Alert archive / Massachusetts / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 36, NWS Albany, NY

July 9, 1997Berkshire County, Massachusetts

NWS Albany, NY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 9, 1997, 2:23 PM EDT for Berkshire County, Massachusetts. It was in force for 52 min. 4 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 9, 1997, 2:23 PM EDT (18:23 UTC)
Expired
Jul 9, 1997, 3:15 PM EDT
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS Albany, NY
Area
Whole counties

County Berkshire County, MA

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 9, 2:40 PM EDTThunderstorm WindLee, MA
Jul 9, 2:50 PM EDTThunderstorm WindLee, MA
Jul 9, 3:10 PM EDTThunderstorm WindGreat Barrington, MA
Jul 9, 3:20 PM EDTThunderstorm WindStockbridge, 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jul 9, 1:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Albany, NY (KALY), launched 12:00Z, 6.4 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Albany, NY at 12:00Z on 1997-07-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1101 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 1997-07-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 122 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
1101 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-82 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
936 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
122 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
146 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
4.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KALB 091824 RRA
SVRALB
MAC003-091915-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
223 PM EDT WED JUL 9 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBANY NY  HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  315 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN WEST MASSACHUSETTS
 
   ...BERKSHIRE COUNTY
 
 
AT 220 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM JUST EAST OF HOUSATONIC.
 
THIS STORM IS MOVING EAST ABOUT 30 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL BE NEAR -
 
LEE AT  225 PM.
 
 
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS.  DON'T USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICDAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED.  MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
 
KL/HTS

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 9, 1:53 PM EDT, 30 minutes before
NEW YORK STATEWIDE POLICE INFORMATION NETWORK
TROOP F
0155PM     WED JUL 09 1997
FLPD WLSR APTS FULC FHIG
00878    FILE 28   TOWN OF LLOYD PD NY0555600                JUL 09-97
TO       ATTN SURROUNDING AGENCIES

         ************  R O A D        C L O S E D  **************

THE FOLLOWING ROAD WILL BE CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DUE TO A TRACTOR-

TRAILER VS NUMEROUS POLES/WIRES.  NORTH ROAD WILL BE CLOSED AT INTERSECTION

OF MAIN & NORTH RD TO INTERSECTION OF NORTH RD & GRAND ST.

CENTRAL HUDSON ON SCENE AT THIS TIME / PLEASE ADVISE ALL PERSONS NECESSARY

AUTH SGT SARGENT,W                               THOMAS 1354 HRS
OPER - THOMAS,MICHAEL J               1355

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 9, 3:11 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningALYBerkshire49 min
Jul 9, 3:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYBerkshire49 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Massachusetts, 1997Every 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.