A Tornado Touched Down in Concord Overnight
#ConcordMA Independance lane #badweather pic.twitter.com/9tiRhF8M3o
— ConcordMAPolice (@ConcordMAPD) August 22, 2016
Images that surfaced this morning showing down tree limbs and other wreckage around Concord, Massachusetts stoked suspicion that a tornado had touched down in the town.
Now, according to the National Weather Service, it’s been confirmed. A funnel with whipping winds of 100 mph hit Concord overnight. It was a half-mile long and 400 yards wide. The twister was dubbed EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, which measures tornado intensity on a scale of 0-5.
BREAKING: EF-1 tornado confirmed in #Concord MA. Max wind 100 mph. 1/2 mi long & 400 yd wide. Occurred w/in larger area of wind damage.
— NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) August 22, 2016
More than three-dozen homes were impacted by the rare meteorological event, reports NECN. No one was hurt.
One example of the significant damage seen throughout Concord after a tornado warning this morning. #WBZ pic.twitter.com/Xt6tAwOi3I
— Nicole Jacobs (@NicoleJacobsWBZ) August 22, 2016
Officials confirm EF-1 tornado touched down in Concord, MA 1/2 mile long, max wind 100mph https://t.co/3hcNUMNCKd pic.twitter.com/UXDCE8Q46f
— Boston Herald (@bostonherald) August 22, 2016
“I looked outside & could see the sky. I knew the tree was gone.” Massive tree narrowly misses #Concord home. @NECN pic.twitter.com/rSBRaiAycD
— Eli Rosenberg (@EliRosenbergTV) August 22, 2016
Damage wasn’t nearly as bad as it was in 2014, when a tornado whipped through Revere and damaged more than 100 homes, tearing off parts of their roofs and destroying cars.
The last tornado in the state came in 2015, in Westminster.
Updated Monday, August 22, at 1:50 p.m.: The National Weather Service provided a more detailed summary of the tornado that touched down in Concord early this morning:
The National Weather Service in Taunton MA has confirmed atornado near CONCORD in MIDDLESEX County MA on AUGUST 22 2016.The tornado was embedded within an area of straight-line wind damage.It touched down near Cambridge Turnpike around 320 am EDT beforeheading toward the northeast. Most of the damage was concentratednear Alcott and Independence Roads where trees were uprooted orhad the tops sheared off at the top. It was evident that treeswere blown down in opposite directions. Several houses sustaineddamage to roof shingles. Damage was more spotty in nature farthernortheast where it is suspected the tornado lifted after only afew minutes.It is possible that many trees were uprooted due to the ongoingdrought conditions, which resulted in weakened root systems.Based upon the damage observed, the tornado has been rated EF-1 onthe Enhanced Fujita Scale with maximum winds around 100 mph. Thepath length was one half mile long and 400 yards wide.
