Community Corner
ABOUT TOWN: Did a Tornado Hit Stoughton?
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TORNADO IN STOUGHTON? Did a tornado hit Stoughton late Thursday afternoon? Yes, says the National Weather Service, who conducted a storm survey Friday morning.
What appeared to be a funnel cloud came down at the Bay State Pre-Owned Ford dealership at 1776 Washington St. on Route 138 around 4:45 p.m on Thursday, May 9, causing damage to several vehicles in the lot, destroying a bay garage door, and lifting a part of the roof.
Stoughton firefighter Scott Mellyn said that the funnel cloud was visible from their Freeman Street station in the downtown.
Find out what's happening in Stoughtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The Stoughton Police Department came to the Bay State Ford location and inspected the damage. The dispatcher there said that the police could not confirm it was a tornado at the time.
But, Michael Lupacchino, of the internal finance department at the Bay State Pre-Owned Center, told About Town that they could see the funnel cloud and hear the loud wind noise.
Find out what's happening in Stoughtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
He said that the roof over the office was temporarily blown up and the sky was visible. The wind blew through one garage door and took the other one off its heavy bolts, flinging them, and ripping the door up like an accordion.
The tornado also lifted two large trailers in the lot (which weigh several thousands of pounds), smacking them into one another, and landing one on a huge boulder that also hit the air. One of the trailers crashed into a fence.
The Stoughton Fire Department reported a tree down on Dean Road, which is located in the neighborhood behind the Ford dealership. But there were no other tornado-related calls or reports of damage.
Before the National Weather Service issued its report, local meteorologists seemed convinced a small tornado hit town.
WCVB-TV meteorologist Harvey Leonard tweeted that based on pictures and video he saw it "indicates a small tornado touched down in Stoughton."
"Looking at new pictures and video tonight [Thursday], am becoming more convinced of weak tornado in Stoughton," FOX 25 meteorologist Kevin Lemanowicz tweeted.
Take a look at a video in the media gallery of this article of the funnel cloud shot from Brockton in the Oak St./Pearl St. area near the Stoughton line (video courtesy Pete Fountain).
Take a look at additional photos of the funnel cloud here.
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