Alert archive / Massachusetts / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 42, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

July 7, 1997Hampden County, Massachusetts

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 7, 1997, 8:21 PM EDT for Hampden County, Massachusetts. It was in force for 69 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, 8:21 PM EDT (00:21 UTC)
Expired
Jul 7, 1997, 9:30 PM EDT
In force
69 min
Issued by
NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area
Whole counties

County Hampden County, MA

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 125 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:23 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 7, 8:30 PM EDTHail 0.75Tolland, MA
Jul 7, 9:05 PM EDTHail 1.75Westfield, MA
Jul 7, 9:07 PM EDTHail 0.75West Springfield, 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 nearest sounding before it

Albany, NY (KALY), launched 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 116 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 00:00Z on 1997-07-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 378 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 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 00:00Z on 1997-07-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 8 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 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
378 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-59 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1618 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
8 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
79 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBOS 080019 RRA
SVRBOS
MAC013-080130-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
821 PM EDT MON JUL 7 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  930 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN WEST MASSACHUSETTS
 
   ...WESTERN HAMPDEN COUNTY
 
AT 820 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM NEAR THE TOWN OF OTIS IN BERKSHIRE COUNTY. THIS STORM HAS A
HISTORY OF PRODUCING DIME SIZE HAIL IN BERKSHIRE COUNTY AND TORRENTIAL
RAIN. THE STORM IS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH AND WILL BE MOVING INTO
THE TOWNS OF CHESTER...BLANDFORD AND TOLLAND BY 830 PM.
 
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 QUICKPLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.
 
JL/RMT

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, Jul 7, 5:32 PM EDT, 2 hours 49 minutes before
NHZ011-012-MAZ002>021-CTZ002>004-RIZALL-072230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
532 PM EDT MON JUL 7 1997

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH THAT HAD COVERED MOST OF
MASSACHUSETTS...SOUTHWEST NEW HAMPSHIRE...CONNECTICUT AND RHODE
ISLAND HAS BEEN CANCELED...

THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAS ENDED.  ALTHOUGH A FEW MORE
SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE INTO THE EARLY
EVENING HOURS...DAMAGING WIND OR LARGE HAIL IS NOT EXPECTED.

ANOTHER ROUND OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE EARLY TUESDAY
NIGHT OVER THE CONNECTICUT RIVER VALLEY OF MASSACHUSETTS AND
NORTHERN CONNECTICUT.

THOMPSON
Special weather statement, Jul 7, 5:33 PM EDT, 2 hours 48 minutes before
NHZ011-012-MAZ002>021-CTZ002>004-RIZALL-072230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
532 PM EDT MON JUL 7 1997

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH THAT HAD COVERED MOST OF
MASSACHUSETTS...SOUTHWEST NEW HAMPSHIRE...CONNECTICUT AND RHODE
ISLAND HAS BEEN CANCELED...

THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAS ENDED.  ALTHOUGH A FEW MORE
SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE INTO THE EARLY
EVENING HOURS...DAMAGING WIND OR LARGfE HAIL IS NOT EXPECTED.

ANOTHER ROUND OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE EARLY TUESDAY
NIGHT OVER THE CONNECTICUT RIVER VALLEY OF MASSACHUSETTS AND
NORTHERN CONNECTICUT.

THOMPSON
Local storm report, Jul 7, 6:15 PM EDT, 2 hours 6 minutes before
MAZALL-NHZALL-081200-

LOCAL STORM REPORT - PRELIMINARY JULY 3 DAMAGE SURVEY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE - TAUNTON MA
615 PM EDT MON JUL 7 1997

THE FOLLOWING IS A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF THE DAMAGE THAT OCCURRED
THURSDAY NIGHT...JULY 3 1997...IN CHESHIRE AND HILLSBOROUGH COUNTIES IN
SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND FRANKLIN COUNTY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS.   THIS
INFORMATION IS BASED ON NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEYS WHICH TOOK PLACE
IN THESE AREAS ON FRIDAY JULY 4TH. WE STILL ARE AWAITING AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS
AND WE ARE REVIEWING ADDITIONAL REPORTS WHICH WE ARE RECEIVING.
THUS...THIS IS A PRELIMINARY REPORT.  IF ANY CHANGES ARE NEEDED...AN
UPDATED REPORT WILL BE ISSUED LATER IN THE WEEK.

