Weather

2 Tornadoes Touch Down In Massachusetts

Two tornadoes are to blame for at least 10 being displaced in one town. Also, more rain and thunder are on the way today.

Two tornadoes touched down in Central Massachusetts overnight, both maxing out with winds of about 100 miles per hour. Investigators with the National Weather Service and Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency spent Thursday in the Worcester County towns of Douglas and Upton, where storm damage was reported in the early-morning hours.

No injuries were reported, but 10 homes were damaged - one severely - in Upton. Douglas also reported strong winds ripping down power lines and uprooting trees, officials said.

The tornadoes were classified as EF-1. The first was tracked from Douglas to Uxbridge to Northbridge, where the tornado traveled more than 4 miles and had a max width of more than 200 yards. The second went a mile in Upton with a max width of 100 yards.

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The NWS said Thursday is the 128th anniversary of an F3 tornado moving through Essex County.


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Upton PD
Douglas FD

The bad weather is not over, even after morning showers, and forecasters are saying a brief stretch of sunshine will give way to "a round of showers and embedded thunderstorms this afternoon." Despite the lingering storms Thursday, the National Weather Service dropped the hazardous weather outlook in Massachusetts as of 10 a.m. It'll also remain quite sticky as a high humidity rate continues.

The rain has varied from place to place in the last day. Some towns are west of I-495 are reporting more than inch of rain, while some Eastern Mass. areas a brief, powerful downpour Wednesday.

The rain and thunderstorms are expected to come from west to east during the afternoon. You can see the simulated radar from the NWS below.

There may still be some severe thunderstorms Friday, but it appears they will be confined to Western Massachusetts. Spotty storms may pop up Saturday,

Photos by Upton, Douglas Police

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