Tornado Confirmed in Massachusetts Communities Following Weekend Storms
HOLDEN, Mass. – National Weather Service (NWS) teams have confirmed that a tornado touched down in at least two Massachusetts communities over the weekend. The NWS reported the EF-1 tornado first impacted Paxton and then Holden at approximately 4:15 p.m. on Saturday.
An EF-1 tornado is characterized by estimated wind speeds between 86-110 mph, though the NWS indicated the tornadoes in Paxton and Holden were on the lower end of that range.
While significant damage was surveyed in Otis and Blandford,meteorologists found no evidence of a tornado in those locations. Damage assessment is ongoing in Berlin.
Holden residents described the storm as brief but devastating. “I’ve never experienced anything like this,” said Drew Richard of Willow Brook Road. “It got really windy, like a huge gust of wind like I have never seen before and then all the patio furniture started moving around the pool, it got blown everywhere.”
Cleanup efforts began Monday, wiht local businesses prioritizing the removal of fallen trees. “We actually had to reschedule a lot of our work from this whole entire week because this is priority. When peopel have trees knocked over, we need to clean it up speedy,” stated Nicholas Kent, owner of Kent Tree Landscape.
Janna Goodnow,a Holden resident,recounted the intensity of the storm: “Twenty-four-inch trees were just snapping and rolling over in front of me. It was wild; only lasted like three minutes, but it was utter destruction.”
A tree fell onto a Holden home, landing directly in the living room. Residents emphasized the importance of seeking shelter in basements during the storm.
“I looked outside and I saw all this wind whipping up trees and stuff, and there was a big maple over there that I saw just getting ripped out of the ground,” said holden resident Matthew Waite.
John Peden, another holden resident, described taking immediate action: “I just picked up the kids and was like, ‘get in the basement,’ and then after waiting like five, ten minutes, came up and then just saw the damage everywhere.”
Fortunately, no injuries were reported in connection with the tornado.
Meanwhile, a severe thunderstorm watch was issued for much of Maine on saturday afternoon, with several severe thunderstorm warnings also issued during that time.Numerous Maine communities experienced over 1 inch of rainfall over the weekend.