ONE LONG LIVED THUNDERSTORM CELL PRODUCED A TORNADO IN HEATH
MASSACHUSETTS...A MICROBURST IN HINSDALE NEW HAMPSHIRE...A COMBINATION OF A
MICROBURST AND TORNADO IN SWANZEY NEW HAMPSHIRE...AND THEN A STRONGER
TORNADO IN GREENFIELD NEW HAMPSHIRE.  A SECOND STORM PRODUCED A TORNADO IN
CHARLEMONT AND COLRAIN IN MASSACHUSETTS.

HEATH MA...FRANKLIN COUNTY...

A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AROUND 600 PM SOUTH OF UNDERWOOD HILL ROAD AND
BETWEEN SUMNER STETSON ROAD AND NUMBER NINE ROAD.  IT CONTINUED TO THE EAST
NORTHEAST AND ENDED IN THE H.O. COOK STATE FOREST.

MANY LARGE TREES WERE SNAPPED AT THEIR MID LEVELS.   ON SUMNER STETSON
ROAD...A SILO WAS DESTROYED AND PART OF THE ROOF OF THE ATTACHED BARN WAS
PEELED BACK.  A HAY TRACTOR WAS FLIPPED OVER WITH ITS WHEELS IN THE AIR.
ACROSS THE STREET...DOORS TO A GARAGE WERE BLOWN IN AND THE ROOF OF THE
GARAGE WAS PARTIALLY RIPPED OFF.  THE TORNADO MOSTLY AFFECTED WOODED
TERRAIN...ESPECIALLY THE HILL TOPS.

THE TORNADO DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH A RATING OF F1 ON THE FUJITA
SCALE...WITH WIND SPEEDS ESTIMATED AT 73 TO 112 MPH.  THE PATH LENGTH WAS
APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES...BUT IT WAS NOT CONTINUOUS.  THE PATH WIDTH WAS UP
TO 100 YARDS.  THERE WERE NO REPORTED INJURIES.

HINSDALE NH...CHESHIRE COUNTY

A MICROBURST OCCURRED IN HINSDALE NH AS EVIDENCED BY TREE DAMAGE.
THIS OCCURRED AT APPROXIMATELY 650 PM.

SWANZEY NH...CHESHIRE COUNTY...

IT APPEARS THAT BOTH A MICROBURST AND A WEAK TORNADO AFFECTED THE TOWN OF
SWANZEY...JUST SOUTH OF KEENE...FROM 713 PM TO 718 PM.  THE DAMAGE STARTED
NEAR MOUNT CAESAR TO THE WEST OF EATON ROAD AND JUST SOUTH OF CENTERVIEW
DRIVE IN SWANZEY CENTER.  THE DAMAGE THEN CONTINUED NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS
ROUTE 32 AND ROUTE 12...WHERE IT DESTROYED A HORSE BARN AND DAMAGED AN ICE
ARENA AT THE CHESHIRE FAIRGROUNDS.  THE DAMAGE PATH ENDED JUST TO THE EAST
OF ROUTE 12.

AT THE CHESHIRE FAIRGROUNDS...A HORSE BARN CONSTRUCTED OF WOOD AND
ALUMINUM...WAS DESTROYED.  ELECTRICAL WIRES FROM INSIDE THE BUILDING WERE
STREWN ON THE GROUND AND PIECES OF ALUMINUM WERE WRAPPED AROUND STREET
LAMPS.  TWO-BY-FOURS WERE DRIVEN INTO THE METAL SIDES AND ROOF OF THE ICE
ARENA.  A SHED WAS TOPPLED.  THE OWNER OF THE FAIRGROUNDS ESTIMATED DAMAGE
AT APPROXIMATELY $500,000.

ONE PERSON WAS SLIGHTLY INJURED BY FRAGMENTS OF GLASS WHEN CAR WINDOWS WERE
BLOWN IN...BUT HOSPITAL TREATMENT WAS NOT REQUIRED.

MANY TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN OR UPROOTED...INCLUDING SOME  LARGE TREES.  FROM
THE GROUND IT APPEARED THAT MOST TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN IN ONE
DIRECTION...FROM THE SOUTHWEST TO THE NORTHEAST. PRELIMINARY INPUT FROM AN
AERIAL SURVEY ALSO INDICATED THAT THE TREES APPEARED TO BE BLOWN DOWN IN
ONE DIRECTION.   THIS IS ONE INDICATION THAT THIS EVENT WAS PRIMARILY A
MICROBURST.

