A trained spotter reported to the National Weather Service that a tornado touched down in the Keene/Roxbury area Thursday afternoon.
The weather service won't be able to confirm the information until a team can survey the area, said meteorologist Sarah Thunberg.
That's expected on Friday morning, when the weather service plans to examine the area from Keene to Dublin, according to a public information statement from the agency.
"Numerous preliminary reports of damage warrant a survey to determine the cause," the statement said.
No injuries were reported from Thursday's storms.
To confirm a tornado, the National Weather Service sends meteorologists to meet with town officials and survey damage, said meteorologist Sarah Jamison. Weather service officials will be looking for details on the damage, such as if trees fell in the same direction, which would suggest straight-line winds, or in a circular pattern, which would indicate a tornado. The track of the tornado and possible touchdown points will also be assessed, she said.
Videos of the clouds and possible tornado were shared with numerous news outlets Friday. The weather service originally issued a tornado warning based on the signature hook echo that showed up on radar. A hook echo is a telltale sign of cloud rotation, though it doesn't necessarily mean a funnel cloud reached the ground.
Results from Friday morning's inspection are expected by Friday night.
More than a dozen trees fell and damaged unoccupied vehicles around 3 p.m. on Route 101 in the area of Marlborough Auto Sales in Marlborough, according to a post from the town police department's Facebook page. There were no reported injuries and the road was quickly reopened, the post said.
Part of Route 101 in Dublin was also closed Thursday afternoon due to trees, wires and a snapped utility pole blocking the road, the town police department wrote on Facebook, but the road has since reopened.
