Alert archive / Massachusetts / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 32, NWS Albany, NY

July 7, 1997Berkshire County, Massachusetts

NWS Albany, NY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 7, 1997, 5:49 PM EDT for Berkshire County, Massachusetts. It was in force for 56 min. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Jul 7, 1997, 5:49 PM EDT (21:49 UTC)
Expired: Jul 7, 1997, 6:45 PM EDT
In force: 56 min
Issued by: NWS Albany, NY
Area: Whole counties

County Berkshire County, MA

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where
Jul 7, 6:44 PM EDT	Hail 0.75	Dalton, MA
Jul 7, 6:50 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind	Dalton, MA
Jul 7, 6:55 PM EDT	Hail 0.75	Lee, MA

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jul 7, 1:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Albany, NY (KALY), launched 12:00Z, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 62 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 67 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -130 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1519 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 37 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 54 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KALB 072149 RRA
SVRALB
MAC003-072245-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
549 PM EDT MON JUL 7 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBANY NY  HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  645 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN WEST MASSACHUSETTS
 
   ...BERKSHIRE COUNTY
 
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS DETECTED BY DOPPLER RADAR AT 545 PM IN CENTRAL
BERKSHIRE COUNTY NEAR LENNOX. IT WAS MOVING VERY SLOWLY TO THE
SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH AND WILL MOVE TO NEAR BECKET BY 645 PM. BECAUSE OF
THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF THE STORM TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS ARE LIKELY WHICH
MAY CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING. LARGE HAIL IS ALSO LIKELY WITH THIS STORM.
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS.  DON'T USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED.  MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.

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

Local storm report, Jul 7, 12:45 PM EDT, 5 hours 4 minutes before

NEW YORK STATEWIDE POLICE INFORMATION NETWORK
TROOP K
1247PM     MON JUL 07 1997
KDSO WLSR QHQT QTRF APTS WAPT
06051    FILE 28   DUTCHESS CO SO NY0130000                  JUL 07-97
TO       NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
         COPY SEMO DUTY OFFICER
                   THUNDERSTORM/HIGH WIND REPORT

COUNTY(S) AFFECTED:

LOCATION (INCLUDING TOWN AND NEAREST ROAD):

DATE AND TIME CONDITION STARTED:
EXTENT OF DAMAGE OR AREAS IN DANGER:

CHECK ONE:
HAIL SIZE REPORTED
( ) - NO HAIL REPORTED    (X) - LESS THAN 1/2" (PEA)
( ) - 1/2" (MARBLE)       ( ) - 1/2" TO 3/4" (PENNY)
( ) - 3/4" TO 1" (DIME)   ( ) - 1.25" (HALF DOLLAR)
( ) - 1.50" (WALNUT)      ( ) - 1.75" (GOLFBALL)
( ) - 2.00" (HENS EGG)    ( ) - 2.50" (TENNISBALL)
( ) - 2.75" (BASEBALL)    ( ) - 3.00" (TEA CUP)
( ) - 4.00" (GRAPEFRUIT)  ( ) - 4.50" (SOFTBALL)
NUMBER KILLED:          NUMBER INJURED:

CHECK ONE OR MORE AS APPLICABLE:
LIGHTNING REPORTED AS ( ) - CLOUD TO CLOUD  ( ) - CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING DAMAGE TO:            ( ) - TREES
( ) - POWER/TELCO POLES   ( ) - POWER/TELCO LINES
( ) - COMM. BUILDINGS     ( ) - PRIVATE HOMES
( ) - OUT/FARM BUILDINGS  ( ) - CROPS
NUMBER KILLED:          NUMBER INJURED:

CHECK ONE OR MORE AS APPLICABLE:
HIGH WIND/T'STORM WIND DAMAGE   ( ) - CROPS
( ) - SMALL TREES/SHRUBS  ( ) - LARGE TREES
( ) - COMM. BUILDINGS     ( ) - PRIVATE HOMES
( ) - OUT/FARM BUILDINGS  ( ) - POWER/TELCO POLES
( ) - POWER/TELCO LINES

RELIABLE WIND SPEED REPORTS:     MPH OR    KNOTS
NUMBER KILLED:          NUMBER INJURED:

FLOODING (IF EXTENSIVE, SEND SEPARATE FLOOD MESSAGE FROM MENU)
( ) - STORM SEWER OVERFLOWS, UNDERPASSES, STREET FLOODING
( ) - LOCAL SMALL CREEKS OVERFLOWING
( ) - STREAMS AND LARGE CREEKS FLOODING (COMPLETE REMARKS W/DAMAGE

REMARKS: TOWN OF BEEKMAN IN DUTCHESS COUNTY

AUTH PHONE #: 914 486-3800

AUTH FRED W SCORALICK SHERIFF

OPER - RUDIN,DAVID A                  1246

Local storm report, Jul 7, 2:37 PM EDT, 3 hours 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
237 PM EDT MON JUL 07 1997

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0152 PM    GOSHEN                    CT   .75 INCH HAIL
07/07/97   LITCHFIELD                     DIME SIZE HAIL.

0211 PM    MONTEREY                  MA   .75 INCH HAIL
07/07/97   BERKSHIRE                      DIME SIZE HAIL.

Local storm report, Jul 7, 3:23 PM EDT, 2 hours 26 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
237 PM EDT MON JUL 07 1997

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0152 PM    GOSHEN                    CT   .75 INCH HAIL
07/07/97   LITCHFIELD                     DIME SIZE HAIL.

0211 PM    MONTEREY                  MA   .75 INCH HAIL
07/07/97   BERKSHIRE                      DIME SIZE HAIL.

Special weather statement, Jul 7, 5:37 PM EDT, 12 minutes before

VTZ013-014-MAZ001-CTZ001-072300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
537 PM EDT MON JUL 7 1997

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR BENNINGTON AND WINDHAM COUNTIES
IN SOUTHERN VERMONT...FOR BERKSHIRE COUNTY MASSACHUSETTS...AND FOR
LITCHFIELD COUNTY CONNECTICUT HAS BEEN CANCELED...

AT 535 PM A FEW THUNDERSTORMS REMAINED OVER BERKSHIRE COUNTY BUT THE
MAIN THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAS WAS NOW EAST OF WESTERN NEW
ENGLAND.

GG

Special weather statement, Jul 7, 5:38 PM EDT, 11 minutes before

VTZ013-014-MAZ001-CTZ001-072300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
537 PM EDT MON JUL 7 1997

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR BENNINGTON AND WINDHAM COUNTIES
IN SOUTHERN VERMONT...FOR BERKSHIRE COUNTY MASSACHUSETTS...AND FOR
LITCHFIELD COUNTY CONNECTICUT HAS BEEN CANCELED...

AT 535 PM A FEW THUNDERSTORMS REMAINED OVER BERKSHIRE COUNTY BUT THE
MAIN THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAS WAS NOW EAST OF WESTERN NEW
ENGLAND.

GG

The office that day

Everything else NWS Albany, NY issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 7, 2:12 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ALY	Berkshire	63 min
Jul 7, 6:40 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ALY	Berkshire	65 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Massachusetts, 1997 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997

Sources

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