Four tornadoes confirmed in Mass. and RI as storm damage cleanup continues

WEYMOUTH, MASS. (WHDH) - Several communities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island were left with flooding and wind damage Friday after severe weather swept through the region, spawning multiple tornadoes and knocking out power to thousands of people. 

Officials at the National Weather Service issued several tornado warnings, severe thunderstorm warnings and flash flood warnings beginning early in the morning. As conditions improved around midday, cleanup efforts were getting underway. The NSW confirmed a total of 4 tornadoes in the region. EF-1s hit Weymouth and the area of North Attleboro and Mansfield. Stoughton was hit by an EF-0 tornado, while Scituate and Johnston, Rhode Island experienced winds topping 115 miles per hour during an EF-2 tornado.

“Everything was just bent over,” said one man in Weymouth describing the scene as storms hit his area. “You could hear the branches breaking.” 

The NWS issued the region’s first tornado warning of the day around 8:30 a.m. for parts of Rhode Island. Meteorologists then noted radar indications of tornado debris lofted into the air near Scituate, Rhode Island around 8:40 a.m. as the tornado-warned storm moved through the area.

Crews were later on scene around Byron Randall Road in Scituate as of 12 p.m. where tree debris had fallen across the roadway and nearby power lines.

Neighbors in the area said they heard trees snapping and came outside to find trees uprooted.

“It was unbelievable,” said resident Richard Napolitano.

Huge trees were uprooted and thrown onto several chicken coops on Napolitano’s property. The animals are okay. But the top of the structures were crushed and damaged. 

“It was amazing how fast it came,” Napolitano said. 

Emergency officials in Scituate said about one mile of town was hit by the storm, mostly along Byron Randall Road. 

Resident Meryl Brousseau said she took shelter in her basement and recorded video of a suspected tornado touching down.

“I was in shock,” she said. “I was like ‘How am I going to clean this all up by myself?”

Many other people were asking similar questions as they looked out their windows as the damage around them Friday. 

“I always said ‘I could never live in a place where there were tornadoes,’” said Linda Resnick. “[I’ve] never dealt with one before. I hope we never deal with them again.”

Local officials said DPW crews will be out working through the evening to clear debris and make roads safe. 

There were no reports of injuries from the tornado in the Scituate, Rhode Island area as of around 4 p.m.

Tornado lifts car in Johnston, RI; Other tornadoes confirmed in North Attleboro/Mansfield, Weymouth

One town over from Scituate, the Johnston Fire Department said one person was taken to an area hospital with neck and back injuries after tornado winds lifted the person’s car 10 feet into the air on I-295 near Exit 6 Friday morning. 

An off-duty firefighter saw the car being lifted into the air. The firefighter, David Danella, said he saw the car in the middle of “cyclone winds.” 

“It picked her car up and it spun her around…and then it just dropped her back down,” he said.

Danella said he and two other drivers stopped to help the injured woman in the car. The car itself was later towed from the scene.

In North Attleboro, photos on Friday showed downed tree debris in a residential area. 

The National Weather Service in a subsequent update confirmed a tornado touched down in both North Attleboro and Mansfield but did not immediately have further information on the tornado’s path and intensity.

The NWS also confirmed a tornado touchdown in Weymouth, where more damage was visible Friday. 

Across Massachusetts, more than 3,200 energy customers were without power as of around 1:15 p.m. Friday, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. 

Data from the agency showed outages scattered around much of the state. In Weymouth, where more 600 customers were without power around 12 p.m., 7NEWS spotted utility wires down and crews at work on Tower Avenue. 

There was a large amount of debris in yards. Locally, at least one home was damaged when a falling tree landed on its roof. 

Other properties sustained damage, with fences knocked over, among other things. 

Gia McCray said she and her daughter were sitting in a living room area when the storm arrived. 

“It was incredible,” McCray said of the scene.

Communities face flooded roads

Many communities in Massachusetts spent Friday morning bracing for more rain after recent flooding events. 

By 10 a.m., downpours were causing delays along the expressway in the Boston area.

There were reports of flooding in commutes including Douglas, where part of one road had to be blocked off. In Brockton and Burlington, video showed multiple vehicles driving through flooded roads amid heavy rain.

In Randolph, video sent to 7NEWS showed a flooded intersection with police blocking nearby roads.

Route 20 in Worcester was closed near its intersection with Route 122 around 8:50 a.m. due to flooding, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. 

Further north, in Tewksbury, a viewer sent video of storm runoff destroying his yard as rushing water created a stream and flooded a shed.

Radar estimates around 12 p.m. Friday reported between one and three inches of rainfall over the past three hours in large sections of Essex, Middlesex, Bristol and Plymouth counties. Some smaller spots in Bristol County saw between three and four inches of rain in the same timespan, according to estimates.

Storms snarl Commuter Rail service 

Storms on Friday also snarled services on multiple branches of the MBTA Commuter Rail. 

Among issues, the T announced around 11:15 a.m. that all Haverhill Line trains will originate/terminate at Andover station until further notice due to flooding in the Andover area. The T in its alert said passengers seeking to use the Commuter Rail between Andvoer and Haverhill should consider alternate transportation. 

Multiple trains on the Providence/Stoughton line were canceled due to debris on tracks near Mansfield. As of 11:30 a.m. the T on its website said service on the Providence/Stoughton Line had been suspended until further notice as a result of the Mansfield debris. 

Calmer weekend expected after Friday storms

The majority of storm activity is expected to continue to push offshore through the day Friday. While some isolated storms may return through the afternoon and evening, they are not expected to be as widespread as storms Friday morning.

Clearer skies are expected over the weekend, with high temperatures in the 70s and 80s on Saturday and Sunday.

Watch the on-air livestream and 7WEATHER page for updates.

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