AGAWAM, Mass. (WHDH) — The National Weather Service said 80 mph straight-line winds ripped through Agawam Monday.
“You really couldn’t see anything but just trees covering everything, covering cars. I mean, you just saw nothing but tree limbs, tree branches, leaves,” said one witness.
A large tree trunk left a permanent impression on a pick-up truck and another car was smashed, leaving glass everywhere. Nearly two dozen cars in a parking lot were damaged.
“Everything kind of lying in the same direction and that’s a big indication for us of straight-line winds,” said NWS meteorologist, Hayden Frank.
The base of the tree measured ten feet and it weighed 2,000 pounds. The microburst plowed over nearly 50 trees in its 1.5 mile path.
“I just was like a big explosion, boom, that quick,” said Richard Light.
He couldn’t believe his view as he looked around. All he saw were splintered trunks, snapped sign posts, down power lines, ripped roofs, and even his neighbor’s carport lifted from the ground. The damage was significant, but no one was hurt.
“Luckily nobody got hurt. That’s the most important thing,” said Light.
In East Windsor, Connecticut, an EF1 tornado tore through the town. A sports dome with nearly 30 kids and five counselors playing inside had its roof ripped off.
“Maybe two seconds after they got through the door, I looked back and we heard a loud boom and I saw the top of the dome just go flying into the air,” said Sports World counselor, Kyle Noonan.
There were no reported injuries.