Alert archive / Massachusetts / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 60, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

July 17, 1997Worcester County, Massachusetts

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 17, 1997, 8:10 PM EDT for Worcester County, Massachusetts. It was in force for 65 min. 2 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 17, 1997, 8:10 PM EDT (00:10 UTC)
Expired
Jul 17, 1997, 9:15 PM EDT
In force
65 min
Issued by
NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area
Whole counties

County Worcester County, MA

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 17, 8:21 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50Hardwick, MA
Jul 17, 8:25 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50Athol, MAAlso affected Phillipston.

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, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 162 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 1997-07-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1124 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 00:00Z on 1997-07-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 75 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
1124 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-91 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1217 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
75 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
53 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
2.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBOS 180011 RRA
SVRBOS
MAC027-180115-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
810 PM EDT THU JUL 17 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  915 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS
 
   ...WORCESTER COUNTY
 
AT 808 PM EDT WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO WORCESTER COUNTY. THESE STORMS WERE HEADING
EAST AT 30 TO 40 MPH AND WILL AFFECT HUBBARDSTON...BARRE...HARDWICK AND
NEW BRAINTREE BETWEEN 815 AND 830 PM.
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A
STRONG BUILDING.  DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.
 
 
DCY/MAG

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.