HOWEVER...THERE ALSO WERE A FEW SIGNS OF TORNADIC ROTATION.  AT ONE HOME
JUST NORTH OF MOUNT CAESAR CEMETERY...TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN IN A CONVERGENT
PATTERN.  ALSO...THE TWO-BY-FOURS DRIVEN INTO THE FAIRGROUNDS WERE DRIVEN
IN AT AN ANGLE SOME 45 DEGREES DIFFERENT THAN THAT OF THE FALLEN TREES.
THERE WAS SOME WEAK EVIDENCE OF ROTATION JUST TO THE EAST OF ROUTE 12 WHERE
THE DAMAGE ENDED.

THUS...OUR ASSESSMENT IS THAT A MICROBURST OCCURRED IN SWANZEY ALONG WITH A
WEAK TORNADO WITH A RATING OF F1 ON THE FUJITA DAMAGE SCALE.   F1 TORNADOES
HAVE ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS OF 73 TO 112 MPH.  THE TORNADO PATH LENGTH WAS 2
MILES WITH A PATH WIDTH OF 100 YARDS.  THERE WAS ONE MINOR INJURY.

GREENFIELD NH...HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY...

A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE TOWN OF GREENFIELD
JUST TO THE WEST OF OTTER LAKE AT ABOUT 755 PM.  IT THEN CUT A PATH OF
DESTRUCTION AS IT MOVED TO THE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE NORTHERN PORTION OF
OTTER LAKE...THROUGH CAMP UNION...ACROSS ROUTE 31 WHERE IT DAMAGED A
SAWMILL AND A RECYCLING FACILITY...ENDING AT CROTCHED MOUNTAIN AT
APPROXIMATELY 800 PM..

THE SAWMILL WAS A WOODEN STRUCTURE WITH AN ALUMINUM ROOF.  THIS FACILITY
WAS TORN APART WITH A PART OF THE FRAME LYING ON TOP OF A PARKED CAR.
PIECES OF METAL WERE SEEN WRAPPED AROUND FALLEN TREES ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE
OF ROUTE 31.  AT THE RECYCLING FACILITY...WHICH WAS ALSO A WOOD
STRUCTURE...THE MAIN WALL WAS BLOWN OVER WITH THE NAILS THAT HAD HELD IT
TOGETHER POINTING UPWARD TO THE SKY.  THE SHED IN WHICH  PEOPLE DEPOSIT
RECYCLED GOODS WAS BLOWN DOWN AND TURNED IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION LEAVING
THE STEPS THAT LED UP TO IT EXPOSED.  THERE WERE MANY LARGE TREES WHICH
WERE SAWED OFF NEAR THEIR BASES AND HUNDREDS OF LARGE TREES THAT WERE SAWED
OFF NEAR THEIR TOPS.   TO THE NORTHEAST OF OTTER LAKE...ONE COULD SEE A
PORTION OF FOREST WHERE TREES WERE COMPLETELY FLATTENED AND LYING IN
DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.

THE DAMAGE WE SAW WOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH A RATING OF F2 ON THE FUJITA
TORNADO DAMAGE CLASSIFICATION SCALE.   F2 TORNADOES HAVE ESTIMATED WIND
SPEEDS OF 113 TO 157 MPH.   THE PATH LENGTH WAS 2 MILES WITH A PATH WIDTH
OF APPROXIMATELY 250 YARDS.  THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED ALTHOUGH A
PERSON AT THE RECYCLING CENTER WAS SHAKEN UP AS IT WAS HAPPENING.

CHARLEMONT AND COLRAIN MA...FRANKLIN COUNTY...

A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT 700 PM IN THE EASTERN PART OF CHARLEMONT...TO THE
EAST OF AVERY BROOK.  IT TRAVELED EAST...CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE COUNTRY AIRE
CAMPGROUND.  FIFTEEN TRAILERS WERE DAMAGED AT THE CAMPGROUND DUE TO FALLEN
TREES AND FLYING DEBRIS.  TWO OF THE TRAILERS WERE SEVERELY DAMAGED AND ONE
WAS DESTROYED WITH SEVEN TREES ON TOP OF IT.   THERE WERE EYEWITNESS
REPORTS OF ROTATION IN THE CLOUDS AND DEBRIS.

