The National Weather Service has confirmed an F2 tornado ripped through a city near Boston in an extremely rare weather event for New England.
WBZ-TV reports the tornado spawned Monday morning shortly after 9 a.m. out of a massive thunderstorm Sunday night that slammed into Revere, a coastal city five miles northeast of Boston.
According to The Boston Globe, powerful storms and heavy rainfall produced massive flooding in the streets. Heavy winds broke windows, uprooted trees and blew debris into neighboring yards.
One Revere resident was completely caught off guard, saying, "What is this, Kansas?" And another resident whose house was also pummeled said, “I am in a state of shock. That was the strongest winds I’ve ever seen."
The damage was just as fierce in downtown Revere. The twister produced winds of up to 120 mph and tore rooftops off buildings, collapsed structures and downed power lines all over the city. (Via NECN)
Revere Mayor Dan Rizzo: "There's wide-spread damage. Downed power lines, telephone poles, a lot of public buildings and homes that have been damaged." (Via WHDH)
The National Weather Service said it was the first tornado to hit Suffolk County — which includes both Boston and Revere — since they started keeping track in 1950. (Via Twitter / @NWSBoston)
As rare as they are, Boston.com points out that, according to the National Weather Service, there've been 162 twisters spotted statewide in Massachusetts over the same period.
And other New England states have been hit. WVIT reported a much smaller-scale tornado damaged part of the small town of Wolcott, CT on Sunday, though its wasn't nearly as intense as the Boston twister.
No injuries or deaths have been reported for Revere and the city said it will open up a shelter for residents who are unable to stay in their homes.
