Massachusetts

The 1953 Worcester tornado was an extremely powerful tornado that struck the city and surrounding area of Worcester, Massachusetts on June 9, 1953. It was part of the Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak sequence, which occurred over a three-day period from June 6—9, 1953. The storm stayed on the ground for nearly 90 minutes, traveling 48 miles across Central Massachusetts. In total, 94 people were killed, making it the 21st deadliest tornado in the history of the United States. In addition to the fatalities, over 1,000 people were injured and 4,000 buildings were damaged. The tornado caused $52 million in damage, which translates to $349 million today when adjusted for currency inflation. After the Fujita scale was developed in 1971, the storm was classified as "F4", the second highest rating on the scale.

40 years ago today, a tornado ripped through West Stockbridge

By Derek Gentile, Berkshire Eagle Staff
Posted: 08/28/2013 12:20:50 AM EDT

...The poles didn't snap. But Tonini, and her infant son, Christopher, were near the epicenter of what is still known today as the West Stockbridge Tornado.

It was about 3 p.m. on a warm Tuesday afternoon, 40 years ago today. The tornado touched down and ripped through a six-mile long corridor along the western border of West Stockbridge.

Four people were killed. Thirty-three were injured. The Berkshire Truck Plaza was destroyed. The Berkshire Farm for Boys in Canaan, N.Y., suffered heavy damage. Homes in the path of the tornado were almost obliterated.

"The carnage, the destruction, was hard to imagine unless you saw it," said Lawrence Tonini, Barbara Tonini's husband and the town's assistant fire chief at the time. "It took [West Stockbridge resident] Bill Kie's house right out."

Around 3:30 in the afternoon (Eastern Daylight Time) on May 29, 1995, scattered thunderstorms developed over the Western Catskill Mountains of New York. Over the next few hours the storms moved east, only producing isolated wind and hail. One particular thunderstorm exploded into a supercell upon crossing the Hudson River Valley, due to the presence of higher dew points flowing up the valley from the south and locally enhanced low-level shear. A tornado touched down in Columbia County at 6:40 p.m., producing F2 damage.The tornado lifted off the ground twenty minutes later and the storm moved over the mountains along the New York/Massachusetts border. Shortly after crossing into Massachusetts, the storm dropped the violent Great Barrington, Massachusetts tornado.

The tornado itself touched down around 7:06 p.m. in Great Barrington near the Walter J. Koladza Airport. Near the town line with Monterey, their car was lifted off of Route 23, and tossed 1,000 feet (305 m) into a wooded area. Over one hundred homes and businesses were either damaged or destroyed, including the grandstand at the Great Barrington Fairgrounds.Additionally, twenty-four people (or twenty-seven according to a different source) were injured.

The tornado went for a length of 11.5 miles (19 km) and eventually ended near the town of Monterey.The storm itself killed three people and caused $25 million worth of damage. Three people were killed—two students and a staff member at the private Eagleton School—as they were returning to the campus in Great Barrington.The F4 rating is based entirely on the car that was thrown 1,000 feet. The worst structural damage from this tornado was in the F3 range. The rating of the tornado is sometimes disputed because of this