Easton tornado storm also ripped through Brockton, East Bridgewater with microburst damage

BROCKTON — Severe thunderstorms caused microburst damage in Brockton, East Bridgewater and parts of Easton on Saturday, July 29, bringing down powerlines, trees and damaging homes, the National Weather Service said.

The storm that caused the damage also produced a minute-long EF-1 tornado in Easton with winds reaching a maximum speed of 105mph.

The Brockton Fire Department responded to an excess of 50 storm-related calls between 6 p.m. on Saturday through 8 a.m. on Sunday, said Fire Chief Brian Nardelli.

"Those were just in regard to downed wires, poles etc. but there were also calls for medical assistance," he said.

According to Nardelli, there were no major injuries.

National Grid crews also worked throughout the night to restore power to the area.

"National Grid was very responsive and were restoring power right from the start," said Nardelli Monday.

On Sunday, July 30 at 11:45 a.m., the Brockton Emergency Management Agency reported on Facebook that only 226 customers in the city were left without power at that time. As of Monday, power was restored to everyone in Brockton, East Bridgewater and Easton.

Easton v. the world Road trip: Easton 12U stars headed to Cal Ripken Baseball World Series in Missouri

What is a microburst?

“A microburst is another term for straight-line winds. Think about a microburst as a kind of a rush of wind within a thunderstorm," said Joe Dellicarpini, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norton. "Almost like if you took a glass of water and spilled it on a table, the water rushes out in all directions. That's exactly what happens in a microburst over an area of about a mile or two square miles,” he said.

We had a survey team in Brockton yesterday and they found all straight-line / microburst damage — in other words, all the trees that were damaged fell in the same direction,” said Dellicarpini.

Dramatic funnel cloud in Raynham in 2018 Tornado scare rattles Brockton, Bridgewater, Raynham area

What is the difference between a microburst and a tornado?

A tornado, on the other hand, is a funnel that comes down from the thunderstorm and produces wind damage over a very localized area, said Dellicarpini.

The tornado that touched down in Easton was 400 yards in length and 100 yards wide. Categorized as an EF-1 tornado, its winds reached a maximum speed of 105 miles per hour.

According to the National Weather Service, the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale) is used to assign a tornado a rating based on estimated wind speeds and related damage. An EF-1 tornado has wind speeds between 86 and 110mph.

What is the property assessed for? How much would fairgrounds purchase cost Brockton taxpayers?

How common are tornadoes in Massachusetts?

According to reporting by WCVB, this Saturday’s tornado marked the third confirmed tornado in New England this month, and the region's second within 48 hours.

The National Weather Service previously confirmed an EF-0 tornado (winds between 65 and 85mph) in North Brookfield, a town in Worcester County, on July 16 and another EF-1 tornado in New Hampshire on July 28.

“We see a few of them every year. They're not completely unusual,” said Dellicarpini. A lot of them, however, are very short lived, he said. “This one was only on the ground for about a minute. They come down quickly and go right back up.”

According to Dellicarpini, most of Massachusetts’ tornados are considered relatively weak, with winds of around 80mph. “This one was a little bit stronger though. It had winds estimated at 105mph,” he said.

How many people are still without power?

According to a representative from National Grid, as of Monday, power was restored to everyone in Brockton, East Bridgewater, and Easton who had lost it due to the storm.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Storm caused Easton tornado, microbursts in Brockton, East Bridgewater