Hot and humid air in place over southern New England set the stage for severe thunderstorms throughout the Bay State during the afternoon and early evening. Although storm damage was reported from the Connecticut Valley region to the Worcester Hills and Merrimack Valley, damage was especially severe in eastern Franklin County as well as Boston's North Shore.Early in the afternoon, one cluster of thunderstorms formed in Franklin County and rapidly became severe, causing considerable damage in Montague and especially Wendell.A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service concluded the damage in Wendell was caused by a combination of straight-line wind damage and a tornado, which was rated as a strong F2 on the Fujita Scale with winds estimated near 155 mph.Damage began around 230 pm EDT, about 200 yards west of Montague Road. Wind damage extended from Montague Road about 1.5 miles east to Wicket Pond in the Wendell State Forest. Large oak, maple, and pine trees were uprooted and snapped in this area. Some oaks over two feet in diameter were snapped about 10 to 15 feet from the ground. Damage from this microburst extended along a path of one and a half miles in length, and anywhere from 50 to 300 yards in width. Wind speeds were estimated near 90 mph.Tornado damage first appeared on the northeast corner of Wicket Pond. An eyewitness reported seeing a six foot wave form on the pond. On the west side of the pond, many trees were snapped 15 to 20 feet above the ground, with debris left in a chaotic pattern.The next area of damage was on Wicket Pond Road, which is where the most severe damage occurred. Trees as large as 3 feet in diameter were uprooted. Bark was stripped off trees and a house had part of its roof torn off. The tornado tracked to the east along Wicket Pond Road, passing over Depot Road which is in Wendell Center. Part of a roof was torn off an old barn and many trees were uprooted.After crossing Depot Road, the tornado continued to track to the east, passing north of Morse Village Road. A construction storage trailer was completely destroyed and its roof was wrapped around a tree. Trees were also uprooted or snapped in this area. Damage came to an end about one half mile east of New Salem Road.The path length of the tornado was approximately 3 miles. Its average width was 200 yards, varying from 100 to 300 yards.A little more than one hour later, another cluster of severe thunderstorms brought significant damage to Cape Ann, in particular Marblehead Neck and the adjacent coastal waters. Initially, the storms produced hail as large as 3 inches in diameter - just larger than baseball size - which are considered to be the second largest hailstones reported in Massachusetts.A National Weather Service storm survey concluded that multiple wet microbursts, or sudden outflow of damaging straight-line winds combined with torrential rainfall, impacted the area around Marblehead Neck between 357 pm and 430 pm EDT. The survey noted that westerly winds gusting as high as 90 mph occurred in an area centered from Marblehead Harbor across Corinthian Lane and Barker Lane, and then out to sea. The land damage path was short, primarily because the land is only about 700 feet wide in that area.The main damage path was about 150 feet wide. It consisted of tree damage and minor structural damage, although substantial damage was noted to sailing vessels and at least one car. Damage was more sporadic near Manley Street, about 600 feet farther north, and also to the south and southwest on Foster Street, Harbor Avenue, and Ocean Avenue.Interviews with eyewitnesses provide more detail as to how the storms affected the area. Between 340 pm and 345 pm EDT, winds shifted to the northeast and produced sea spray at the mouth of Marblehead Harbor. This was the result of earlier thunderstorms passing north of the area. Then, from 357 pm to 405 pm EDT, a white tempest developed over Marblehead Harbor on the neck side of the harbor, estimated by the Corinthian Yacht Club chair to be about 300 yards upstream from the dock. This curtain of water and high winds advanced toward the yacht club, lifting 30-foot vessels approximately 20 feet in the air and catapulting them end over end toward the dock. An anemometer on the dock was viewed to have reached 95 mph before it blew off its mast. Damage was less severe, but still significant, from the Connecticut Valley to the Worcester Hills and Merrimack Valley. There were many reports of downed trees, large branches, and hail up to the size of quarters from the Springfield area to Grafton, Westborough, and Framingham as well as farther northeast into Hardwick, Wilmington, and Boxford.Torrential rainfall caused significant urban flooding, especially in Springfield, Oxford, Wakefield, and Beverly. In Salem, two cars on Pope Street were submerged by up to 3 feet of water when about 2 inches of rain fell in 20 minutes. Other cars were flooded in Salem and Lynn due to other roads being flooded, including a stretch of Route 129.Lightning struck Athol Memorial Hospital, causing minor damage to the facility.

