Rare tornado puzzles meteorologists

The tornado that touched down outside a Stoughton car dealership Thursday was a rare, cold-air-fueled funnel that was on the ground for no more than a minute but still carved a bruising quarter-mile path of damage, officials said.

The Category 0 twister flattened trees and lifted three-ton trailers 15 feet off the ground, meteorologists said. It was the first confirmed tornado in Norfolk County since Aug. 21, 2004.

How the tornado managed to hit the ground is still a mystery, said National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Dellicarpini.