THE TORNADO REPORTEDLY MOVED THROUGH THE CATAMOUNT STATE FOREST AND INTO
THE TOWN OF COLRAIN...HOWEVER DETAILS REMAIN SKETCHY AT THIS TIME.

THE TORNADO HAD A DAMAGE RATING OF F1 ON THE FUJITA SCALE. F1 TORNADOES
HAVE ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS OF 73 TO 112 MPH. THE PATH LENGTH WAS AT LEAST 3
MILES...BUT DISCONTINUOUS...MOSTLY AFFECTING THE HIGHER TERRAIN.  BASED ON
INFORMATION AVAILABLE THUS FAR...THE PATH WIDTH WAS ESTIMATED AT 50 YARDS.
NO DIRECT INJURIES WERE REPORTED FROM THE STORM...HOWEVER ONE WOMAN
SUFFERED A BROKEN RIB WHILE RUNNING TO AVOID THE STORM AT THE CAMPGROUND.

FIELD/VALLIER-TALBOT/THOMPSON
Local storm report, Jul 7, 6:24 PM EDT, 1 hour 57 minutes before
MAZALL-NHZALL-081200-

LOCAL STORM REPORT - PRELIMINARY JULY 3 DAMAGE SURVEY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE - TAUNTON MA
615 PM EDT MON JUL 7 1997

THE FOLLOWING IS A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF THE DAMAGE THAT OCCURRED
THURSDAY NIGHT...JULY 3 1997...IN CHESHIRE AND HILLSBOROUGH COUNTIES IN
SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND FRANKLIN COUNTY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS.   THIS
INFORMATION IS BASED ON NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEYS WHICH TOOK PLACE
IN THESE AREAS ON FRIDAY JULY 4TH. WE STILL ARE AWAITING AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS
AND WE ARE REVIEWING ADDITIONAL REPORTS WHICH WE ARE RECEIVING.
THUS...THIS IS A PRELIMINARY REPORT.  IF ANY CHANGES ARE NEEDED...AN
UPDATED REPORT WILL BE ISSUED LATER IN THE WEEK.

ONE LONG LIVED THUNDERSTORM CELL PRODUCED A TORNADO IN HEATH
MASSACHUSETTS...A MICROBURST IN HINSDALE NEW HAMPSHIRE...A COMBINATION OF A
MICROBURST AND TORNADO IN SWANZEY NEW HAMPSHIRE...AND THEN A STRONGER
TORNADO IN GREENFIELD NEW HAMPSHIRE.  A SECOND STORM PRODUCED A TORNADO IN
CHARLEMONT AND COLRAIN IN MASSACHUSETTS.

HEATH MA...FRANKLIN COUNTY...

A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AROUND 600 PM SOUTH OF UNDERWOOD HILL ROAD AND
BETWEEN SUMNER STETSON ROAD AND NUMBER NINE ROAD.  IT CONTINUED TO THE EAST
NORTHEAST AND ENDED IN THE H.O. COOK STATE FOREST.

MANY LARGE TREES WERE SNAPPED AT THEIR MID LEVELS.   ON SUMNER STETSON
ROAD...A SILO WAS DESTROYED AND PART OF THE ROOF OF THE ATTACHED BARN WAS
PEELED BACK.  A HAY TRACTOR WAS FLIPPED OVER WITH ITS WHEELS IN THE AIR.
ACROSS THE STREET...DOORS TO A GARAGE WERE BLOWN IN AND THE ROOF OF THE
GARAGE WAS PARTIALLY RIPPED OFF.  THE TORNADO MOSTLY AFFECTED WOODED
TERRAIN...ESPECIALLY THE HILL TOPS.

THE TORNADO DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH A RATING OF F1 ON THE FUJITA
SCALE...WITH WIND SPEEDS ESTIMATED AT 73 TO 112 MPH.  THE PATH LENGTH WAS
APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES...BUT IT WAS NOT CONTINUOUS.  THE PATH WIDTH WAS UP
TO 100 YARDS.  THERE WERE NO REPORTED INJURIES.

