 seconds."
"It almost stopped as quickly as it started. So it was like something came through quickly and moved on but did a lot of damage in a short amount of time," one resident said.
Genereux says when they looked outside, they realized their van was buried underneath trees and the side of their home had minor damage.
"It wasn't fun but the house other than that side, it's not bad. And we're all OK. But it was scary, definitely scary," she added.
Neighbor Eric Flanzbaum said nothing like this has ever happened here, and "I've gone through hurricanes," he added.
"My wife decided to look out the backdoor just when the tornado went over. And the freight train sound like everybody says and she just saw our gazebo go up in the air," he said.
Luckily Flanzbaum says that was all the damage they had.
Genereux says despite all the damage at her home, she's grateful it wasn't any worse. They did lose power during the storm but they don't expect to get it back for about a week because they need to get an electrician out there.
"We're all OK. Everything else is replaceable. It is what it is. What can you do?" Genereux said. "It's nature."
