Alert archive / Massachusetts / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

July 8, 2009Middlesex County, Norfolk County, Worcester County, Massachusetts

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this tornado warning at Jul 8, 2009, 3:11 PM EDT for Middlesex County, Norfolk County, Worcester County, Massachusetts. It was in force for 34 min. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Jul 8, 2009, 3:11 PM EDT (19:11 UTC)
Expired: Jul 8, 2009, 3:45 PM EDT
In force: 34 min
Issued by: NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Middlesex County, MA, Norfolk County, MA, Worcester County, MA

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 40 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:12 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	Remark
Jul 8, 3:20 PM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	Hopkinton, MA	TREES DOWN ON SADDLE HILL ROAD UP TO FRUIT STREET...JUST EAST OF INTERSTATE 495.
Jul 8, 3:25 PM EDT	HAIL 0.75	Hopkinton, MA	REPORTED NORTH OF HOPKINTON CENTER
Jul 8, 3:26 PM EDT	HAIL 1.75	Hopkinton, MA	GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Chatham, MA (KCHH), launched 12:00Z, 7.2 hours before the alert went out and 139 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: 93 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -35 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 692 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 66 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 159 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 70 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

559 
WFUS51 KBOX 081911
TORBOX
MAC017-021-027-081945-
/O.NEW.KBOX.TO.W.0002.090708T1911Z-090708T1945Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
311 PM EDT WED JUL 8 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN WORCESTER COUNTY IN CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF MILFORD...
  SOUTH CENTRAL MIDDLESEX COUNTY IN EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS...
  WEST CENTRAL NORFOLK COUNTY IN EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS...

* UNTIL 345 PM EDT

* AT 310 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR
  HOPKINTON...OR 7 MILES NORTHWEST OF MILFORD...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT
  15 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...HOLLISTON AND HOPKINTON.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IN A STRONG
BUILDING. GO TO THE BASEMENT OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR. ABANDON VEHICLES AND MOBILE HOMES. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK
SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD.

LAT...LON 4220 7137 4212 7149 4222 7163 4229 7155
TIME...MOT...LOC 1911Z 313DEG 12KT 4224 7157

$$
EKSTER

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS51 KBOX 081925
SVSBOX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
325 PM EDT WED JUL 8 2009

MAC017-021-027-081945-
/O.CON.KBOX.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-090708T1945Z/
WORCESTER MA-NORFOLK MA-MIDDLESEX MA-
325 PM EDT WED JUL 8 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 345 PM EDT FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL MIDDLESEX...WEST CENTRAL NORFOLK AND EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN
WORCESTER COUNTIES...

AT 323 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR HOPKINTON...OR
NEAR MILFORD...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
HOLLISTON.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS
THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY
ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY. IF YOU
ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM...MOVE INDOORS AND TO THE
LOWEST LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF DRIVING...DO
NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS.

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OBSCURE THIS TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW IF YOU WAIT
TO SEE OR HEAR IT COMING...IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE.

&&

LAT...LON 4221 7160 4227 7152 4220 7137 4212 7149
TIME...MOT...LOC 1924Z 305DEG 9KT 4221 7152

$$
EKSTER

000 
WWUS51 KBOX 081944
SVSBOX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
344 PM EDT WED JUL 8 2009

MAC017-021-027-081954-
/O.EXP.KBOX.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-090708T1945Z/
WORCESTER MA-NORFOLK MA-MIDDLESEX MA-
344 PM EDT WED JUL 8 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL MIDDLESEX...WEST CENTRAL
NORFOLK AND SOUTHEASTERN WORCESTER COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 345 PM
EDT...

THE ROTATION HAS WEAKENED...THEREFORE THE TORNADO WARNING IS BEING
ALLOWED TO EXPIRE. HOWEVER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS
IN EFFECT. CONTINUE TO EXPECT DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL IN
THE WARNED AREA.

LAT...LON 4221 7160 4227 7152 4220 7137 4212 7149
TIME...MOT...LOC 1944Z 309DEG 8KT 4219 7146

$$
MLE

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 8, 1:48 AM EDT	Special Marine Warning	BOX		57 min
Jul 8, 2:16 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOX	Middlesex, Worcester	3 hr
Jul 8, 2:48 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Middlesex, Worcester	42 min
Jul 8, 3:09 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Middlesex, Norfolk, Worcester	51 min
Jul 8, 3:33 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOX	Bristol, Middlesex, Norfolk, Worcester	115 min
Jul 8, 3:52 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Bristol, Middlesex, Norfolk, Worcester	38 min
Jul 8, 4:27 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Bristol, Norfolk	36 min
Jul 8, 4:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Bristol	45 min
Jul 8, 4:49 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Bristol, Norfolk, Plymouth	41 min
Jul 8, 5:16 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	BOX		89 min
Jul 8, 5:26 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOX	Bristol, Plymouth	62 min
Jul 8, 5:37 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	BOX		83 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Massachusetts, 2009 Every tornado warning in 2009 Tornadoes in 2009

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.