Lightning — Worcester, Massachusetts

2006-07-21 · near Worcester, Worcester, Massachusetts

Wider weather episode

Severe thunderstorms brought damaging winds, large hail, and frequent lightning strikes to the Mass Turnpike corridor.Early in the afternoon, simultaneous lightning strikes in Bedford ignited two fires which caused considerable damage. A 30- by 60-foot barn used for storage at the Bedford Village Inn was struck by lightning and caused about $200,000 in damage. Lightning also struck a house on Nashua Drive which caused about $15,000 in damage. There were no injuries in either case.Later that afternoon, however, seven youths and two adults were injured when lightning struck a tree they were near at a church in Worcester, according to media and police reports. The impact of the lightning bolt knocked everyone to the ground, with many of the injured receiving burns on their necks and legs. Lightning also struck a house on Pleasant Street in Leicester, causing about $50,000 in damage.As thunderstorms entered eastern Massachusetts, they produced significant wind damage in Middlesex County. In Belmont, straight-line winds estimated near 60 mph snapped about 25 trees and 7 telephone poles in half. One tree fell onto a house near the intersection of Somerset Street and Wellington Lane. Most of the tree damage occurred just southwest of that location on Concord Avenue, just northwest of the town center. Large trees and wires were also brought down in Medford, and large branches, wires, and telephone poles were downed in Somerville.Other severe thunderstorms then affected the area from Ludlow to Palmer in Hampden County, where penny size hail was reported, along with downed trees and power lines. North Main Street in Palmer was blocked at Roosevelt Street by a large tree that also brought down wires. Three trees fell by Burgundy Brook Farm on Palmer Road, temporarily blocking the roadway. Another tree fell on a house on Calkins Road.Damage was also reported in parts of central and eastern Massachusetts. Wires were brought down by thunderstorm winds on Howard Street in Northborough. In Arlington, multiple 4- to 6-inch diameter branches were downed on Massachusetts Avenue. Tree limbs fell onto a car in West Arlington. In Braintree, one tree and several power lines were brought down on Washington Street. Tree limbs were brought down in Hull, and wires were downed on Washington Street in Quincy. Thunderstorm winds also brought down several large limbs in Monson later that evening.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5521438. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.