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F2 tornado in Strafford County, New Hampshire

Tornado July 6, 1999 · Strafford County, New Hampshire

F2
Rating
2.0 mi
Path length
250 yd
Path width
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

NOAA recorded where this tornado touched down but not where it lifted, so it appears as a point. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F2 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F2 meant considerable damage: roofs torn off well-built houses, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted; the scale paired it with winds of 113–157 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

The wider storm

Severe thunderstorm winds caused damage statewide as downed trees blocked roads and caused power outages. The winds also damaged several buildings. In Sanbornton, a 60 foot pine tree fell on a car killing the driver. An F2 tornado touched down in Pittsfield, moved through Barnstead, and then into Strafford before lifting off the ground, snapping and uprooting hundreds of trees, and damaging several homes. In Lebanon, a 50 x 70 ft section of the City Hall's copper roof was peeled back by the wind. In Hanover, a portion of a roof at Dartmouth College was blown off by the wind. In Claremont, the wind ripped the roof off a bandstand. The wind left 80,000 customers without electrical service statewide. Numerous trees were reported down in towns throughout the state and numerous roads throughout the state were closed. The heavy rain that accompanied the thunderstorms caused some of the small rivers and streams to rise rapidly. In Lincoln, two brothers swimming in the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River were swept away by the rapidly rising water; one of the boys was bounced down the river for about a quarter mile before grabbing hold of a rock in the water. A 14-tear-old boy was injured in Piermont when lightning struck nearby and entered the cabin through electrical wires. Lightning also caused fires in several homes and buildings.

Began near Strafford (43.3300, -71.1800).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

2 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5716001. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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