Storms cause damage across New England

The buzz of chain saws across parts of New England signaled the start of a big cleanup yesterday following powerful storms that caused flash floods, knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses, and brought rare tornadoes to Maine and Connecticut.

At the height of the storm Wednesday, 23,000 homes and businesses were in the dark in Maine. Another 20,000 customers lost electricity in Vermont. Some 1,700 customers lost power in southern New Hampshire. To the south, Connecticut Light & Power reported 55,000 power outages.

There were no reports of serious injuries.

In Maine, teams from the National Weather Service yesterday confirmed that tornadoes touched down in Gorham, Limerick and Alfred. Weather officials also confirmed a tornado in Bristol, Conn. They estimated the four tornadoes had wind speeds of about 90 mph. Funnel cloud sightings were investigated elsewhere in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

The storms dumped 3.45 inches of rain in a two-hour span in Cumberland and caused winds topping out at 64 mph in Cape Elizabeth, said Andy Pohl of the National Weather Service.

Such powerful thunderstorms are relatively rare in northern New England, cropping up only a couple of times a year, Pohl said. Rarer still in the region are tornadoes, he added.

Meteorologist John Cannon said Wednesday's storms were caused when a strong jetstream met with volatile conditions, caused by moist air in the lower part of the atmosphere and dry air in the upper atmosphere.

In Gorham, which recorded a 54 mph wind gust, a 150-year-old barn containing prized cows was blown over, leaving a pair of stunned and bloodied bovines standing amid the debris. Two of the animals died.

"The barn was completely flattened," said Kati King, whose parents live in the farmhouse across the street from what used to be their 40,000-square-foot barn.

The barn collapse demonstrated the storm's power. The community sprang to action with chain saws to cut away debris to free trapped cows; some men climbed into the basement to rescue four calves, King said.

By the light of day, the scene looked like a barn raising in reverse, with scores of volunteers assisting in dismantling the barn and working to save undamaged timber.

To the south, weather experts surveying storm damage in Hartford County confirmed that a tornado touched down in Bristol, twisting off some treetops along a 11/2-mile path, while experts concluded high winds, not a tornado, caused damage in Westport.

Elsewhere, the weather service determined a microburst wiped out trees in New Hampshire's Grafton County; hail and wind damage was reported in Carroll County, as well, Cannon said. Investigators also were looking into whether lightning started a house fire in the town of Meredith.

In Vermont, damage in Brookfield and Chelsea was caused by winds of 80 to 90 mph, but investigators determined the strong winds were not the work of a tornado. The storms also ripped down a barn in Fairlee, allowing cattle to escape.