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Wellesley storm, summer 2016

A short and wicked late afternoon storm that blew through Wellesley on Tuesday, July 18 downed numerous trees, damaged homes and knocked out power in parts of town. One minute a friend and I were sitting in my family room sipping tea and commenting on the hail coming down outside (“Oh my, do you think those nasty flying ice chunks will chip the paint on the Subaru, dear?”). An hour later I stopped by that same friend’s house, not even a mile away, to survey her hard-hit home in the Cottage St. area.

Turns out that just down the road from me and tea for two, more than a little hail was falling. Downed limbs scattered her yard, and I marveled at plants that had literally been pulled out of her garden by the roots and tossed across the yard as if weeded by the wind.

The verdict seems to be that the storm was a macroburst. The Dana Hall area got nailed (Leighton, Ingraham, Belair, Lathrop, etc.), but also along Route 135 toward Wellesley Square, and Wellesley College got hit too. Just from my own tour around town, this is what I saw. I started out in the South Natick area. As I drove along, first I saw a few leaves in the road on Rt 16 near Hunnewell Farm. Next there were some sticks and branches down in front of the Wellesley College president’s house. By the time I got to the Wellesley College Club, the the real damage started making itself known in the form of downed trees, tilting telephone poles, and twisted wires. Here are my pics, and thank you to everyone who send plenty of great photos to us, which we used (and credited) on the site and our FB page.

All told, the first toppled tree I saw was at the Wellesley College Club. The last one I saw down was on the Brook Path just before State St., at the Whole Foods end of town. Quite a swath.

Wellesley College Club, downed tree
Wellesley College Club, downed tree.
Wellesley Storm
This tree on Rt. 135 on the Wellesley College side, the Boston Marathon Scream Tunnel side of the street, looks like it was it by lightning.
Wellesley Storm, 2016
Here’s a shot of it with what looks like a lightning strike that went along the tree and straight into the ground.
The sidewalk was literally lifted up in chunks.
The sidewalk was literally lifted up in chunks.
Wellesley Storm, 2016
A closer look at the storm’s handiwork on Rt. 135.
Wellesley Storm, 2016
A tilted telephone pole in the Cottage St. area.
Wellesley Storm, 2016
The tree was damaged, but the house was OK.

Wellesley Storm, 2016

Wellesley Storm, 2016
This dented car bears the mark of the macroburst.
Wellesley Storm, 2016
It looks like these two cars got lucky, but that tree does loom, doesn’t it?
First responders were out fast, approaching the job in what looked like a triage fashion: first they cleared the roads of all tree limbs. Next, MLP crews got in there and worked restoring power. Throughout the area, the sound of chainsaws and the smell of pine permeated the air.
First responders were out fast, approaching the job in what looked like a triage fashion: first they cleared the roads of all tree limbs. Next, MLP crews got in there and worked restoring power. Throughout the area, the sound of chainsaws and the smell of pine permeated the air.

Wellesley Storm, 2016

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_1853Summer storm, 2016IMG_1848 Summer Storm, 2016

Wellesley Storm, 2016
The French House, Weston Rd.
Summer Storm, 2016
Tricky business here.
Wellesley Storm, 2016
Here, a major limb is tangled up in the phone wires. Delicate work for crews tasked with removing it. Hope they played a lot of Operation when they were kids.

IMG_1853

Summer Storm, 2016

Summer Storm, 2016
Is this any way to welcome incoming Dana Hall Head of School Katherine Bradley?

IMG_1864

Wellesley Storm, 2016
Here’s a tree down across a road near the high school…
And here's a stick house about 25 feet away from the above felled tree.
…and here’s a stick house about 25 feet away from the above felled tree.
Summer Storm, 2016
The calm after the storm, Wellesley High School
Wellesley Storm, 2016
Here’s what happened at our house. We shall rebuild.
wellesley storm dog
This fine retriever has found a silver lining in the storm

tree damaged by summer storm along Brook Path at Cottage Street
Tree damaged by summer storm along Brook Path at Cottage Street
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