Alert archive / Massachusetts / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 85, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

September 7, 1998Essex County, Massachusetts

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 7, 1998, 5:34 AM EDT for Essex County, Massachusetts. It was in force for 26 min. 1 report 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
Sep 7, 1998, 5:34 AM EDT (09:34 UTC)
Expired
Sep 7, 1998, 6:00 AM EDT
In force
26 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 09:36 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
Sep 7, 5:40 AM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50Newburyport, 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
Sep 7, 3:30 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Chatham, MA (KCHH), launched 00:00Z, 9.6 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 00:00Z on 1998-09-07Temperature 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 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 00:00Z on 1998-09-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 124 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1704 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
124 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
179 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.

942 
WUUS1 KBOS 070935 RRA
SVRBOS
MAC009-071000-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
534 AM EDT MON SEP 7 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
     NORTH CENTRAL ESSEX COUNTY IN MASSACHUSETTS
     INCLUDING NEWBURYPORT

* UNTIL 600 AM EDT

* AT 531 AM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER NEWBURYPORT...MOVING EAST AT 55 MILES PER
  HOUR.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE SALISBURY...NEWBURY...WEST
  NEWBURY AND MERRIMAC

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  OVER SALISBURY AT 535 AM EDT

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND/OR WINDS STRONG ENOUGH TO
KNOCK DOWN TREES AND POWER LINES. MOVE INDOORS AND STAY AWAY FROM
WINDOWS.

JL/WTB

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, Sep 7, 1:55 AM EDT, 3 hours 39 minutes before
MAZ0002>004-008>012-NHZ011-012-CTZ002-071200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
155 AM EDT MON SEP 7 1998

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH STRONG WINDS AND HAIL WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHERN
NEW ENGLAND THIS MORNING...

A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM CENTRAL VERMONT TO EASTERN NEW
YORK STATE EARLY THIS MORNING WILL MOVE INTO WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
AND SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.
THESE STORMS WILL PUSH INTO THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY BETWEEN 330 AND 4
AM...THEN WORK INTO CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS AND SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE
BY 430 AM.  THESE STORMS COULD CONTAIN STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT
LIGHTNING AND HAIL.

SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES ARE POSSIBLE AS THESE STORMS PASS THROUGH
THE REGION.

EVT
Special weather statement, Sep 7, 1:55 AM EDT, 3 hours 39 minutes before
MAZ0002>004-008>012-NHZ011-012-CTZ002-071200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
155 AM EDT MON SEP 7 1998

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH STRONG WINDS AND HAIL WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHERN
NEW ENGLAND THIS MORNING...

A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM CENTRAL VERMONT TO EASTERN NEW
YORK STATE EARLY THIS MORNING WILL MOVE INTO WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
AND SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.
THESE STORMS WILL PUSH INTO THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY BETWEEN 330 AND 4
AM...THEN WORK INTO CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS AND SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE
BY 430 AM.  THESE STORMS COULD CONTAIN STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT
LIGHTNING AND HAIL.

SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES ARE POSSIBLE AS THESE STORMS PASS THROUGH
THE REGION.

EVT
Special weather statement, Sep 7, 4:00 AM EDT, 1 hour 34 minutes before
MAZ002>024-NHZ011-012-CTZ002>004-RIZALL-071200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
400 AM EDT MON SEP 7 1998

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH STRONG WINDS...HAIL AND BRIEF TORRENTIAL RAINS
WILL MOVE THROUGH MUCH OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND BETWEEN NOW AND 7
AM...

AT 355 AM...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THAT HAS PRODUCED WIND
GUSTS BETWEEN 60 AND 80 MPH IN NEW YORK STATE WAS LOCATED FROM NEAR
LEBANON NEW HAMPSHIRE INTO THE BERKSHIRES. IT WAS MOVING EAST TO
SOUTHEAST AT 55 TO 60 MPH.  IT WILL RACE THROUGH THE SPRINGIFELD...
GREENFIELD...KEENE AREAS BY 430 AM...THEN WORCESTER...LOWELL AND
NASHUA BETWEEN 5 AND 530 AM AND REACH THE MASSACHUSETTS COAST
INCLUDING THE BOSTON AREA AROUND 6 AM.  THE SOUTHERN END OF THE LINE
WILL CLIP NORTHERN CONNECTICUT BETWEEN 430 AND 530 AM AND NORTHERN
RHODE ISLAND BETWEEN 530 AND 630 AM.

BESIDE THE POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING WIND...THE LIGHTNING FROM THESE
STORMS WILL BE ENOUGH TO CAUSE POWER OUTAGES IN PARTS OF SOUTHERN
NEW HAMPSHIRE...MASSACHUSETTS...NORTHERN CONNECTICUT AND NORTHERN
RHODE ISLAND DURING THE PREDAWN HOURS.

DRAG
Special weather statement, Sep 7, 4:00 AM EDT, 1 hour 34 minutes before
MAZ002>024-NHZ011-012-CTZ002>004-RIZALL-071200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
400 AM EDT MON SEP 7 1998

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH STRONG WINDS...HAIL AND BRIEF TORRENTIAL RAINS
WILL MOVE THROUGH MUCH OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND BETWEEN NOW AND 7
AM...

AT 355 AM...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THAT HAS PRODUCED WIND
GUSTS BETWEEN 60 AND 80 MPH IN NEW YORK STATE WAS LOCATED FROM NEAR
LEBANON NEW HAMPSHIRE INTO THE BERKSHIRES. IT WAS MOVING EAST TO
SOUTHEAST AT 55 TO 60 MPH.  IT WILL RACE THROUGH THE SPRINGIFELD...
GREENFIELD...KEENE AREAS BY 430 AM...THEN WORCESTER...LOWELL AND
NASHUA BETWEEN 5 AND 530 AM AND REACH THE MASSACHUSETTS COAST
INCLUDING THE BOSTON AREA AROUND 6 AM.  THE SOUTHERN END OF THE LINE
WILL CLIP NORTHERN CONNECTICUT BETWEEN 430 AND 530 AM AND NORTHERN
RHODE ISLAND BETWEEN 530 AND 630 AM.

BESIDE THE POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING WIND...THE LIGHTNING FROM THESE
STORMS WILL BE ENOUGH TO CAUSE POWER OUTAGES IN PARTS OF SOUTHERN
NEW HAMPSHIRE...MASSACHUSETTS...NORTHERN CONNECTICUT AND NORTHERN
RHODE ISLAND DURING THE PREDAWN HOURS.

DRAG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 7, 3:49 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOXFranklin26 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.