BOSTON — A rare Rhode Island tornado lifted a car off an interstate highway Friday morning as severe weather swept already storm-weary New England, a fire official said.
Johnston Fire Chief David Iannuccilli said firefighters responded to Interstate 295 after reports of a car lifted off the road by a tornado. The driver was shaken up but unharmed, he said.
“The driver said she got caught in the funnel, was lifted 10 feet in the air and was dropped back down on her tires,” Iannuccilli said. She was not injured, he said: "She was shaken up more than anything.”
The tornado moved through wooded areas and residential neighborhoods, but there were no reported injuries, Iannuccilli said. The tornado was confirmed by radar, and lifted tree limbs and other debris into the air, said Glenn Field, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service. Authorities were still investigating to see if there was additional damage from the tornado in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Across New England, storms toppled trees, flooded roads, damages homes and cars and made for hazardous driving. There were also a few thousands power outages reported, with most occurring in Massachusetts.
Parts of Vermont faced the possibility of flash flooding while residents and businesses were still rebuilding from extensive flooding this summer.
The National Weather Service said the central, northeastern and southern parts of Vermont were under a hazardous weather outlook Friday and into the night, with the forecast calling for thunderstorms capable of producing flooding. Damaging winds were also possible.
Rain was expected in Vermont into Saturday, with some areas getting as much as an inch. Storms earlier in the summer dropped as much as two months' worth of rain in parts of the state in the span of a couple of days.
In Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency sent a team out on the field assessing damage. The agency received reports of downed trees and power lines mostly, said spokesperson Melissa Carden. There were no reports of injuries.
The hardest hit communities were Johnston and Scituate, with less damage in North Providence, Cumberland an Providence, she said. There were also about 1,000 customers without power as of noon, but electricity was expected to be restored quickly.
Rockingham and Strafford counties in New Hampshire and York County in Maine were under flood advisories, while Essex County, Massachusetts, was under a flood warning.
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