Yes, That Was a Tornado That Hit Stoughton

Officials from the National Weather Service surveyed damage in Stoughton from a storm that hit Thursday, and confirmed that indeed, the destructive winds were that of a tornado.

According to a statement from the NWS, after videos surfaced of a funnel-like cloud over the region during the extreme weather, it was enough for the office to trek out to Norfolk County to assess the situation. Bill Simpson, a spokesman for the weather service, said preliminary investigations indicate the funnel cloud was an “EF0 category” tornado, which is a low-end tornado. “This was a very small localized tornado, nothing that would really show up on a radar,” he said. Simpson said these types of tornadoes reach between 65 and 85 mph, and the one in Stoughton likely reached 70 mph, but that officials are still looking into it.

A final assessment, including results of the survey, is expected to be completed sometime on Friday. “They should know more by the afternoon,” said Simpson.

Several local residents and business owners that were near the funnel cloud captured the storm on video.

According to WCVB, employees at a local car dealership “watched what they thought was a tornado pick recreational vehicles five feet off the ground during [the] thunderstorm” on Thursday afternoon.

Simspon said that there was some tree damage caused by the gusty winds.