...EF-0 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN NEW BRAINTREE MASSACHUSETTS...

A SURVEY TEAM FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON AND THE
MASSACHUSETTS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY CONFIRMED THAT A WEAK
TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN NEW BRAINTREE MASSACHUSETTS
/WORCESTER COUNTY/ THURSDAY AFTERNOON JULY 19TH AROUND 5 PM EDT.

THE TORNADO FIRST TOUCHED DOWN NEAR BARR ROAD...JUST WEST OF THE
PIERCE ROAD AND BRIDGE ROAD INTERSECTION. SEVERAL TREES WERE
UPROOTED AT THIS LOCATION. A HOUSE ON BARR ROAD SUSTAINED MINOR
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE...WITH A BLOWN OUT WINDOW AND MANGLED WOODEN
FENCE. THE TORNADO THEN CONTINUED TO THE EAST NORTHEAST DOWNING
SEVERAL TREES NEAR A HORSE PASTURE. THE TORNADO THEN PROCEEDED TO
CROSS GILBERTVILLE ROAD...CAUSING TREE DAMAGE ON BOTH SIDES. THE
TWISTER FINALLY LIFTED SHORTLY AFTER CROSSING WEST BROOKFIELD ROAD
ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE STATE POLICE ACADEMY. BEFORE THE TORNADO
CROSSED WEST BROOKFIELD ROAD...IT PASSED OVER A MATURE CORNFIELD.
DAMAGE TO THE CORNFIELD WAS ESPECIALLY TELLING THAT A TORNADO
TOUCHED DOWN...SINCE THE CORN WAS FLATTENED IN A CONVERGENT MANNER.

DAMAGE WAS NOT CONTINUOUS ALONG THE PATH...WHICH HAD A MAXIMUM WIDTH
OF 50 YARDS AND A PATH LENGTH OF 1.5 MILES. PINE AND OAK TREES WERE
UPROOTED THEN FELLED IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS ALONG THE PATH. LARGE
TREE BRANCHES WERE TWISTED OFF AND BLOWN A COUPLE OF HUNDRED FEET
AWAY. AN EYEWITNESS NEAR THE POLICE ACADEMY APPARENTLY SAW THE
FUNNEL AS IT WAS LIFTING...SAYING IT LOOKED LIKE A ROTATING COLUMN
OF FOG WITH TREE BRANCHES FALLING DOWN IN AND ALONG SIDE IT.

BASED UPON THE OBSERVED DAMAGE...THE TORNADO IS CLASSIFIED AS A
HIGH-END EF-0 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS
WERE BETWEEN 65 AND 75 MPH.