Newsletter Signup
Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com
Tornadoes touched down in Mass. and R.I., according to NWS
The National Weather Service confirmed that two tornadoes touched down Wednesday night during violent thunderstorms. The storms ripped through residential areas and snapped large trees.
Two tornadoes touched down in northern Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts during a series of storms Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
The first twister, an EF-1 tornado, touched down at 11:23 p.m. on Wednesday near Breakneck Hill Road in Lincoln, RI, then traveled through Cumberland, RI, before fizzling out in North Attleborough several minutes later.
The tornado produced maximum winds of 100 mph and had a path length 4.3 miles with a width of 100 yards, the NWS reported.
There were no injuries, but several large trees were uprooted, with some falling onto homes in Lincoln and Cumberland.
Advertisement:
“Other trees were topped and snapped well above the ground,” the NWS said in its report.
On Friday, the NWS confirmed that a second twister had also touched down in Rehoboth just before 11:30 p.m.
“Our survey team concluded that a second tornado occurred on Wednesday night: EF-1 with maximum winds of 90 mph in Rehoboth, MA. Additionally, the damage in Seekonk was determined to be caused by a microburst with maximum winds of 100 mph,” the NWS wrote on X.
The service said the Rehoboth tornado was only on the ground for one minute. It didn’t cause injuries, but snapped and uprooted several trees.
Advertisement:
Wednesday’s twisters were the second and third tornados to hit New England in less than a week. On Sunday, the NWS reported an EF-1 tornado touched down in Dublin, N.H., during severe thunderstorms. No injuries were reported.
Tornadoes are rated on the Enhanced Fujita Scale based on intensity, including wind speed. An EF-1 tornado is the second-lowest rating, after an EF-0.
CBS News spoke to a North Attleboro resident who said a large tree fell on his property during the storm, ripping down his fence and damaging his indoor pool.
“It was storming, the winds started to get more intense. Just as I came out to the side room over here, I saw the tree bounce off the cement,” Kevin Silvestri’s told the news outlet. “It just seemed to get louder. It just seemed like wind. Things were bouncing off the house, but I wasn’t sure what it was.”
His wife, Shannon Silvestri, described the sound of the storm as “more of like a roar. It was just incredible,”
Silvestri said he was grateful that the damage wasn’t worse and nobody was hurt.
“We’re just fortunate,” he told the outlet. “Just missed the house. We’re all safe, so that’s the important thing. It could have been a lot worse.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com