CARIBOU, Maine — The National Weather Service in Caribou confirmed Tuesday morning that a short-lived tornado touched down near the town of Ludlow on Memorial Day.
The information was verified by the NWS damage survey team, which was on the ground surveying damage after a severe storm blew through parts of Aroostook County on Monday, causing multiple National Weather Service alerts and warnings from Madawaska to Topsfield in Washington County.
Forecasters at the NWS Caribou office could not be reached Tuesday morning, but the weather service website confirmed the tornado as an EF-0 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. The scale rates tornadoes on a scale of 0 to 5 with 0 having the lowest estimated wind speeds. A 0 rating means the tornado likely produced wind speeds ranging from 65-85 miles per hour.
In Aroostook County on Tuesday, residents reported hail, felled trees and winds that whipped children’s playthings, garbage cans and lawn ornaments around.
In Ludlow, residents reported that telephone poles were downed when the tornado whipped through the area.
