MA Tornado Rips Through 2 Towns, Dozens Displaced

An EF-1 tornado has been confirmed to have landed in Central Massachusetts Saturday morning as intense storms moved across the state. The clean-up effort is on in the Worcester County towns of Webster and Dudley, where the streets were inundated with storm damage.

No major injuries were reported, but at least one person suffered minor injuries when debris hit the vehicle they were in, according to Webster Fire Chief Brian Hickey.

Three buildings, including one mixed-use with residents, have been condemned, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency confirmed. Approximately 43 were displaced as a result of the storm, though several were able to return after one damaged building was deemed habitable. The Red Cross is on scene.

Much of the damage occurred along Main Street in Webster, which is close to the Dudley town line. Dudley suffered significant tree damage, but no major structural damage has been reported.

More than 4,000 were without power between the two towns at the peak of the storm, according to MEMA. Most of the power was restored as of 1:30 p.m., including for nearly 3,400 in Webster.

Tornadoes are a rarity in Massachusetts, but just last month two tornadoes touched down in Central Massachusetts.

Meanwhile, flash flood warning persisted south of Boston. That was expected to last until 3 p.m.

Photo credit: Doc Siddall at Lake940.com, used with permission