Two Tornadoes and A Macroburst

Monday July 18th was a day of may severe thunderstorms moving across Vacationland and the Granite State.  After the dust settled, two tornadoes were confirmed, and one macroburst.  The action started just after noon in northern New Hampshire. The Pittsburg tornado occurred in this cell outlined near Rangeley at 1:22PM.
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Here are the details in that storm.
From NWS Gray
Pittsburg NH in Coos County
–  An EF0 Tornado confirmed near the town of Pittsburg NH.  Max winds are estimated 75 mph. Path width of 200 yards, and path length of 1.75 miles.  A concentrated area of tree damage consistent with a tornado was found in Pittsburg from near Black Lake to River Rd. just north of Lake Francis State Park. Hundreds of trees were uprooted with dozens snapped. Downed trees took wired down in multiple locations . This damage was consistent with maximum winds of 75 mph.   Debbie Johnson in Pittsburg experienced that thunderstorm.
Pitsfield
Check out her video she shared on facebook here.

Here are some of the images from the tornado damage provided from NWS Gray Survey Team from today.
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The first Tornado Warning was issued around 1:30 as the second cell indicated tight rotation in northern NH.
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That cell held together showing a TVS (Tornado Vortex Signature) near Kingfield.

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While no tornadoes were reported, large hail was observed in the town of Kingfield.  A third tornado warning was issued for a large portion of Franklin County just after 2:15 PM.
This Severe Thunderstorm Warning included the cell that produced the Macroburst in St. Albans around 3PM.
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From NWS Gray
St. Albans Maine in Somerset County
– Macroburst confirmed on the north end of Indian Pond with max winds estimated 80 to 90 mph.  You might remember the same area in St Albans was hit with a tornado just two years ago on July 15th 2014. You might remember the last macroburst in the state was in June of 2013 in the town of Rangeley. Thousands of trees were uprooted and snapped in that storm
The max path width in the St. Albans macroburst was 4 miles with a path length of 3 miles.  Strong winds were accompanied by heavy rain an hail. The hail and wind also damaged crops in the area. Dozens of utility poles were brought down by falling trees. Some of the hardest hit roads included Bollard Rd, Paposse lane, Dinsmore Dr. Ripley Rd. Luckymand Rd, and a small are to the east of Todds Corner Rd.

A Macroburst is a convective downdraft with an outflow area of at least 2.5 miles wide and peak winds lasting between 5 and 20 minutes. Intense macrobursts may cause tornado force damage of up to EF3 intensity. Straight line winds are generally and wind that is not associated with rotation used mainly to differentiate them fro tornadic winds.
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Here are some of the photos from St. Albans after the storm via CBS 13 Kate Sampson.
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The final Tornado Warning was issued in  Aroostook County north of Caribou around 6PM.
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That warning was unique because it was NWS Employee spotter confirmed. Typically in Maine,  Tornado Warnings are issued when Doppler Radar indicates a TVS (Tornado Vortex Signature).  In the confirmed Perham tornado, this is the tornado that NWS employee saw.
Tornado

Check out this impressive  video shot by Krista Beaupre in Perham.

From NWS Caribou
Perham Maine In Arroostok County-
  An EFO Tornado confirmed in Perham.  Max winds are estimated 75 mph. Path width 30 yards, and path length is 100 yards.  The tornado was a very short-lived touching down on the north side of Tangle Ridge Rd and traveling about 10 yards ENE into the woods. Numerous trees were uprooted in this short path, but NWS survey could not confirm any further damage other than the tree damage along Tangle Ridge Rd because of insufficient road network and predominant forest in the area.
Just in case you’re wondering, Maine averages about 2 tornadoes per year. We’re lucky here in Vacationland that our state is heavily wooded and most tornadoes are weak.
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We’ve been enjoying a pleasant stretch of mid to late July weather recently.  All indications are, we should end the week with more thunderstorm activity here in the state of Maine.  Infact,  the atmosphere should become very unstable during the course of the day leading to another round of strong to severe thunderstorms.  SPC (Storm Prediction Center) has placed our region in their “Slight” category.
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Lets enjoy another pleasant day Thursday first!

Charlie Lopresti

About Charlie Lopresti

Charlie makes up the "Weather Part" of CBS News 13s evening edition. A native New Englander, he grew up enjoying the area's exciting and sometimes wild weather.