Maine tornado on Thanksgiving.

[Michael Auker]

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
300 PM EST MON NOV 28 2005

...THANKSGIVING DAY TORNADO IN PHIPPSBURG CONFIRMED...

AFTER SURVEYING DAMAGE FROM THE THANKSGIVING DAY (NOV 24) STORMS IN
PHIPPSBURG, SAGADAHOC COUNTY, MAINE, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS
DETERMINED THAT DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY A SMALL TORNADO.

THE TORNADO INITIALLY TOUCHED DOWN NEAR SMALL POINT ROAD ABOUT 1 PM
AND TRAVELLED NORTH ACROSS HERMIT ISLAND AND THEN ACROSS SMALL POINT
HARBOR WHERE THE TORNADO LIFTED OFF THE GROUND. THE TORNADO THEN
TOUCHED DOWN AGAIN BRIEFLY IN A WOODED AREA OFF WEST POINT ROAD
BEFORE DISSIPATING.

ALTHOUGH THE DAMAGE WAS DISCONTINUOUS...THE OVERALL PATH LENGTH OF
DAMAGE WAS ABOUT TWO MILES WITH A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF ABOUT 30 YARDS.
THE TORNADO INTENSITY WAS CLASSIFIED AS F1 ON THE FUJITA SCALE.
MAXIMUM WINDS WERE ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 100 MPH AND NEAR SMALL
POINT ROAD WHERE THE GREATEST DAMAGE OCCURRED. THE TORNADO KNOCKED
OVER NUMEROUS TREES AND DAMAGED OR DESTROYED SEVERAL BUILDINGS.
SEVERAL SUMMER HOMES WERE BLOWN OFF THEIR FOUNDATIONS.

MAINE AVERAGES ABOUT TWO TORNADOES A YEAR. THIS IS THE SECOND
CONFIRMED TORNADO IN MAINE FOR 2005. THE FIRST CONFIRMED TORNADO
OCCURRED OVER NORTH TWIN LAKE IN PENOBSCOT COUNTY ON AUGUST 1.


JENSENIUS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
GRAY, MAINE

These images of Thursday's tornado were provided to WMTW.com by Phippsburg resident Robin Robinson. Robinson was facing southeast, toward Hermit Island.

 

[Pat Lawrence]

Thanks for the post, Michael...a rare event indeed. I'll have to check the recorded numbers to find out how many tornadoes Maine has seen in November. Might be the first one considering they only average 2 a year!

Pat

 

[Rob Satkus]

Originally posted by Pat Lawrence
Thanks for the post, Michael...a rare event indeed. I'll have to check the recorded numbers to find out how many tornadoes Maine has seen in November. Might be the first one considering they only average 2 a year!

Pat

According to another PNS issued today from NWS Gray, ME, a second tornado was confirmed that day..a brief F0 4SSW Brunswick. Also, looking back at data I have kept from Storm Data (since 1960), 3 tornadoes were reported in Maine during November, 1971.

Rob

 

[Pat Lawrence]

Thanks for the info, Rob! I hadn't gotten around to checking the data....looks like I don't have to

Pat

 

[Pat Lawrence]

Finally looked at the dbase for 1950-2002...looks like those 3 in 1971 are the only November tornadoes recorded for Maine during that time period...just think, two more and this year probably would have set a new record

Pat