High winds rip roof off hotel as rare tornado strikes Massachusetts' Cape Cod
High winds and one radar-confirmed tornado ripped off a hotel roof, downed trees that blocked roads, and knocked out power to thousands on the Massachusetts resort area of Cape Cod on Tuesday during the peak of tourist season. A tornado struck Yarmouth just after noon, and then touched down again in nearby Harwich, according to the National Weather Service.
The tornado was a strong EF1 that reached wind speeds of 110 mph, according to the weather service. There were no reports of injuries.
The Cape Sands Inn in Yarmouth was condemned by building inspectors after its roof was ripped off and deposited in the back of the building. Guests were being relocated to other hotels.
Video showed the building's siding and construction materials waving in the wind. "It was terrifying," Mya Couse told CBS station WBZ-TV. "I just saw the roof come up, and then the light broke, and so we ran into the bathroom."
Jason Couse told NBC Boston that the family "quickly ran to the bathtub and covered up and next thing I know, it started pouring in the house, pouring in the hotel." The manager came and brought them to the lobby.
Bruce and Diane Martin had checked into their room for a three-day getaway just minutes before the storm started, they told the Cape Cod Times. Not five minutes after they had settled in, the inn's flagpole had bent sideways and they watched as the wind lifted and carried the roof "in slow motion" into the backyard.
Harwich declared a state of emergency and police urged people to stay off the roads during the cleanup. Most of the town lost power, according to the weather service.
Electric utility Eversource reported about 50,000 power outages around the state, most on Cape Cod, with Chatham, Dennis and Harwich the hardest hit. More than 90% of customers in Harwich and Chatham lost power at one point.
The weather service had issued a tornado warning for the Cape and Martha's Vineyard late Tuesday morning.