EF0 tornado in Norfolk County, Massachusetts

Based on information received from emergency management officials and based on Doppler radar imagery, the National Weather Service conducted a survey on Oct. 15 and was able to determine that a weak tornado circulation occurred in a small portion of the town of Millis, MA on October 7. It was embedded within the larger area of derecho/straight-line wind damages that occurred. It was on the ground for less than a minute, traveled about one-half mile, had a path width of only 50 yards, and estimated maximum wind speeds of 75 to 80 mph.

The tornado began near Orchard Street, just to the west of Ridge Street, and traveled east-southeastward to the Oak Grove Playground/Millis Historical Commission on Exchange Street. On Orchard Street, the tops of a few large trees were sheared off. According to one resident, she had two trees down from west to east in her back yard, but she observed the wind change directions and the aforementioned tree tops were blown northward, landing in her yard. At the Oak Grove Playground, a large tree was downed from west to east but a metal lamp post was blown northwestward toward that tree. Other trees were observed down from as far west as Tupello Road to as far south as Causeway Street and Island Road. Damage reportedly went as far east as Environmental Drive, Larch Road, and Dwight Street, but that had since been cleaned up. Those damage areas likely were associated with the broader straight-line winds of the large-scale derecho that impacted much of Massachusetts, northeast Connecticut, and northern Rhode Island on October 7th.

A squall line formed in New York State then raced eastward in the late afternoon and early evening, gathering strength as it raced across Massachusetts, northeast Connecticut, and northern Rhode Island. Hundreds of thousands of people were left without power in southern New England, as there was widespread tree and power line damage from winds generally gusting to between 50 and 80 mph. The Storm Prediction Center officially classified it as a derecho. Along the line, an isolated brief tornado touched down in Millis, Massachusetts. Prior to the derecho, strong southwest winds gusted to 40-50 mph in the early afternoon.