The National Weather Service office in Taunton, MA has confirmed that a tornado touched down in Stoughton, MA on May 9, 2013 at 4:31 pm. The confirmation comes following examination of radar images and a site survey to check out the damage. The tornado was rated EF0 with a maximum wind speed of 85 mph. The tornado was just 50 yards wide with a path length of only 0.25 miles. There was minor damage in the area where the tornado hit, including 5,000 pound RV trailers being dragged several feet by the force of the wind.
Video of the tornado – some inappropriate language.
http://youtu.be/2uhmCbpabUM
Check out the graphic and text below from the National Weather Service.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA 158 PM EDT FRI MAY 10 2013 ...TORNADO CONFIRMED IN STOUGHTON IN NORFOLK COUNTY MA... LOCATION...STOUGHTON IN NORFOLK COUNTY MA DATE...MAY 9 2013 ESTIMATED TIME...431 PM EDT MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF0 ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...85 MPH MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...50 YARDS PATH LENGTH...0.25 MILES BEGINNING LAT/LON...42.10N / 71.10W ENDING LAT/LON...42.10N / 71.10W * FATALITIES...0 * INJURIES...0 * THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT(S) AND PUBLICATION IN NWS STORM DATA. ...SUMMARY... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON MA HAS CONFIRMED A BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IN STOUGHTON MA ON MAY 9 2013. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT A CAR DEALERSHIP ON ROUTE 138 WHERE IT WAS CAPTURED BY A SECURITY CAMERA AND RECORDED ON CELL PHONE CAMERAS BY SEVERAL OF THE DEALERSHIP EMPLOYEES. THREE RV TRAILERS...WEIGHING ABOUT 5000 POUNDS EACH...WERE PUSHED BACK ABOUT 6 FEET AGAINST A CHAIN LINK FENCE. ONE TRAILER WAS LIFTED ABOUT 15 FEET INTO A LIGHT POLE BUT LANDED ON ITS WHEELS WITH MINIMAL DAMAGE. AN ALUMINUM DOOR ABOUT 20 FEET HIGH AND 15 FEET WIDE WAS BLOWN OUT OF THE SERVICE GARAGE. EYEWITNESSES REPORTED CEILING TILES BEING LIFTED INSIDE THE DEALERSHIP AS THE TORNADO PASSED OVERHEAD. THE TORNADO ENTERED A WOODED AREA JUST TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE DEALERSHIP. ABOUT 0.25 MILES AWAY...TWO LARGE PINE TREES WERE DOWNED ON ERICA DRIVE AND DEAN ROAD BEFORE IT DISSIPATED. BASED UPON A SURVEY OF THE DAMAGE...THE TORNADO IS CLASSIFIED AS EF0 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF 85 MPH. THE PATH LENGTH WAS 0.25 MILES AND THE MAXIMUM WIDTH WAS ABOUT 50 YARDS. THIS TORNADO FORMED IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT WAS CONDUCIVE TO PRODUCING WHAT ARE KNOWN AS COLD AIR FUNNELS. THESE ARE COMMON WHEN THERE IS A COMBINATION OF A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND UNSEASONABLY COLD AIR ALOFT. THE MAJORITY OF THESE DO NOT TOUCH DOWN. IN FACT THERE WAS A REPORT OF A FUNNEL CLOUD IN NORTH SMITHFIELD RHODE ISLAND YESTERDAY AS WELL. A FEW DO TOUCH DOWN AND TYPICALLY PRODUCE VERY LOCALIZED MINOR DAMAGE. THIS IS THE FIRST CONFIRMED TORNADO IN NORFOLK COUNTY SINCE THE WRENTHAM EF1 TORNADO ON AUGUST 21 2004. THIS INFORMATION CAN ALSO BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/BOX. FOR REFERENCE...THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES: EF0...WIND SPEEDS 65 TO 85 MPH. EF1...WIND SPEEDS 86 TO 110 MPH. EF2...WIND SPEEDS 111 TO 135 MPH. EF3...WIND SPEEDS 136 TO 165 MPH. EF4...WIND SPEEDS 166 TO 200 MPH. EF5...WIND SPEEDS GREATER THAN 200 MPH. $$
