Goshen, MA EF1 Tornado of February 25, 2017

An EF1 tornado was confirmed in Goshen & Conway MA. First recorded Feb tornado in MA since records began. Details: https://t.co/dl09OGtsMf pic.twitter.com/gDTMFX89s9
— NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) February 27, 2017

Figure 1 depicts the surface observations at 8:00 pm EDT, which shows a cold front moving across the northeastern United States. Warm air advection, aided by low pressure in western Massachusetts, triggered thunderstorms in the evening hours of February 25th, which ultimately led to two EF1 tornadoes across the state.

**Figure 1.** Surface analysis at 00Z on February 26, 2017 showing mean sea-level pressure (MSLP) contours, surface observations, fronts and pressure centers (WPC, 2017)

The Goshen, MA EF1 tornado of February 25, 2017 impacted Hampshire County in Massachusetts. According to NOAA (2020), the EF1 tornado caused no fatalities or injuries, but caused $250 thousand dollars in property damage. The tornado touched down near South Chesterfield Road at 8:18 pm EDT. The tornado travelled for 2.9 miles and had a maximum width of 100 yards.

**Figure 2.** Episode narrative for February 25, 2017 (NOAA NCEI, 2020).

Sources

NWS Weather Prediction Center Surface Analysis Archive. (2017). Surface analysis 00Z Sun Feb 26 2017. Retrieved from: https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/archives/web_pages/sfc/sfc_archive.php

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (2020). Storm Events Database. Retrieved from: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/

National Centers for Environmental Information reports:

A tornado touched down in Goshen at Pine Road, just to the east of Hammond Pond. Several pine trees were snapped mid-way and two homes were damaged by trees falling onto them. A portion of Route 9 was closed between the Fire Station and the intersection with Route 112. There was significant tree damage on the southwest shore of Highland Lake, with numerous trees snapped half-way up from their bases and many uprooted. The tornado crossed Highland Lake and imagery received after-the-fact from town officials also indicated significant tree damage on the northeast side of Highland Lake from Camp Howe southward along Headquarters Road into the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) State Forest. The damage was consistent with 90 mph wind gusts, with a rating of EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.|The tornado was on the ground for 2.9 miles with a maximum width of 100 yards. It lasted from 718-721 PM before lifting up briefly and then touching down again in Conway, MA.

Sources

National Centers for Environmental Information reports:

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