Alert archive / Massachusetts / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 28, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

July 3, 1997Franklin County, Hampshire County, Massachusetts

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 3, 1997, 7:44 PM EDT for Franklin County, Hampshire County, Massachusetts. It was in force for 61 min. 1 report 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 3, 1997, 7:44 PM EDT (23:44 UTC)
Expired
Jul 3, 1997, 8:45 PM EDT
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Franklin County, MA, Hampshire County, MA

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 3, 7:45 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50Shutesbury, 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 3, 4:00 PM EDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Albany, NY (KALY), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 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 1997-07-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 901 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Albany, NY at 12:00Z on 1997-07-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 94 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
901 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-44 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
598 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
94 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
101 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
1.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBOS 032344 RRA
SVRBOS
MAC011-015-040045-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
744 PM EDT THU JUL 3 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  845 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN WEST MASSACHUSETTS
 
   ...FRANKLIN COUNTY...HAMPSHIRE COUNTY
 
AT 740 PM...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED A LINE OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS FROM WORTHINGTON TO NORTHFIELD. THIS LINE WILL AFFECT
HAMPSHIRE AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES THROUGH 845 PM. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS ARE LIKELY.
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
 
DV/GF

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 3, 5:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOXFranklin30 min
Jul 3, 6:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOXHampden, Hampshire65 min
Jul 3, 6:17 PM EDTTornado WarningBOXHampden58 min
Jul 3, 6:46 PM EDTTornado WarningBOXFranklin59 min
Jul 3, 6:48 PM EDTTornado WarningBOXHampshire57 min
Jul 3, 7:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOXHampden, Hampshire43 min
Jul 3, 7:37 PM EDTTornado WarningBOXWorcester53 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.