Alert archive / Massachusetts / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 18, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

May 31, 2002Middlesex County, Massachusetts; Hillsborough County, New Hampshire

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 31, 2002, 5:10 PM EDT for Middlesex County, Massachusetts; Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. It was in force for 50 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, 5:10 PM EDT (21:10 UTC)
Expired: May 31, 2002, 6:00 PM EDT
In force: 50 min
Issued by: NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area: Whole counties

Counties Middlesex County, MA, Hillsborough County, NH

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where
May 31, 5:10 PM EDT	Hail 0.75	Bedford, NH
May 31, 5:30 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50 E	Milford, NH
May 31, 5:58 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50 E	Townsend, 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

Gray, ME (KGYX), launched 12:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 169 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: 23 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -134 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 883 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 79 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 97 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.

017 
WUUS51 KBOX 312110
SVRBOX
MAC017-NHC011-312200-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN MIDDLESEX COUNTY IN EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS
  SOUTHERN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY IN SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE

* UNTIL 600 PM EDT.

* AT 507 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM PETERBOROUGH TO 21 MILES WEST    
  OF ASHBY...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  GREENFIELD AROUND 520 PM EDT
  SHARON AROUND 525 PM EDT
  TEMPLE AROUND 530 PM EDT
  LYNDEBOROUGH AND NEW IPSWICH AROUND 535 PM EDT
  WILTON AND GREENVILLE AROUND 540 PM EDT
  MONT VERNON...MASON AND ASHBY AROUND 545 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.

$$
GAF/AED

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 31, 4:37 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire	38 min
May 31, 4:56 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Worcester	49 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
May 31, 3:28 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Cheshire	47 min
May 31, 4:06 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Hillsborough	39 min
May 31, 4:19 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Cheshire	26 min
May 31, 4:48 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Hillsborough	27 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Massachusetts, 2002 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New Hampshire, 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.