The storms that prompted a Tornado Watch for Southern New England on August 10, and a few Tornado Warnings, also produced a confirmed tornado on Block Island, RI. The National Weather Service investigated the reported damage on the island, along with witness reports, and says this is the first-ever documented tornado on the Island. Radar imagery certainly supported rotation present in the storm as it moved over the Island.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
444 PM EDT MON AUG 20 2012
...TORNADO CONFIRMED ON BLOCK ISLAND IN WASHINGTON COUNTY
RHODE ISLAND ON AUGUST 10 2012...
LOCATION...NEW SHOREHAM IN WASHINGTON COUNTY
DATE...AUGUST 10 2012
ESTIMATED TIME...354 PM - 400 PM EDT
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF0
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...70 MPH
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...20 YARDS
PATH LENGTH...4 MILES
BEGINNING LAT/LON...41.15N / 71.57W
ENDING LAT/LON...41.20N / 71.56W
* FATALITIES...0
* INJURIES...0
* THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT(S) AND PUBLICATION IN
NWS STORM DATA.
...SUMMARY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON MA HAS CONFIRMED A
TORNADO ON BLOCK ISLAND IN WASHINGTON COUNTY RHODE ISLAND FROM
BACK ON AUGUST 10 2012.
NOTABLY...THIS IS THE FIRST RECORDED TOUCHDOWN OF A TORNADO ON THE
RECORD BOOKS FOR BLOCK ISLAND.
A TORNADIC WATERSPOUT OVER THE WATERS SOUTH OF BLOCK ISLAND MOVED
NORTHWARD ONTO LAND AS A TORNADO OVER THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE
ISLAND AROUND 354 PM. ON LAKESIDE DRIVE THERE WERE A COUPLE OF
FELLED TREES. DECK FURNITURE WAS THROWN 100 YARDS AWAY. SCREENS
WERE BLOWN OFF A HOUSE. DAMAGE TO AN ANEMOMETER OCCURRED AT A HOME
ON SAND`S POND ROAD. THERE WAS ALSO A REPORT OF 50 TREES BLOWN
DOWN ON A FARM. LAWN DAMAGE WAS REPORTED ON CHAPEL STREET IN NEW
SHOREHAM ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE ISLAND. AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS
REPORTED SEVERAL TREES DOWN IN NEW SHOREHAM AS WELL.
FARTHER TO THE NORTHEAST THERE WERE EYEWITNESS REPORTS OF A
ROTATING COLUMN THAT MOVED STEADILY ACROSS A NARROW REGION JUST TO
THE WEST OF JERRYS POINT. THERE WAS REPORTEDLY A PATH OF FLATTENED
BRUSH AT LEAST 50 FEET WIDE THERE. RADAR INDICATED THAT THE STORM
EXITED THE NORTHEAST PART OF BLOCK ISLAND AT 400 PM.
WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE BLOCK ISLAND TIMES FOR PROVIDING MANY
OF THESE DETAILS IN AN ARTICLE ON AUGUST 17.
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.
$$
FIELD
