Severe thunderstorms wreak havoc, close roads as towns, cities report damage
FRAMINGHAM - As winds and rain swept through Massachusetts, the city of Framingham was particularly hard hit.
A storm blasted through the city at about 2:45 p.m. with blinding downpours, frequent lightning and strong winds, taking down dozens of trees and leaving several neighborhoods without power and closing roads. The National Weather Service said the storms were straight thunderstorms, with no microbursts or tornados.
In the area of Brook Street, many residents were walking around the neighborhood inspecting the damage. The city's crews were working into the evening to cut down trees and get ahead of the damage. Many trees were snapped off close to the base, but very little damage was done to homes.
Andres Berrio, a Marine veteran, said he and his daughter were standing in front of the window when they saw a pair of trees falling toward their house.
"She says I tackled her onto the floor, but I was shielding her," Berrio said. "So, I just grab her; I take her to the deck, we're thinking the tree is coming and then we scurried into the basement.... I mean, it felt like it was a tornado out here."
Matt Woolhouse was working from home when the storm hit. "I have never seen anything quite like this," he said. "It just came through - ripped through - and I've never heard the wind howl like it did ... and the amount of rain, the intensity."
No injuries have been reported.