Alert archive / Massachusetts / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1994

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 71, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

August 21, 1994Franklin County, Massachusetts

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 21, 1994, 3:53 PM EDT for Franklin County, Massachusetts. It was in force for 52 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 21, 1994, 3:53 PM EDT (19:53 UTC)
Expired
Aug 21, 1994, 4:45 PM EDT
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area
Whole counties

County Franklin County, MA

The nearest sounding before it

Albany, NY (KALB), launched 12:00Z, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 102 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Albany, NY at 12:00Z on 1994-08-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 138 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Albany, NY at 12:00Z on 1994-08-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 145 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
138 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-152 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
796 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
145 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
161 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KBOS 211955 RRA
SVRBOS
MAC011-212045-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
353 PM EDT SUN AUG 21 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  445 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN WEST MASSACHUSETTS
 
   ...FRANKLIN COUNTY
 
AT 355 PM EDT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVING THROUGH HAMPSHIRE COUNTY WAS
MOVING INTO SOUTHWEST FRANKLIN COUNTY 15 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ASHFIELD.
 
THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH TOWARD GREENFIELD AND
SHELBURNE.
 
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 21, 2:37 PM EDT, 1 hour 16 minutes before
MAZ002-003-004-005-008-009-010-011-012-CTZALL-220000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
237 PM EDT SUN AUG 21 1994

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM FOR MUCH OF
CONNECTICUT AND CENTRAL AND WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS...

WITH AMPLE MOISTURE AND AN UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE...THE POTENTIAL FOR
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXISTS ACROSS MUCH OF CONNECTICUT AND CENTRAL AND
WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS.  LARGE HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND DAMAGING
THUNDERSTORM WINDS ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

AT 230 PM THUNDERSTORMS HAD MOVED INTO EASTERN NEW YORK AND SOUTHERN
VERMONT. THE STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE SOUTH AND EAST DURING THE
AFTERNOON.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS
SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN
FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

GURKA
Special weather statement, Aug 21, 3:30 PM EDT, 23 minutes before
CTZ001-002-009-212100

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARTFORD CT
335 PM EDT SUN AUG 21 1994

...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO WESTERN CONNECTICUT...

AT 330 PM RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM NEAR
POUGHKEEPSIE IN NEW YORK NORTHEAST INTO LITCHFIELD COUNTY NEAR
SHARON...KENT...AND GOSHEN.  THE AREA IS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25
MILES PER HOUR AND WILL MOVE INTO TORRINGTON IN LITCHFIELD COUNTY AND
SHERMAN AND NEW FARIFIELD IN FAIRFIELD COUNTY BY 415 PM.  THESE
THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

STAY TUNE TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND YOUR LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION
STATIONS FOR ANY UPDATES ON THESE STOR(MS.

PIERCE
Special weather statement, Aug 21, 3:35 PM EDT, 18 minutes before
CTZ001-002-005-212100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED FOR ZONE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARTFORD CT
335 PM EDT SUN AUG 21 1994

...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO WESTERN CONNECTICUT...

AT 330 PM RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM NEAR
POUGHKEEPSIE IN NEW YORK NORTHEAST INTO LITCHFIELD COUNTY NEAR
SHARON...KENT...AND GOSHEN.  THE AREA IS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25
MILES PER HOUR AND WILL MOVE INTO TORRINGTON IN LITCHFIELD COUNTY AND
SHERMAN AND NEW FARIFIELD IN FAIRFIELD COUNTY BY 415 PM.  THESE
THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

STAY TUNE TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND YOUR LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION
STATIONS FOR ANY UPDATES ON THESE STORMS.

PIERCE
Special weather statement, Aug 21, 3:37 PM EDT, 16 minutes before
CTZ001-002-005-212100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED FOR ZONE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARTFORD CT
335 PM EDT SUN AUG 21 1994

...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO WESTERN CONNECTICUT...

AT 330 PM RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM NEAR
POUGHKEEPSIE IN NEW YORK NORTHEAST INTO LITCHFIELD COUNTY NEAR
SHARON...KENT...AND GOSHEN.  THE AREA IS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25
MILES PER HOUR AND WILL MOVE INTO TORRINGTON IN LITCHFIELD COUNTY AND
SHERMAN AND NEW FARIFIELD IN FAIRFIELD COUNTY BY 415 PM.  THESE
THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

STAY TUNE TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND YOUR LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION
STATIONS FOR ANY UPDDATES ON THESE STORMS.

PIERCE

The office that day

Everything else NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 21, 3:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOXHampshire26 min
Aug 21, 4:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOXWorcester52 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Massachusetts, 1994Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1994

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.