HINSDALE NH...CHESHIRE COUNTY

A MICROBURST OCCURRED IN HINSDALE NH AS EVIDENCED BY TREE DAMAGE.
THIS OCCURRED AT APPROXIMATELY 650 PM.

SWANZEY NH...CHESHIRE COUNTY...

IT APPEARS THAT BOTH A MICROBURST AND A WEAK TORNADO AFFECTED THE TOWN OF
SWANZEY...JUST SOUTH OF KEENE...FROM 713 PM TO 718 PM.  THE DAMAGE STARTED
NEAR MOUNT CAESAR TO THE WEST OF EATON ROAD AND JUST SOUTH OF CENTERVIEW
DRIVE IN SWANZEY CENTER.  THE DAMAGE THEN CONTINUED NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS
ROUTE 32 AND ROUTE 12...WHERE IT DESTROYED A HORSE BARN AND DAMAGED AN ICE
ARENA AT THE CHESHIRE FAIRGROUNDS.  THE DAMAGE PATH ENDED JUST TO THE EAST
OF ROUTE 12.

AT THE CHESHIRE FAIRGROUNDS...A HORSE BARN CONSTRUCTED OF WOOD AND
ALUMINUM...WAS DESTROYED.  ELECTRICAL WIRES FROM INSIDE THE BUILDING WERE
STREWN ON THE GROUND AND PIECES OF ALUMINUM WERE WRAPPED AROUND STREET
LAMPS.  TWO-BY-FOURS WERE DRIVEN INTO THE METAL SIDES AND ROOF OF THE ICE
ARENA.  A SHED WAS TOPPLED.  THE OWNER OF THE FAIRGROUNDS ESTIMATED DAMAGE
AT APPROXIMATELY $500,000.

ONE PERSON WAS SLIGHTLY INJURED BY FRAGMENTS OF GLASS WHEN CAR WINDOWS WERE
BLOWN IN...BUT HOSPITAL TREATMENT WAS NOT REQUIRED.

MANY TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN OR UPROOTED...INCLUDING SOME  LARGE TREES.  FROM
THE GROUND IT APPEARED THAT MOST TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN IN ONE
DIRECTION...FROM THE SOUTHWEST TO THE NORTHEAST. PRELIMINARY INPUT FROM AN
AERIAL SURVEY ALSO INDICATED THAT THE TREES APPEARED TO BE BLOWN DOWN IN
ONE DIRECTION.   THIS IS ONE INDICATION THAT THIS EVENT WAS PRIMARILY A
MICROBURST.

HOWEVER...THERE ALSO WERE A FEW SIGNS OF TORNADIC ROTATION.  AT ONE HOME
JUST NORTH OF MOUNT CAESAR CEMETERY...TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN IN A CONVERGENT
PATTERN.  ALSO...THE TWO-BY-FOURS DRIVEN INTO THE FAIRGROUNDS WERE DRIVEN
IN AT AN ANGLE SOME 45 DEGREES DIFFERENT THAN THAT OF THE FALLEN TREES.
THERE WAS SOME WEAK EVIDENCE OF ROTATION JUST TO THE EAST OF ROUTE 12 WHERE
THE DAMAGE ENDED.

THUS...OUR ASSESSMENT IS THAT A MICROBURST OCCURRED IN SWANZEY ALONG WITH A
WEAK TORNADO WITH A RATING OF F1 ON THE FUJITA DAMAGE SCALE.   F1 TORNADOES
HAVE ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS OF 73 TO 112 MPH.  THE TORNADO PATH LENGTH WAS 2
MILES WITH A PATH WIDTH OF 100 YARDS.  THERE WAS ONE MINOR INJURY.

GREENFIELD NH...HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY...

A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE TOWN OF GREENFIELD
JUST TO THE WEST OF OTTER LAKE AT ABOUT 755 PM.  IT THEN CUT A PATH OF
DESTRUCTION AS IT MOVED TO THE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE NORTHERN PORTION OF
OTTER LAKE...THROUGH CAMP UNION...ACROSS ROUTE 31 WHERE IT DAMAGED A
SAWMILL AND A RECYCLING FACILITY...ENDING AT CROTCHED MOUNTAIN AT
APPROXIMATELY 800 PM..

