Damage In Western Massachusetts Caused By Microburst
SPRINGFIELD (AP) -- The National Weather Service says a preliminary survey shows damage from severe thunderstorms that rolled through western Massachusetts was caused by straight line winds or a "microburst," which is another name for a sudden, violent downdraft of wind.
Wednesday's assessment came a day after the storms hit the region still recovering from deadly twisters last month.
The latest storms brought down trees and power lines in Wilbraham, Springfield, East Longmeadow, Hampden and elsewhere.
WBZ-TV's Christina Hager reports
National Grid had restored power to all but 2,000 customers, down from 16,000 at the peak of the outages.
Western Massachusetts Electric Co. had about 1,800 customers without power Wednesday afternoon, down from about 20,000 Tuesday.
One storm-related fatality was reported: Police in Hinsdale said an 85-year-old man was killed when his motorcycle crashed into a fallen tree that was entangled in power lines.
(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
