On Saturday, Sept. 6, five tornadoes hit Massachusetts in varying locations just west of Brandeis’ campus and Waltham. The closest tornado ended its destructive path about 15 miles away from the University. They were all level EF-1 tornadoes, with wind speeds ranging between 94 to 104 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service. The first two tornadoes hit down in Paxton. The first hit at 4:02 p.m. with estimated winds of 100 mph and a path of 0.17 miles long. The second one hit four minutes later, with estimated winds of 94 mph and a distance of 0.13 mph. The third tornado landed in Holden at 4:08 p.m. with winds of 104 mph and traveling at a rate of 0.15 mph. The fourth tornado hit Berlin at 4:25 p.m. with a wind speed of 104 mph and traveled an estimated 0.60 miles. The final tornado touched down in Stow at 4:30 p.m. with a wind speed of 104 mph and traveled 2.38 miles. It caused extensive damage to the trees in the surrounding area. 

The National Weather Service described the aftermath of the five tornadoes as “utter destruction” for these four Massachusetts communities. The last time that Massachusetts experienced this many tornadoes in one day was in 2011. This was double the usual rate of two tornadoes per year in Massachusetts. In the wake of federal cuts to weather prediction services, the implications of these natural disasters are worrisome, especially considering the fact that climate change is the main factor contributing to rising tornado rates nationwide.