Alert archive / Massachusetts / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 69, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

July 20, 1998Hampden County, Hampshire County, Massachusetts

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 20, 1998, 4:17 PM EDT for Hampden County, Hampshire County, Massachusetts. It was in force for 48 min. 4 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 20, 1998, 4:17 PM EDT (20:17 UTC)
Expired: Jul 20, 1998, 5:05 PM EDT
In force: 48 min
Issued by: NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area: Whole counties

Counties Hampden County, MA, Hampshire County, MA

The radar

The Albany radar (KENX), 123 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:20 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
Jul 20, 4:58 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50	Holyoke, MA
Jul 20, 4:59 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50	Easthampton, MA
Jul 20, 5:13 PM EDT	Hail 0.88	Springfield, MA
Jul 20, 5:15 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50	Holyoke, 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 12:00Z, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 109 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: 3024 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -27 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 579 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 123 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 2.4
Supercell composite: 13.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

091 
WUUS1 KBOS 202016 RRA
SVRBOS
MAC013-015-202105-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
417 PM EDT MON JUL 20 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  WESTERN HAMPSHIRE COUNTY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
  WESTERN HAMPDEN COUNTY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS

* UNTIL 505 PM EDT

* AT 412 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER WASHINGTON IN EASTERN BERKSHIRE COUNTY...
  MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* TOWNS IN/NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
  MIDDLEFIELD AT 425 PM
  CHESTER AT 430 PM
  HUNTINGTON AT 435 PM
  MONTGOMERY AT 440 PM
  WESTFIELD AT 445 PM

THIS THUNDERSTORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BOTH DAMAGING WINDS
AND HAIL LARGE ENOUGH TO CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY AND SMASHED WINDOWS.

DRV/JN

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 20, 11:38 AM EDT, 4 hours 39 minutes before

MAZ002>019-CTZ002>004-RIZ001>006-202300-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOSTON MA
1138 AM EDT MON JUL 20 1998

...ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH DAMAGING WIND AND LARGE HAIL
ARE EXPECTED IN THE REGION FROM NEAR BOSTON TO WILLIMANTIC AND
HARTFORD CONNECTICUT NORTHWARD TO WORCESTER AND NASHUA NEW HAMPSHIRE
THIS AFTERNOON...

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY PRODUCED ONE-HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL IN
NORTH CENTRAL CONNECTICUT. THESE STORMS ARE LIKELY TO BECOME EVEN
STRONGER BETWEEN NOON AND 4 PM...ESPECIALLY FROM NORTHEAST
CONNECTICUT INTO CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS.

IN ADDITION TO THE THREAT FOR LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND
GUSTS...BRIEF STREET FLOODING FROM TORRENTIAL RAINS WILL OCCUR IN A
FEW LOCATIONS FROM NEAR WORCESTER INTO THE BOSTON METRO AREA.

MARINE INTERESTS IN THE EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS COASTAL WATERS FROM
MARSHFIELD TO BOSTON HARBOR NORTH TO THE MOUTH OF THE MERRIMACK
RIVER SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF SUDDEN STRONG WIND
GUSTS OVER 35 KNOTS NEAR 1 OR 2 STORMS THIS AFTERNOON.

ELSEWHERE...IF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP AGAIN IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
DURING MID OR LATE AFTERNOON INTO THE MONADNOCKS...A FEW OF THOSE
WOULD LIKELY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND YOUR LOCAL MEDIA FOR ANY
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS...WATCHES AND WARNINGS.

DRAG

Local storm report, Jul 20, 1:09 PM EDT, 3 hours 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS
109 PM EDT MON JUL 20 1998

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

0105 PM    WEST BRIDGEWATER          MA   1 INCH HAIL
07/20/98   PLYMOUTH                       DIME TO 1 INCH DIAMTER
                                          HAIL VIA SKYWARN REPORT

Local storm report, Jul 20, 3:03 PM EDT, 1 hour 14 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS
303 PM EDT MON JUL 20 1998

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

0105 PM    WEST BRIDGEWATER          MA   1 INCH HAIL
07/20/98   PLYMOUTH                       DIME TO 1 INCH DIAMTER
                                          HAIL VIA SKYWARN REPORT

0115 PM    MARSHFIELD                MA   WIND DAMAGE
07/20/98   PLYMOUTH                       40 TO 50 TREE BRANCHES
                                          BLOWN DOWN AS REPORTED BY
                                          DPW.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 20, 12:12 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Norfolk	48 min
Jul 20, 1:09 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Plymouth	46 min
Jul 20, 1:27 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Barnstable	33 min
Jul 20, 5:21 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Hampden	44 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Massachusetts, 1998 Every 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.