F1 Tornado — Norfolk, Massachusetts

2004-08-21 · near Franklin, Norfolk, Massachusetts

Event narrative

F1 tornado

Wider weather episode

An early morning severe thunderstorm in Leominster downed large tree limbs.Thunderstorms developed again that afternoon and caused damage in parts of eastern Massachusetts. One storm spawned a weak tornado that took a long and narrow, but very discrete path across western Norfolk County, according to a National Weather Service storm survey. The tornado touched down near Farm Hill Road in West Wrentham near the Rhode Island border. It traveled on the ground for 6 miles to the northeast, passing over southeasternmost Franklin, Interstate 495, Lake Pearl, the northern part of Lake Archer, and ending up near the Wrentham State School, which is near the border with the town of Norfolk. The tornado damage was classified as F1 at two locations: on Summer Street in Franklin and in a subdivision between Lake Pearl and Lake Archer. Wind speeds were estimated at 90 mph in these areas. Tall oak and pine trees were snapped and uprooted at their bases. Many large trees landed on houses throughout Wrentham causing additional damage. The remainder of the tornado's track was considered as F0 with estimated wind speeds of 70 mph. The path width ranged from as narrow as 40 feet to as wide as 120 feet, or 40 yards. One eyewitness near the initial touchdown site saw trees swirling around in mid-air from the front window of her home and heard an unusual roaring sound. No injuries were reported.The same thunderstorm which spawned the tornado weakened as it moved across central and eastern Norfolk County, but downed several trees from Foxborough to Walpole, Sharon and Dedham. It also downed large branches in Watertown, South Boston, and Hingham.In Townsend, three golfers were struck by lightning at a country club.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (42.0833, -71.4000)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5421441. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.