Two rare EF-1 tornadoes hit Cape Cod, thousands without power
After conducting damage surveys, the U.S. National Weather Service has confirmed that two EF-1 tornadoes hit Cape Cod, Massachusetts amid severe weather on Tuesday.
The same storm spawned two tornadoes as it rolled across state Tuesday night, one of which started as a waterspout before moving on land near Kalmus, Mass. and went on to do damage in the town of Yarmouth. The other tore the roof off a local hotel in Harwich and prompted a state of emergency.
The NWS gave the Yarmouth tornado a high-end EF-1 rating, calling the damage "quite significant" in their statement, and estimating the winds as high as 177 km/h
Damage was also extensive in nearby Harwich, were at least 150 hardwood trees were uprooted or snapped, and extensive powerline damage left most of the town in the dark. This tornado was also rated a high-end EF-1.
Eyewitness Corey Smith, who was working on a sailboat, captured the dramatic moment when a storm rolled through Stage Harbor in Chatham, bringing in strong winds and pouring rain
"I could only see the boats moored around me in the harbour. I couldn't see the ocean from where I was with the weather. There were at least seven other boats that capsized or sank and more than a dozen others who were pushed aground or wrecked," Smith told Reuters.
According to the NWS, Tuesday's tornadoes were only the fourth and fifth reported in Cape Cod since 1950.
With files from Reuters