THE SAWMILL WAS A WOODEN STRUCTURE WITH AN ALUMINUM ROOF.  THIS FACILITY
WAS TORN APART WITH A PART OF THE FRAME LYING ON TOP OF A PARKED CAR.
PIECES OF METAL WERE SEEN WRAPPED AROUND FALLEN TREES ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE
OF ROUTE 31.  AT THE RECYCLING FACILITY...WHICH WAS ALSO A WOOD
STRUCTURE...THE MAIN WALL WAS BLOWN OVER WITH THE NAILS THAT HAD HELD IT
TOGETHER POINTING UPWARD TO THE SKY.  THE SHED IN WHICH  PEOPLE DEPOSIT
RECYCLED GOODS WAS BLOWN DOWN AND TURNED IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION LEAVING
THE STEPS THAT LED UP TO IT EXPOSED.  THERE WERE MANY LARGE TREES WHICH
WERE SAWED OFF NEAR THEIR BASES AND HUNDREDS OF LARGE TREES THAT WERE SAWED
OFF NEAR THEIR TOPS.   TO THE NORTHEAST OF OTTER LAKE...ONE COULD SEE A
PORTION OF FOREST WHERE TREES WERE COMPLETELY FLATTENED AND LYING IN
DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.

THE DAMAGE WE SAW WOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH A RATING OF F2 ON THE FUJITA
TORNADO DAMAGE CLASSIFICATION SCALE.   F2 TORNADOES HAVE ESTIMATED WIND
SPEEDS OF 113 TO 157 MPH.   THE PATH LENGTH WAS 2 MILES WITH A PATH WIDTH
OF APPROXIMATELY 250 YARDS.  THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED ALTHOUGH A
PERSON AT THE RECYCLING CENTER WAS SHAKEN UP AS IT WAS HAPPENING.

CHARLEMONT AND COLRAIN MA...FRANKLIN COUNTY...

A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT 700 PM IN THE EASTERN PART OF CHARLEMONT...TO THE
EAST OF AVERY BROOK.  IT TRAVELED EAST...CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE COUNTRY AIRE
CAMPGROUND.  FIFTEEN TRAILERS WERE DAMAGED AT THE CAMPGROUND DUE TO FALLEN
TREES AND FLYING DEBRIS.  TWO OF THE TRAILERS WERE SEVERELY DAMAGED AND ONE
WAS DESTROYED WITH SEVEN TREES ON TOP OF IT.   THERE WERE EYEWITNESS
REPORTS OF ROTATION IN THE CLOUDS AND DEBRIS.

THE TORNADO REPORTEDLY MOVED THROUGH THE CATAMOUNT STATE FOREST AND INTO
THE TOWN OF COLRAIN...HOWEVER DETAILS REMAIN SKETCHY AT THIS TIME.

THE TORNADO HAD A DAMAGE RATING OF F1 ON THE FUJITA SCALE. F1 TORNADOES
HAVE ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS OF 73 TO 112 MPH. THE PATH LENGTH WAS AT LEAST 3
MILES...BUT DISCONTINUOUS...MOSTLY AFFECTING THE HIGHER TERRAIN.  BASED ON
INFORMATION AVAILABLE THUS FAR...THE PATH WIDTH WAS ESTIMATED AT 50 YARDS.
NO DIRECT INJURIES WERE REPORTED FROM THE STORM...HOWEVER ONE WOMAN
SUFFERED A BROKEN RIB WHILE RUNNING TO AVOID THE STORM AT THE CAMPGROUND.

FIELD/VALLIER-TALBOT/THOMPSON
Special weather statement, Jul 7, 7:10 PM EDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
MAZ501-080000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
710 PM EDT MON JUL 7 1997

...THE SPECIAL MARINE WARNING FOR MERRIMACK RIVER MASSACHUSETTS TO
GLOUCESTER HAS BEEN CANCELED...

THE THREAT OF WINDS GREATER THAN 35 KNOTS ASSOCIATED WITH
THUNDERSTORMS HAS ENDED.

JL
Special weather statement, Jul 7, 7:11 PM EDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before
MAZ501-080000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
710 PM EDT MON JUL 7 1997

...THE SPECIAL MARINE WARNING FOR MERRIMACK RIVER MASSACHUSETTS TO
GLOUCESTER HAS BEEN CANCELED...

THE THREAT OF WINDS GREATER THAN 35 KNOTS ASSOCIATED WITH
THUNDERSTORMS HAS ENDED.

JL

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.