Alert archive / Massachusetts / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 8, NWS Albany, NY

August 21, 2011Berkshire County, Massachusetts

NWS Albany, NY issued this tornado warning at Aug 21, 2011, 7:06 PM EDT for Berkshire County, Massachusetts. It was in force for 39 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 21, 2011, 7:06 PM EDT (23:06 UTC)
Expired
Aug 21, 2011, 7:45 PM EDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Albany, NY
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Berkshire County, MA

The radar

The Albany radar (KENX), 83 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:08 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.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Aug 21, 1:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Albany, NY (KALY), launched 12:00Z, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 66 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, Albany, NY at 12:00Z on 2011-08-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 453 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Albany, NY at 12:00Z on 2011-08-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 114 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
453 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-97 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1024 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
114 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
106 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

180 
WFUS51 KALY 212306
TORALY
MAC003-212345-
/O.NEW.KALY.TO.W.0008.110821T2306Z-110821T2345Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
706 PM EDT SUN AUG 21 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBANY HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN BERKSHIRE COUNTY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS...

* UNTIL 745 PM EDT

* AT 703 PM EDT...THE PUBLIC REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD NEAR            
  PITTSFIELD...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
   SAVOY BY 725 PM EDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

PLEASE REPORT HAIL SIZE... DAMAGING WINDS AND REPORTS OF TREES DOWN
TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY EMAIL AT ALB.STORMREPORT@NOAA.GOV
OR ON FACEBOOK AT
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/US.NATIONALWEATHERSERVICE.ALBANY.GOV.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT SUNDAY
EVENING FOR NORTHERN CONNECTICUT AND WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS AND
EASTERN NEW YORK AND SOUTHERN VERMONT.

&&

LAT...LON 4261 7296 4252 7297 4247 7298 4235 7324
      4246 7336 4264 7296 4263 7295
TIME...MOT...LOC 2306Z 239DEG 29KT 4244 7319

$$

TAW/KGM
1 follow-up statement
603 
WWUS51 KALY 212330
SVSALY

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
730 PM EDT SUN AUG 21 2011

MAC003-212345-
/O.CON.KALY.TO.W.0008.000000T0000Z-110821T2345Z/
BERKSHIRE MA-
730 PM EDT SUN AUG 21 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 745 PM EDT FOR EAST
CENTRAL BERKSHIRE COUNTY...

AT 726 PM EDT...THE PUBLIC REPORTED A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS
LOCATED NEAR WINDSOR...OR 11 MILES EAST OF PITTSFIELD...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  SAVOY AND BRIER BY 735 PM EDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

PLEASE REPORT HAIL SIZE...DAMAGING WINDS AND REPORTS OF TREES DOWN TO
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY EMAIL AT ALB.STORMREPORT@NOAA.GOV OR
ON FACEBOOK AT WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/US.NATIONALWEATHERSERVICE.ALBANY.GOV.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT SUNDAY
EVENING FOR NORTHERN CONNECTICUT AND WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS AND
EASTERN NEW YORK AND SOUTHERN VERMONT.

&&

LAT...LON 4261 7296 4252 7297 4247 7298 4241 7314
      4252 7321 4264 7296 4263 7295
TIME...MOT...LOC 2330Z 239DEG 29KT 4251 7302

$$

TAW/KGM

The office that day

Everything else NWS Albany, NY issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 21, 12:57 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYBerkshire63 min
Aug 21, 1:51 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYBerkshire54 min
Aug 21, 1:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYBerkshire61 min
Aug 21, 6:19 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementALYBerkshire26 min
Aug 21, 6:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYBerkshire65 min
Aug 21, 7:02 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryALYBerkshire4 hr
Aug 21, 7:47 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningALYBerkshire3 hr
Aug 21, 7:57 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementALYBerkshire48 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Massachusetts, 2011Every tornado warning in 2011Tornadoes in 2011

Sources

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