A quiet break in the rain turned deadly for a Massachusetts woman when a powerful gust of wind snapped a tree and sent it crashing onto her porch.

The 61-year-old victim was sitting outside her Plymouth home on Monday, Aug. 3, when the tree suddenly collapsed, striking both the house and the woman, authorities said.

Police and firefighters rushed to the Sullivan Avenue property at approximately 1:10 p.m. after receiving a chilling report of a “fallen tree on a back porch with a woman potentially trapped underneath.”

When emergency crews arrived, neighbors were already trying to help the badly injured woman. First responders immediately began performing life-saving measures before rushing her to a nearby hospital with critical injuries.

Despite their efforts, she was later pronounced dead.

Officials have not released the woman’s name as they work to formally identify her and notify her family.

Investigators believe the victim had stepped outside during a temporary break in the heavy downpours.

“The preliminary investigation indicates that the victim was sitting outside on her porch when a large gust of wind caused the tree to snap and collapse onto the home and the victim,” police and fire officials said.

A neighbor told local CBS affiliate WBZ that the woman and another resident had gone onto their porches to let their dogs outside while the rain briefly eased.

“So, they both went out onto their back porch to let their animals out during the downpours,” the witness said.

Moments later, the peaceful scene was shattered by a terrifying sound.

“The neighbor heard this loud crack, and he looked over and a tree had fallen from State Road right onto her,” the witness added.

The horrifying accident remains under investigation by the Plymouth Police Department and Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office.