Alert archive / Massachusetts / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 30, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

July 3, 1997Middlesex County, Massachusetts

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 3, 1997, 9:37 PM EDT for Middlesex County, Massachusetts. It was in force for 68 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Jul 3, 1997, 9:37 PM EDT (01:37 UTC)
Expired: Jul 3, 1997, 10:45 PM EDT
In force: 68 min
Issued by: NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area: Whole counties

County Middlesex County, MA

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 63 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:37 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Chatham, MA (KCHH), launched 00:00Z, 1.6 hours before the alert went out and 148 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: 774 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -16 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 556 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 84 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 180 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 2.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBOS 040138 RRA
SVRBOS
MAC017-040245-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
937 PM EDT THU JUL 3 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1045 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS
 
   ...MIDDLESEX COUNTY
 
AT 932 PM...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING INTO WESTERN MIDDLESEX
COUNTY NEAR LITTLETON AND BOXBORO. SPOTTERS HAVE REPORTED DIME SIZE HAIL
WITH THIS STORM. THIS STORM WAS PART OF A LINE OF STORMS THAT WILL
CONTINUE EAST ACROSS MIDDLESEX COUNTY THROUGH 1015 PM AND AFFECT MUCH
OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY.
 
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.
 
DRV/GF
 
&

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 3, 8:00 PM EDT, 1 hour 37 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS
800 PM EDT THU JUl 3 1997

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

0640 PM    Heath                     MA   TORNADO. TORNADO
           FRANKLIN                       ON GROUND PER FIRE DEPT.

0645 PM    WALPOLE                   NH   WIND DAMAGE
           CHESHIRE                       TREES DOWN PER POLICE DEPT.

0650 PM    HINSDALE                  NH   WIND DAMAGE
           CHESHIRE                       POSSIBLE TORNADO

0709 PM    CHARLEMONT                MA   TORNADO. TORNADO
           FRANKLIN                       ON GROUND ON RTE 2
                                          PER EMERGENCY PERSONNEL

0710 PM    CHARLEMONT                MA   WIND DAMAGE
           FRANKLIN                       WIRES DOWN

0710 PM    ALSTEAD                   NH   WIND DAMAGE
           CHESHIRE                       TREES AND WIRES DOWN

AED

Local storm report, Jul 3, 8:04 PM EDT, 1 hour 33 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS
800 PM EDT THU JUl 3 1997

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

0640 PM    Heath                     MA   TORNADO. TORNADO
           FRANKLIN                       ON GROUND PER FIRE DEPT.

0645 PM    WALPOLE                   NH   WIND DAMAGE
           CHESHIRE                       TREES DOWN PER POLICE DEPT.

0650 PM    HINSDALE                  NH   WIND DAMAGE
           CHESHIRE                       POSSIBLE TORNADO

0709 PM    CHARLEMONT                MA   TORNADO. TORNADO
           FRANKLIN                       ON GROUND ON RTE 2
                                          PER EMERGENCY PERSONNEL

0710 PM    CHARLEMONT                MA   WIND DAMAGE
           FRANKLIN                       WIRES DOWN

0710 PM    ALSTEAD                   NH   WIND DAMAGE
       &    CHESHIRE                       TREES AND WIRES DOWN

AED

Local storm report, Jul 3, 8:15 PM EDT, 1 hour 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS
815 PM EDT THU JUl 3 1997

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

0640 PM    HEATH                     MA   TORNADO. TORNADO
           FRANKLIN                       ON GROUND PER FIRE DEPT.

0645 PM    WALPOLE                   NH   WIND DAMAGE
           CHESHIRE                       TREES DOWN PER POLICE DEPT.

0650 PM    HINSDALE                  NH   WIND DAMAGE
           CHESHIRE                       POSSIBLE TORNADO

0709 PM    CHARLEMONT                MA   TORNADO. TORNADO
           FRANKLIN                       ON GROUND ON RTE 2
                                          PER EMERGENCY PERSONNEL

0710 PM    CHARLEMONT                MA   WIND DAMAGE
           FRANKLIN                       WIRES DOWN

0710 PM    ALSTEAD                   NH   WIND DAMAGE
           CHESHIRE                       TREES AND WIRES DOWN

0710 PM    SWANSEY                   NH   WIND DAMAGE
           CHESHIRE                       TREES UPROOTED

0713 PM    KEENE                     NH   TORNADO. TORNADO RTE 12
           CHESHIRE                       SOUTH OF KEENE...BUILDING
                                          DESTROYED ON FAIR GROUND.
                                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC

0715 PM    MARLO                     NH   TREES DOWN
           CHESHIRE

0740 PM    MARLBOROUGH               NH   BUILDING COLLAPSED,
           CHESHIRE                       TREES UPROOTED

AED

Local storm report, Jul 3, 8:18 PM EDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS
815 PM EDT THU JUl 3 1997

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

0640 PM    HEATH                     MA   TORNADO. TORNADO
           FRANKLIN                       ON GROUND PER FIRE DEPT.

0645 PM    WALPOLE                   NH   WIND DAMAGE
           CHESHIRE                       TREES DOWN PER POLICE DEPT.

