Tornado touches down in Perham
PERHAM, Maine — After conducting an on-the-ground survey of Woodland and Perham, the National Weather Service found 100 yards of trees knocked down in a pattern that indicated tornado damage. The damage, which was 30 yards wide, took place just north of the Tangle Ridge Road in Perham.
According to NWS Meteorologist Francis Kredensor, there is no evidence of damage or touchdown in either Limestone or Woodland.
The Weather Service rated the Perham tornado as an EF0, the lowest rating a tornado can receive, with estimated winds of 75 mph.
“It was powerful enough to cause damage,” Kredensor said, “but thankfully it was all in a forested area and didn’t impact any structures.”
In addition to tree damage, both New Sweden and Caswell received hail that was one inch in diameter.
Kredensor adds that all photos sent to the NWS on Monday night seemed to depict a wall cloud in northern Aroostook without any visual touchdown. But he said he did see a video of the tornado touching down.
“Based on the video, it looked like the tornado was on the weaker scale,” the meteorologist said. “An official rating will come out once the team has surveyed the damage.”
Though a large storm passed through Maine on Monday, Kredensor says the storm with the tornado was “off on its own.”
“There were a couple storms near it earlier,” Kredensor said. “When this one formed it was on its own northwest of Caribou. The storm that went through Bangor was part of a bigger line.”
An NWS warning issued Monday evening alerted residents in that part of northern Aroostook of the storm moving east at 20 mph and the potential for a tornado.
Tornadoes are not a common occurrence in Aroostook, but they still appear on occasion, with the last one touching down in May 2014, according to the NWS.
“We’ve had several tornados up here,” Kredensor said. “They’re not very frequent or strong, but we do get them.”
Kredensor advises anyone caught in a tornado to seek shelter, ideally below ground.
“If you can’t go below ground, then go to a windowless interior room, and, if you can, take something soft for cushioning against debris.”