Thunderstorm Wind in WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 14:30:00 to 11-JUL-06 14:37:00 (EST)
Location: LEICESTER
Magnitude: 50 EG
Property damage: 5K
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Hail in MIDDLESEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 14:40:00 to 11-JUL-06 15:00:00 (EST)
Location: WAKEFIELD
Magnitude: 1.25 
Property damage: 0K
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Flood in MIDDLESEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 14:45:00 to 11-JUL-06 15:45:00 (EST)
Location: WAKEFIELD
Property damage: 2K
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Hail in ESSEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 14:52:00 to 11-JUL-06 15:25:00 (EST)
Location: PEABODY
Magnitude: 1.75 
Property damage: 5K
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Flood in ESSEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 14:56:00 to 11-JUL-06 16:22:00 (EST)
Location: LYNN
Property damage: 10K
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Tornado in FRANKLIN, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 13:35:00 to 11-JUL-06 13:40:00 (EST)
Location: WENDELL
Tornado F-scale: F2
Property damage: 200K
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY

Brief F2 Touchdown in Wendell

Funnel Cloud in ESSEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 13:53:00 to 11-JUL-06 13:53:00 (EST)
Location: TOPSFIELD
Property damage: 0K
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Hail in ESSEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 14:10:00 to 11-JUL-06 14:20:00 (EST)
Location: PEABODY
Magnitude: 3.00 
Property damage: 150K
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Thunderstorm Wind in ESSEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 14:57:00 to 11-JUL-06 15:30:00 (EST)
Location: PEABODY
Magnitude: 78 EG
Property damage: 500K
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY

Hail in MIDDLESEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 14:20:00 to 11-JUL-06 14:20:00 (EST)
Location: BILLERICA
Magnitude: 1.00 
Property damage: 0K
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Thunderstorm Wind in ESSEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 14:22:00 to 11-JUL-06 14:22:00 (EST)
Location: GROVELAND
Magnitude: 50 EG
Property damage: 5K
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Lightning in WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 14:25:00 to 11-JUL-06 14:25:00 (EST)
Location: ATHOL
Property damage: 15K
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Thunderstorm Wind in WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 14:30:00 to 11-JUL-06 14:30:00 (EST)
Location: OXFORD
Magnitude: 50 EG
Property damage: 5K
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Flood in WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 14:30:00 to 11-JUL-06 15:30:00 (EST)
Location: OXFORD
Property damage: 2K
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Hail in WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 12:24:00 to 11-JUL-06 12:24:00 (EST)
Location: AUBURN
Magnitude: 0.75 
Property damage: 0K
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Thunderstorm Wind in ESSEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 12:30:00 to 11-JUL-06 12:50:00 (EST)
Location: MERRIMAC
Magnitude: 50 EG
Property damage: 10K
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Thunderstorm Wind in WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 12:45:00 to 11-JUL-06 12:45:00 (EST)
Location: GRAFTON
Magnitude: 50 EG
Property damage: 5K
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Thunderstorm Wind in WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 13:00:00 to 11-JUL-06 13:00:00 (EST)
Location: WESTBOROUGH
Magnitude: 50 EG
Property damage: 10K
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Hail in MIDDLESEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 13:00:00 to 11-JUL-06 13:00:00 (EST)
Location: FRAMINGHAM
Magnitude: 1.00 
Property damage: 0K
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Thunderstorm Wind in MIDDLESEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 13:00:00 to 11-JUL-06 13:00:00 (EST)
Location: MARLBOROUGH
Magnitude: 50 EG
Property damage: 10K
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Thunderstorm Wind in MIDDLESEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 13:00:00 to 11-JUL-06 13:00:00 (EST)
Location: GROTON
Magnitude: 50 EG
Property damage: 10K
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Thunderstorm Wind in FRANKLIN, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 13:30:00 to 11-JUL-06 13:40:00 (EST)
Location: MONTAGUE
Magnitude: 78 EG
Property damage: 250K
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY

Thunderstorm Wind in MIDDLESEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 15:20:00 to 11-JUL-06 15:20:00 (EST)
Location: WILMINGTON
Magnitude: 50 EG
Property damage: 10K
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Hail in ESSEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 15:30:00 to 11-JUL-06 15:30:00 (EST)
Location: BOXFORD
Magnitude: 0.88 
Property damage: 0K
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Hail in WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 15:32:00 to 11-JUL-06 15:32:00 (EST)
Location: HARDWICK
Magnitude: 0.75 
Property damage: 0K
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Thunderstorm Wind in HAMPDEN, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 17:55:00 to 11-JUL-06 17:58:00 (EST)
Location: SPRINGFIELD
Magnitude: 50 EG
Property damage: 35K
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Hail in HAMPDEN, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 17:55:00 to 11-JUL-06 17:55:00 (EST)
Location: HAMPDEN
Magnitude: 0.75 
Property damage: 0K
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Flood in HAMPDEN, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 18:00:00 to 11-JUL-06 19:00:00 (EST)
Location: SPRINGFIELD
Property damage: 4K
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Thunderstorm Wind in HAMPSHIRE, MASSACHUSETTS
From 11-JUL-06 18:20:00 to 11-JUL-06 18:20:00 (EST)
Location: WARE
Magnitude: 50 EG
Property damage: 5K
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO