PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
300 PM EDT WED JUL 25 2001

...TORNADO SURVEY...

ON WEDNESDAY...JULY 25TH...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PERSONNEL TOURED
AN AREA SUSPECTED TO BE DAMAGED BY A TORNADO...APPROXIMATELY 15 TO 20
MILES WEST OF HOULTON IN SOUTHERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY.

AFTER VIEWING THE SUSPECTED AREA...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS 
CONCLUDED THAT A TORNADO OCCURRED BETWEEN 9:15 AND 9:45 PM EDT TUESDAY
JULY 24TH, 2001.

GIVEN THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE...IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THIS TORNADO
WAS AN F1 ON THE FUJITA SCALE.  THIS MEANS THAT THE TORNADO CONTAINED 
WINDS BETWEEN 73 AND 112 MPH.

THIS TORNADO WAS ESTIMATED TO BE BETWEEN 50 AND 75 YARDS WIDE...AND
HAD A PATH LENGTH OF APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES.  THE TORNADO'S PATH 
BEGAN IN THE TOWNSHIP OF MERRILL AND PROCEEDED IN A SOUTHEASTERLY
DIRECTION BEFORE TERMINATING JUST SOUTH OF TIMONEY MOUNTAIN.

ALONG THIS PATH...MANY LARGE TREES WERE EITHER UPROOTED OR BROKEN OFF
BY THE FORCE OF THE WIND.  ALONG THE SOUTH SHORE OF SPAULDING LAKE 
SOME OF THESE TREES LANDED ON HOUSES AND CAMPS.  IN DYER BROOK THIS
TORNADO BLEW AN ALUMINUM GARAGE FROM ITS FOUNDATION 100 FEET INTO 
NEARBY WOODS.  JUST NORTH OF OAKFIELD SIX PARKED CARS WERE BLOWN 50 
FEET FROM WHERE THEY WERE PARKED.  FOUR OF THE CARS RECEIVED 
MAJOR DAMAGE.

MANY AREA RESIDENTS REPORTED MINOR DAMAGE...SUCH AS MISSING ROOF 
SHINGLES AND BROKEN WINDOWS.  FORTUNATELY...THERE WAS ONLY ONE MINOR
INJURY REPORTED.

TURNER/LULOFS