Tornado reported in southern New Hampshire amid severe storms

A storm spotter reported that a tornado touched down in southern New Hampshire Thursday afternoon amid widespread serious storms across New England, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

NWS meteorologist Hunter Tubbs said the service plans to visit the site of the possible tornado on Friday to confirm that it touched down, find out how big it was, and determine how far it traveled.

The spotter reported a funnel cloud reaching the ground with rapid rotation at 2:54 p.m., Tubbs said. The tornado reportedly started near the Keene airport before moving east towards Dublin.

Less than 10 minutes before the spotter sent the report, the service issued a tornado warning for Keene and the surrounding area.

The service received many reports of downed trees and wires near where the tornado may have touched down, Tubbs said. Roads, including Route 101, were closed for a time due to these hazards.

There were some reports of property damage in Dublin, Tubbs said, as well as some hail in nearby Harrisville, but no injuries have been reported.

Several trees fell near Marlborough Auto Sales, which is close to Keene, WHDH reported. Some trees fell onto used cars in the lot, and one tree came close to hitting the building itself.

Tornados in New Hampshire

New Hampshire typically experiences two tornados a year, Tubbs said. According to Burlington Free Press data, these tornados are usually weak and do not cause injuries.

The last tornado to hit New Hampshire touched down around the same time last year in a similar area of the state. On July 18, 2022, a tornado touched down in Chesterfield, which is a few miles west of Keene.

The last tornado that injured or killed someone in New Hampshire touched down on July 24, 2008, injuring two people, killing one, and causing over $2 million in property damage.

That tornado killed a woman named Brenda Stevens who was holding her 2-month-old grandson when her house collapsed on her, WMUR reported. The baby miraculously survived the tornado and was reportedly found in the rubble of the house with no major injuries.

The EF level 2 tornado reportedly touched down for 80 minutes and traveled about 50 miles — a record for New England tornados, the news station reported. Hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed.

Earlier this month, a tornado touched down in central Massachusetts. The tornado downed trees, but didn’t cause any injuries or property damage.

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