DOUGLAS, MASS. (WHDH) - Two tornadoes touched down in Worcester County overnight Wednesday, the National Weather Service has confirmed.
Two EF-1 tornadoes with maximum winds around 100 mph were recorded as a series of powerful storms made their way through southern Worcester County.
The first was tracked from Douglas to Uxbridge and into Northbridge with a length of 4.4 miles and a maximum width of 200 yards, according to the weather service.
Officials say it touched down just south of Maple Street in Douglas, where it produced most of its damage. The tornado tracked northeastward across Route 146 in the northwestern-most portion of Uxbridge, then crossed Sutton street and headed into the southern part of Northbridge, where it lifted up near the Northbridge Middle School.
About 10-12 houses sustained damage in Douglas, according to a National Weather Service survey team. Video from SKY7 showed large trees on their side with roots dangling in the air. Many homes had branches draped across them.
The second occurred in Upton with a length of one mile and a maximum width of 100 yards. It ripped through the Main Street area in just before 3 a.m., tearing roofs off homes, uprooting trees and knocking down power lines.
Officials say it touched down on Hartford Avenue, just south of the railroad tracks in West Upton. It then crossed Route 140 and produced most of its damage in the neighborhood of Ephram’s Way, between Jonathan’s Way and Warren Street. It then tracked a little farther to the northeast into the southwest portion of the Upton State Forest before it lifted.
Neighborhood resident John Guilford, whose truck was crushed by a tree, described the severe weather and ensuing damage as windy, chaotic and scary.
“I looked outside and all the trees were sideways. You couldn’t even see across the street. The winds were just howling in circles,” he said.
Neighbors of a home on Main Street that had the roof of a third-floor porch ripped off the building said the wind sounded like a freight train.
“We ran outside to see what was going on and we noticed half of the roof was missing,” resident Eric Grubb said. “We went around to see if everyone else was okay which they thankfully were, and then it was just a matter of seeing what was going on. There was debris everywhere which was pretty crazy.”
The Red Cross is assisting those who were forced from their homes by the damage.
The National Weather Service is expected to release a full report at 5 p.m.
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