Sunderland storm confirmed a tornado

SUNDERLAND, Mass. (WWLP) - Saturday's storm that rocked a barn right off of its foundation and onto Route 47, has been classified as an EF0 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

The weak tornado demolished the tobacco barn, destroyed a silo on Russell Road, and flattened an entire field of neighboring rye.

The determination of tornadic activity was decided, not by the barn debris or radar imagery, but by the pattern of fallen of rye.

A converging pattern of debris or vegetation, in this case rye, was a classic tornado signature. The field of rye was arranged so the strands laid into one another.

Peaks winds were estimated at 70 mph. The tornado's path was approximately one half to three quarters of a mile long.