Alert archive / Massachusetts / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 42, NWS Boston/Norton, MA
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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 7, 8:30 PM EDT | Hail 0.75 | Tolland, MA | |
| Jul 7, 9:05 PM EDT | Hail 1.75 | Westfield, MA | |
| Jul 7, 9:07 PM EDT | Hail 0.75 | West 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.
- 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
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.