TORNADO! In New Hampshire?

Now, I was on vacation for a week, up in Lincoln, New Hampshire. It was July 24th, about 11:00am I was watching the weather and there was rain coming in, so I jumped at the chance to get some boxes before the rain arrived. So me and a couple of the boys got in the car and drove into Franconia Notch, then headed up to Sugar Hill for a box. I wanted to plant a box up there but couldn't find a location suitable for it, so we headed back. The rain started to pick up on the way back and then let up. It was clear the rain was here, but it was nothing compared to what another part of the state was getting. When we got back to our hotel, it was about 12:30pm. The news was on and a strong storm had hit the towns of Epsom, Pittsfield and Barnstead. Homes had been leveled and trees were knocked down. At this point, no one knew what had happened but rumor was a tornado had pasted through the area, but nothing could be confirmed until the National Weather Service could survey the damage. It was a few days before they confirmed an EF2 tornado hit several towns in New Hampshire. For those that don't know, EF stands for Enhanced Fujita and 2 is the rating of damage done by the tornado. A EF2 tornado consists of winds ranging from 113-157mph. To find out more about the Enhanced Fujita Scale and the categories, click on the link provided.

Today, a total of 11 towns are now on thew list of towns hit by the confirmed tornado, including Deerfield, Epsom, Barnstead, Alton, New Durham, Wolfeboro, Freedom, Effingham, Ossipee, Pittsfield and Northwood. The storm's path was estimated at about 40 miles long and about a third of a mile wide at spots. Damages range from houses being totally destroyed to houses missing only a few shingles. 1 women lost her life when her house collapsed with her husband and grandchild inside, the grandchild found floating in the flooded basement. The husband and grandchild have since gone to the hospital and been released. Many trees have been uprooted and lives been displaced. It will be months before things get back to normal, if possible.

I had planned on writing about my vacation in Lincoln, but it just didn't feel right. I felt that the story of what happened in our small state was more important to tell. I hope that anyone and everyone that reads this blog post, prays for those families that have been effected by this weeks unfortunate turn of events. For more information on this weeks storms, visit WMUR and/or also visit the New Hampshire Red Cross website to donate funds towards the disaster relief in all the effected areas across the state.