Tornadoes Confirmed in Manomet July 24

The violent thunderstorms experienced by Plymouth last Tuesday featured strobe-lights of lightning, pounding rain, and a tornado. Actually, three tornadoes.

National Weather Service survey teams have confirmed that a EF0 tornado touched down in Manomet July 24 during violent thunderstorms experienced that afternoon.

The tornados had its start off White Horse Beach as three waterspouts witnessed by beachgoers according to the Manomet Current.

No injuries were reported due to the tornado, and very minor damage was done to umbrellas and windows and awnings.

"Technocally, a waterspout moving onshore and causing damage is classified as a tornado," according to the NWS release. The tornadoes' path was about 45 yards onshore and 15 yards wide.

Here’s the official report from the National Weather Service Office in Taunton:

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA 1111 AM EDT MON JUL 30 2012 …EF0 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN MANOMET SECTION OF PLYMOUTH MA ON TUESDAY JULY 24 2012…

LOCATION…MANOMET SECTION OF PLYMOUTH IN PLYMOUTH COUNTY MA

DATE…JULY 24 2012

ESTIMATED TIME…408 PM TO 409 PM EDT

MAXIMUM EF- SCALE RATING…EF0

ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED…65 MPH -

MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH…15 YARDS

PATH LENGTH…45 YARDS BEGINNING LAT/LON…41.94 N 71.57 W ENDING LAT/LON…41.94 N 71.57 W *

FATALITIES…0 * I

NJURIES…0

* THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE PENDING ANY FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT AND PUBLICATION IN NWS STORM DATA.

…SUMMARY…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON MA HAS CONFIRMED THAT THREE WATERSPOUTS FORMED OFF THE COAST OF MANOMET IN PLYMOUTH COUNTY AT 406 PM ON TUESDAY JULY 24 2012. THEY THEN RAPIDLY MOVED ONSHORE…CAUSING MINOR DAMAGE AT WHITE HORSE BEACH BETWEEN 408 PM AND 409 PM…AND THEN DISSIPATED. THESE WERE PHOTOGRAPHED WITH A TIME STAMP. TECHNICALLY…A WATERSPOUT MOVING ONSHORE AND CAUSING DAMAGE IS CLASSIFIED AS A TORNADO. DAMAGE WAS VERY MINIMAL. A WINDOW OF THE CRANK-OUTWARD TYPE WAS RIPPED OFF ITS HINGES AND THEN SHATTERED WHEN IT HIT THE SIDE OF A HOUSE. A BEACH UMBRELLA AND A FEW AWNINGS WERE DAMAGED. SAND AND OTHER DEBRIS WERE HURLED INTO THE AIR ABOVE THE LEVEL OF BEACHSIDE CONDOS. WIND SPEEDS WERE LIKELY LESS THAN 65 MPH…HOWEVER THAT IS THE MINIMUM SPEED ALLOWED FOR A CLASSIFICATION OF AN EF-0 TORNADO. THE PATH LENGTH WAS ONLY 45 YARDS AND THE WIDTH WAS NO MORE THAN 15 YARDS. THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR FATALITIES. THIS INFORMATION CAN ALSO BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/BOX.

FOR REFERENCE…THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:

EF0…WIND SPEEDS 65 TO 85 MPH.

EF1…WIND SPEEDS 86 TO 110 MPH.

EF2…WIND SPEEDS 111 TO 135 MPH.

EF3…WIND SPEEDS 136 TO 165 MPH.

EF4…WIND SPEEDS 166 TO 200 MPH.

EF5…WIND SPEEDS GREATER THAN 200 MPH.