June 1, 2011 freakish weather conditions produced an F3 Tornado that struck my home town of Monson, Massachusetts.
I had only recently returned from months in Ireland and Europe.
The day began with a violent thunderstorm, but most of the morning and afternoon were oddly still and bathed in a weird hazy sunshine.
The storm that brought the funnel moved quickly and brought destruction.
I saw the tornado from my window in Monson and made photos with my Lumix LX3. Two days later I went into town to document the damage.
Enlarged version of the above Lumix LX3 image. A green sky is a bad!Canon 7D photo, June 3, 2011.Destroyed house on Washington Street in Monson, MA. June 3, 2011. Lumix LX3New England Central Railroad at Washington Street in Monson. June 3.Downtown Monson after the storm. June 3, 2011. Canon 7D.Washington Street in Monson after the storm. June 3, 2011.
It was five years ago today—June 1, 2011—when extremely unusual weather conditions produced a tornado that swept through Monson, Massachusetts and surrounding towns.
I’d just returned from Dublin a few days earlier.
I made a few photographs of the storm from my window on Moulton Hill Road. I only glimpsed the funnel for a few moments and the passage of the storm was remarkably quick.
Funnel cloud Monson, 4:55 pm June 1, 2011. Photograph by Brian Solomon with Lumix LX3 digital camera.
Tornadic sky, Monson, Massachusetts shortly before 5pm on June 1, 2011. Lumix LX3 photo.
Fortunately for us the funnel missed Moulton Hill by about 2 miles. Many others were not so lucky.
On June 3, 2011, I ventured into the village and made photographed evidence of the most extreme damage.
National Guard patrols Main Street Monson on June 3, 2011.
Dozens of buildings in town were destroyed and many thousands of trees were ruined. The event made national and international news.
These photographs are intended as a document of the event and its aftermath as I witnessed it and do not represent an interpretation of the storm nor complete record of its destruction.
First Church, Monson on June 3, 2011.
First Church, Monson on June 3, 2011.
Destruction on Washington Street, Monson on June 3, 2011.
Ruined buildings on Washington Street, Monson on June 3, 2011.
