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DUBLIN, N.H. (WHDH) - A reported tornado touched down near Keene, New Hampshire Thursday, leaving damage in multiple spots as a larger series of storms moved across the region.
The threat of storms initially prompted a widespread severe thunderstorm watch in effect for most of southern New England. Later, video showed clouds swirling over Roxbury, New Hampshire, where the National Weather Service said one of its trained spotters saw a funnel cloud touch the ground around 3 p.m.
The National Weather Service had already issued a tornado warning for communities around Keene.
Moments after the spotter’s tornado sighting, at 3:03 p.m., doppler radar also detected possible debris in the air in the same area.
The National Weather Service recorded a series of damage reports on the ground near Keene. On the streets, 7NEWS crews also spotted several downed trees, utility poles and wires in communities including Keene, Dublin, Roxbury and Marlborough.
Part of Route 101 was closed in the area as of around 5:15 p.m. due to debris in the roadway.
In Marlborough, several trees fell near Marlborough Auto Sales off Main Street, with some falling on cars in the used car lot. Another tree narrowly missed the Marlborough Auto Sales building itself.
There was more damage in Dublin, with cleanup efforts underway on Thursday evening.
“We just felt this big flurry of wind and things started hitting the walls,” said Lucas Blohm, who sheltered in place as the storm moved overhead.
Blohm was among a few dozen people attending music camp at Dublin School when the storm arrived. He said he and others ended up running into a basement.
“We saw this big panel of wood fly by and then we knew we had to go downstairs to find shelter,” Blohm said.
Teacher Nicolas Ortiz was outside when the storm arrived. He said he saw trees falling down.
As quickly as the storm came, it soon left, leaving torn up trees in its path.
“We just saw kind of devastation everywhere,” said Rebekah Weisskopf.
Weisskopf said her family drove up to New Hampshire from Washington DC to see their daughter perform at camp.
After the storms, they were packing up their daughter’s dorm Thursday night after it was deemed unsafe to stay in.
Despite the devastation, staff at Dublin School said no one was hurt.
The National Weather Service is planning to survey damage in the Keene and Dublin area on Friday “to confirm reports of a possible tornado” according to the NWS’s Gray, Maine office.
Severe thunderstorms sweep through some Massachusetts communities
While the storm that triggered the Keene-area tornado had weakened as of around 3:30 p.m., a severe thunderstorm warning remained in effect as the storm continued to track east through New Hampshire.
Other storms in New England triggered several other severe thunderstorm warnings Thursday afternoon, with one warning in place for communities around Springfield, Mass. between 3:15 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. Another warning took effect later in the day, stretching from central Massachusetts into Metro Boston.
The National Weather Service’s Boston office, in a tweet, said storms had produced wind damage in western Massachusetts as of 3:45 p.m. The same storms, officials said, would be capable of causing additional damage as they moved east.
One gust at Westfield/Barnes Airport in Westfield was measured at 66 miles-per-hour Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
In Sheffield, the state Department of Transportation said downed trees and wires forced part of Route 41 to close.
Other National Weather Service reports documented incidents of wind damage scattered around Massachusetts.
In addition to wind damage, lightning from storms on Thursday struck a building of the American International College in Springfield, causing significant damage, according to the college’s president.
Another lightning strike in Boston damaged an apartment building, sending bricks falling onto a sidewalk and a parked car on Massachusetts Avenue. No one was hurt.
Storm watches, warnings coincide with heat advisory
Storms wound down by Thursday night, with clear skies expected on Friday.
While the stormy weather may be gone, high temperatures are expected to return, with a heat advisory set to take effect again across parts of New England on Friday and Saturday after already being in place on Thursday.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu declared a heat emergency Thursday morning and announced plans to open cooling centers around the city, among other measures. Preparations were also underway in other communities including Worcester, where the city set up cooling centers at the Worcester Public Library and the Worcester Senior Center.
Stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest weather updates.
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