Rare Tornado Touchdown Damages Boston Area

A storm system that wreaked havoc across the eastern U.S. spawned a tornado just north of Boston on Monday, causing extensive damage in the coastal city of Revere, where roofs were ripped off buildings and dozens of large trees were uprooted.

City officials said there no immediate reports of serious injuries, but several people suffered minor injuries, including a baby who was in a car and hurt by flying glass and an elderly woman who suffered cuts.

“Given the magnitude of the storm, it’s really a miracle that no one sustained more serious injuries,” said Revere Mayor Dan Rizzo.

Communities across the U.S. were cleaning up Monday after strong storms destroyed homes, knocked out power for thousands of people and toppled power lines and trees.

The tornado was spawned by a powerful storm that moved through the Boston area shortly after 9 a.m. Deputy Fire Chief Mike Viviano said his department received dozens of calls reporting partial building and roof collapses, and downed trees and power lines.

Paul and Patty Carrabes said they were both at work when the tornado apparently hit, tearing the roof off their home.

“I probably would have died if I was in there,” said Patty Carrabes said.

Bob Cronin, the city’s sealer of weights and measures, said he was in City Hall when the tornado hit. It lasted about five minutes.

Cronin said City Hall was damaged, as were a number of businesses. One auto body shop had its roof ripped clean off, Cronin said.

“This isn’t something you expect to happen when you wake up in the morning,” he said.

In eastern Tennessee, officials said there were no reports of any deaths or injuries from Sunday’s storms, though at least 10 homes were destroyed. Claiborne County emergency management spokeswoman Gina Breeding told The Associated Press it wasn’t clear whether the destruction was the result of a tornado, but noted there were strong winds, lightning and heavy thunderstorms.

In Kentucky, National Weather Service forecaster Tony Edwards said some areas got softball-sized hail Sunday.

Massive hail also was reported in Michigan, where winds toppled trees and ripped the roofs off buildings. And in Ohio, some roads had been blocked by flash flooding. In Pennsylvania, nighttime storms knocked out power to thousands.