Alert archive / Massachusetts / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 15, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

May 31, 2002Franklin County, Hampden County, Hampshire County, Massachusetts

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 31, 2002, 4:37 PM EDT for Franklin County, Hampden County, Hampshire County, Massachusetts. It was in force for 38 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: May 31, 2002, 4:37 PM EDT (20:37 UTC)
Expired: May 31, 2002, 5:15 PM EDT
In force: 38 min
Issued by: NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area: Whole counties

Counties Franklin County, MA, Hampden County, MA, Hampshire County, MA

The radar

The Albany radar (KENX), 121 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:38 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
May 31, 4:45 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50 E	Bernardston, MA
May 31, 4:45 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50 E	Plainfield, MA
May 31, 5:00 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50 E	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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 31, 2:15 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Albany, NY (KALY), launched 12:00Z, 8.6 hours before the alert went out and 105 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: 59 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -161 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 835 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 138 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 141 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.

240 
WUUS51 KBOX 312037
SVRBOX
MAC011-013-015-312115-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
432 PM EDT FRI MAY 31 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  FRANKLIN COUNTY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
    INCLUDING GREENFIELD
  WESTERN HAMPDEN COUNTY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
    INCLUDING SPRINGFIELD...CHICOPEE
  HAMPSHIRE COUNTY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
    INCLUDING NORTHAMPTON...AMHERST

* UNTIL 515 PM EDT.

* AT 432 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM 9 MILES NORTHWEST OF LEYDEN TO 
  NEAR GREAT BARRINGTON..MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  GREENFIELD AT 440 PM EDT
  NORTHFIELD AT 455 PM EDT
  NORTHAMPTON AT 500 PM EDT
  SOUTHWICK AT 505 PM EDT

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

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FRIDAY
EVENING FOR NORTHERN CONNECTICUT AND SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS AND
SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND RHODE ISLAND.

$$

AED/GAF

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 31, 4:56 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Worcester	49 min
May 31, 5:10 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Middlesex	50 min
May 31, 5:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Hampden, Hampshire, Worcester	64 min
May 31, 5:49 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Essex	26 min
May 31, 6:05 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	BOX		85 min
May 31, 6:07 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	BOX		21 hr
May 31, 6:12 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Franklin	48 min
May 31, 7:17 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	BOX		88 min
May 31, 7:17 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	BOX		21 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Massachusetts, 2002 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2002

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.