0650 PM    HINSDALE                  NH   WIND DAMAGE
           CHESHIRE                       POSSIBLE TORNADO

0709 PM    CHARLEMONT                MA   TORNADO. TORNADO
           FRANKLIN                       ON GROUND ON RTE 2
                                          PER EMERGENCY PERSONNEL

0710 PM    CHARLEMONT                MA   WIND DAMAGE
           FRANKLIN                       WIRES DOWN

0710 PM    ALSTEAD                   NH   WIND DAMAGE
           CHESHIRE                       TREES AND WIRES DOWN

0710 PM    SWANSEY                   NH   WIND DAMAGE
           CHESHIRE                       TREES UPROOTED

0713 PM    KEENE                     NH   TORNADO. TORNADO RTE 12
           CHESHIRE                       SOUTH OF KEENE...BUILDING
                                          DESTROYED ON FAIR GROUND.
                                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC

0715 PM    MARLO                     NH   TREES DOWN
    R       CHESHIRE

0740 PM    MARLBOROUGH               NH   BUILDING COLLAPSED,
           CHESHIRE                       TREES UPROOTED

AED

Local storm report, Jul 3, 8:55 PM EDT, 42 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS
855 PM EDT THU JUl 3 1997

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

0640 PM    HEATH                     MA   TORNADO. TORNADO
           FRANKLIN                       ON GROUND PER FIRE DEPT.

0645 PM    WALPOLE                   NH   WIND DAMAGE
           CHESHIRE                       TREES DOWN PER POLICE DEPT.

0650 PM    HINSDALE                  NH   WIND DAMAGE
           CHESHIRE                       POSSIBLE TORNADO

0703 PM    CHARLEMONT                MA   TORNADO. TORNADO
           FRANKLIN                       ON GROUND ON RTE 2
                                          PER EMERGENCY PERSONNEL
                                          (TIME OF EVENT CORRECTED)

0710 PM    CHARLEMONT                MA   WIND DAMAGE
           FRANKLIN                       WIRES DOWN

0710 PM    ALSTEAD                   NH   WIND DAMAGE
           CHESHIRE                       TREES AND WIRES DOWN

0710 PM    SWANSEY                   NH   WIND DAMAGE
           CHESHIRE                       TREES UPROOTED

0713 PM    KEENE                     NH   TORNADO. TORNADO RTE 12
           CHESHIRE                       SOUTH OF KEENE...BUILDING
                                          DESTROYED ON FAIR GROUND.
                                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC

0715 PM    MARLO                     NH   TREES DOWN
           CHESHIRE

0740 PM    MARLBOROUGH               NH   BUILDING COLLAPSED,
           CHESHIRE                       TREES UPROOTED

0743 PM    KEENE                     NH   TORNADO. TORNADO ON GROUND
           CHESHIRE                       WITH SEVERAL BUILDINGS
                                          DESTROYED. REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTER.

0800 PM    GREENFIELD                NH   TORNADO. TORNADO DAMAGED A
           HILLSBOROUGH                   RECYCLING CENTER. REPORTED
                                          BY SPOTTER.

AED

Local storm report, Jul 3, 8:56 PM EDT, 41 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS
855 PM EDT THU JUl 3 1997

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

0640 PM    HEATH                     MA   TORNADO. TORNADO
           FRANKLIN                       ON GROUND PER FIRE DEPT.

0645 PM    WALPOLE                   NH   WIND DAMAGE
           CHESHIRE                       TREES DOWN PER POLICE DEPT.

0650 PM    HINSDALE                  NH   WIND DAMAGE
           CHESHIRE                       POSSIBLE TORNADO

0703 PM    CHARLEMONT                MA   TORNADO. TORNADO
           FRANKLIN                       ON GROUND ON RTE 2
                                          PER EMERGENCY PERSONNEL
                                          (TIME OF EVENT CORRECTED)

0710 PM    CHARLEMONT                MA   WIND DAMAGE
           FRANKLIN                       WIRES DOWN

0710 PM    ALSTEAD                   NH   WIND DAMAGE
           CHESHIRE                       TREES AND WIRES DOWN

0710 PM    SWANSEY                   NH   WIND DAMAGE
           CHESHIRE                       TREES UPROOTED

0713 PM    KEENE                     NH   TORNADO. TORNADO RTE 12
           CHESHIRE                       SOUTH OF KEENE...BUILDING
                                          DESTROYED ON FAIR GROUND.
                                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC

0715 PM    MARLO                     NH   TREES DOWN
           CHESHIRE

0740 PM    MARLBOROUGH               NH   BUILDING COLLAPSED,
           CHESHIRE                       TREES UPROOTED

0743 PM    KEENE                     NH   TORNADO. TORNADO ON GROUND
           CHESHIRE                       WITH SEVERAL BUILDINGS
                                          DESTROYED. REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTER.

0800 PM    GREENFIELD                NH   TORNADO. TORNADO DAMAGED A
           HILLSBOROUGH                   RECYCLING CENTER. REPORTED
                                          BY SPOTTER.

AED

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 3, 8:27 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	BOX	Franklin, Worcester	63 min
Jul 3, 8:44 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Hampshire	61 min
Jul 3, 8:49 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	BOX	Franklin	3 hr
Jul 3, 10:06 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Bristol, Plymouth	69 min
Jul 3, 11:23 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Barnstable	52 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.