Alert archive / Massachusetts / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 27, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

May 31, 1998Essex County, Massachusetts

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 31, 1998, 6:34 PM EDT for Essex County, Massachusetts. It was in force for 61 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
May 31, 1998, 6:34 PM EDT (22:34 UTC)
Expired
May 31, 1998, 7:35 PM EDT
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area
Whole counties

County Essex County, MA

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 79 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:34 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
May 31, 6:45 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50Haverhill, MA
May 31, 7:04 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50Methuen, 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
May 31, 5:45 PM EDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Chatham, MA (KCHH), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 131 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, Chatham, MA at 12:00Z on 1998-05-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Chatham, MA at 12:00Z on 1998-05-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 198 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2280 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
198 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
308 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBOS 312234 RRA
SVRBOS
ANZ250-MAC009-312335-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
634 PM EDT SUN MAY 31 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN ESSEX COUNTY INCLUDING ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS IN
  NORTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS

* UNTIL 735 PM EDT

* AT 628 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ON A LINE FROM NASHUA NEW HAMPSHIRE TO SHIRLEY
  MASSACHUSETTS... MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.

* TOWNS IN/NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
  ANDOVER...LAWRENCE AND METHUEN BY 640 PM
  REACHING THE EAST COAST OF THE COUNTY BY 7 PM

THESE STORMS HAV*E HAD A HISTORY OF PRODUCING WIDESPREAD WIND DAMAGE.

A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER
THAT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.

DRV/JL

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, May 31, 5:54 PM EDT, 40 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS
554 PM EDT SUN MAY 31 1998

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

0532 PM    WALPOLE                   NH   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   CHESHIRE                       TREES AND WIRES DOWN IN
                                          WALPOLE PER LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT
Local storm report, May 31, 6:00 PM EDT, 34 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS
600 PM EDT SUN MAY 31 1998

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

0558 PM    GREENFIELD                MA   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   FRANKLIN                       WIRES DOWN IN GREENFIELD.
                                          EARLIER ESTIMATED 68 MPH
                                          AT 545 PM EDT
Local storm report, May 31, 6:20 PM EDT, 14 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS
620 PM EDT SUN MAY 31 1998

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

1117 AM    GARDNER                   MA   .75 INCH HAIL
05/31/98   WORCESTER

1158 AM    CHELMSFORD CENTER         MA   .75 INCH HAIL
05/31/98   MIDDLESEX                      3-4 INCH DIAMETER TREES
                                          DOWN IN NEARBY LITTLETON
                                          AT NOON

1158 AM    PEABODY                   MA   .88 INCH HAIL
05/31/98   ESSEX

1208 PM    LOWELL                    MA   .88 INCH HAIL
05/31/98   MIDDLESEX

1210 PM    PEABODY                   MA   .75 INCH HAIL
05/31/98   ESSEX

0532 PM    WALPOLE                   NH   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   CHESHIRE                       TREES AND WIRES DOWN IN
                                          WALPOLE PER LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

0550 PM    SHELBURNE FALLS           MA   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   FRANKLIN                       NUMEROUS TREES AND WIRES
                                          DOWN

0558 PM    GREENFIELD                MA   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   FRANKLIN                       WIRES DOWN IN GREENFIELD.
                                          EARLIER ESTIMATED 68 MPH
                                          AT 545 PM EDT

0600 PM    WINCHESTER                NH   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   CHESHIRE                       TREES THROWN THROUGH
                                          HOUSES

0600 PM    KEENE                     NH   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   CHESHIRE                       POWER OUTAGES DUE TO WIND

0600 PM    WESTMORELAND              NH   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   CHESHIRE                       POWER OUTAGES DUE TO WIND

0600 PM    SWANZEY                   NH   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   CHESHIRE                       POWER OUTAGES DUE TO WIND

0600 PM    SULLIVAN                  NH   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   CHESHIRE                       POWER OUTAGES DUE TO WIND

0603 PM    ATHOL                     MA   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   WORCESTER                      LIMBS DOWN...SIZE UNKNOWN

0605 PM    SHELBURNE                 MA   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   FRANKLIN                       TREES DOWN ON ROUTE 2
Local storm report, May 31, 6:20 PM EDT, 14 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS
620 PM EDT SUN MAY 31 1998

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

1117 AM    GARDNER                   MA   .75 INCH HAIL
05/31/98   WORCESTER

1158 AM    CHELMSFORD CENTER         MA   .75 INCH HAIL
05/31/98   MIDDLESEX                      3-4 INCH DIAMETER TREES
                                          DOWN IN NEARBY LITTLETON
                                          AT NOON

1158 AM    PEABODY                   MA   .88 INCH HAIL
05/31/98   ESSEX

1208 PM    LOWELL                    MA   .88 INCH HAIL
05/31/98   MIDDLESEX

1210 PM    PEABODY                   MA   .75 INCH HAIL
05/31/98   ESSEX

0532 PM    WALPOLE                   NH   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   CHESHIRE                       TREES AND WIRES DOWN IN
                                          WALPOLE PER LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

0550 PM    SHELBURNE FALLS           MA   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   FRANKLIN                       NUMEROUS TREES AND WIRES
                                          DOWN

0558 PM    GREENFIELD                MA   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   FRANKLIN                       WIRES DOWN IN GREENFIELD.
                                          EARLIER ESTIMATED 68 MPH
                                          AT 545 PM EDT

0600 PM    WINCHESTER                NH   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   CHESHIRE                       TREES THROWN THROUGH
                                          HOUSES

0600 PM    KEENE                     NH   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   CHESHIRE                       POWER OUTAGES DUE TO WIND

0600 PM    WESTMORELAND              NH   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   CHESHIRE                       POWER OUTAGES DUE TO WIND

0600 PM    SWANZEY                   NH   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   CHESHIRE                       POWER OUTAGES DUE TO WIND

0600 PM    SULLIVAN                  NH   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   CHESHIRE                       POWER OUTAGES DUE TO WIND

0603 PM    ATHOL                     MA   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   WORCESTER                      LIMBS DOWN...SIZE UNKNOWN

0605 PM    SHELBURNE                 MA   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   FRANKLIN                       TREES DOWN ON ROUTE 2
Local storm report, May 31, 6:24 PM EDT, 10 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS
624 PM EDT SUN MAY 31 1998

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

0622 PM    TOWNSEND                  MA   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   MIDDLESEX                      ANEMOMETER SUSTAINED 55
                                          MPH...LIMBS DOWN
Local storm report, May 31, 6:30 PM EDT, 4 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS
630 PM EDT SUN MAY 31 1998

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

0610 PM    WINCHENDON                MA   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   WORCESTER                      WIND GUSTS 65 MPH
                                          ESTIMATED

0610 PM    NORTHFIELD                MA   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   FRANKLIN                       TREES DOWN AND POWER OUT

0620 PM    DEERFIELD                 MA   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   FRANKLIN                       1 TREE DOWN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 31, 11:03 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOXWorcester47 min
May 31, 11:46 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOXMiddlesex44 min
May 31, 12:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOXEssex44 min
May 31, 5:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOXFranklin, Hampshire60 min
May 31, 5:30 PM EDTTornado WarningBOXFranklin50 min
May 31, 5:39 PM EDTTornado WarningBOXHampshire46 min
May 31, 5:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOXWorcester47 min
May 31, 6:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOXMiddlesex47 min
May 31, 6:23 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOXFranklin32 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Massachusetts, 1998Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1998

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.