Great Barrington tornado
Radar scan of the supercell at 7:03 p.m. | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | May 29, 1995, 7:06 p.m. EDT (UTC−04:00) |
| Dissipated | May 29, 1995, 7:24 p.m. EDT (UTC−04:00) |
| Duration | 18 Minutes |
| F4 tornado | |
| on the Fujita scale | |
| Max width | 300 yd (270 m) |
| Path length | 11.5 mi (18.5 km) |
| Highest winds | 207 to 260 mph (333 to 418 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 3 |
| Injuries | 24-27 |
| Damage | $25 million (1995 USD) |
| Areas affected | Great Barrington, Massachusetts |
Part of the tornadoes of 1995 | |
The Great Barrington tornado (also known as the Memorial Day Tornado of 1995) was a violent and deadly F4 tornado that occurred in the western Massachusetts town of Great Barrington on May 29, 1995. The tornado remains the last (E)F4 tornado in New England, a streak of over 30 years. It is also one of the deadliest and costliest tornadoes in New England history, causing 3 deaths and $25 million (1995 USD) worth of damage. Due to the unusual strength of the tornado for its location, as well as complex terrain interactions with the Appalachian Mountains, the tornado was the focal point of a 2006 paper researching tornadogenesis over complex terrain.