Alert archive / Massachusetts / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 12, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

July 26, 2011Hampden County, Worcester County, Massachusetts; Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this tornado warning at Jul 26, 2011, 4:51 PM EDT for Hampden County, Worcester County, Massachusetts; Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut. It was in force for 39 min. 2 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 26, 2011, 4:51 PM EDT (20:51 UTC)
Expired
Jul 26, 2011, 5:30 PM EDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT, Hampden County, MA, Worcester County, MA

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 86 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:53 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
Jul 26, 4:55 PM EDTTSTM WND DMGMonson, MAMANY TREES DOWN INCLUDING SOME INTO HOUSES ON WOBURN ROAD AND MAIN STREET. WIRES DOWN ON BOSTON ROAD.
Jul 26, 4:55 PM EDTHAIL 1.25Monson, MAQUARTER TO HALF DOLLAR SIZED HAIL

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

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jul 26, 2:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Brookhaven, NY (KOKX), launched 12:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 144 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, Brookhaven, NY at 12:00Z on 2011-07-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 76 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, Brookhaven, NY at 12:00Z on 2011-07-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 29 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
76 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-31 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
509 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
29 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
70 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.

705 
WFUS51 KBOX 262051
TORBOX
CTC013-015-MAC013-027-262130-
/O.NEW.KBOX.TO.W.0012.110726T2051Z-110726T2130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
451 PM EDT TUE JUL 26 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL WORCESTER COUNTY IN CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS...
  NORTHEASTERN TOLLAND COUNTY IN NORTHERN CONNECTICUT...
  NORTHWESTERN WINDHAM COUNTY IN NORTHERN CONNECTICUT...
  SOUTHEASTERN HAMPDEN COUNTY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS...

* UNTIL 530 PM EDT

* AT 449 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR HAMPDEN...
  OR 9 MILES EAST OF SPRINGFIELD...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...MONSON...STAFFORD...
  BRIMFIELD...WALES...HOLLAND...UNION...STURBRIDGE...SOUTHBRIDGE AND
  EASTFORD.

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS A
TORNADO MAY ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP
SHORTLY. TAKE COVER NOW! MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE
OR OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT
TUESDAY EVENING FOR NORTHERN CONNECTICUT AND MASSACHUSETTS AND
SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND CENTRAL RHODE ISLAND.

&&

LAT...LON 4209 7194 4188 7203 4204 7249 4215 7243
TIME...MOT...LOC 2051Z 288DEG 24KT 4208 7235

$$

NOCERA
1 follow-up statement
574 
WWUS51 KBOX 262113
SVSBOX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
513 PM EDT TUE JUL 26 2011

MAC013-027-262123-
/O.CAN.KBOX.TO.W.0012.000000T0000Z-110726T2130Z/
WORCESTER MA-HAMPDEN MA-
513 PM EDT TUE JUL 26 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN HAMPDEN AND SOUTH CENTRAL
WORCESTER COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT
TUESDAY EVENING FOR NORTHERN CONNECTICUT AND MASSACHUSETTS AND
SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND CENTRAL RHODE ISLAND.

LAT...LON 4202 7197 4188 7203 4198 7230 4203 7226
TIME...MOT...LOC 2113Z 297DEG 26KT 4198 7220

$$

CTC013-015-262130-
/O.CON.KBOX.TO.W.0012.000000T0000Z-110726T2130Z/
TOLLAND CT-WINDHAM CT-
513 PM EDT TUE JUL 26 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 530 PM EDT FOR
NORTHWESTERN WINDHAM AND NORTHEASTERN TOLLAND COUNTIES...

AT 510 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR STAFFORD...OR 11
MILES NORTH OF MANSFIELD...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO UNION
AND EASTFORD

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT
TUESDAY EVENING FOR NORTHERN CONNECTICUT AND MASSACHUSETTS AND
SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND CENTRAL RHODE ISLAND.

&&

LAT...LON 4202 7197 4188 7203 4198 7230 4203 7226
TIME...MOT...LOC 2113Z 297DEG 26KT 4198 7220

$$

NOCERA

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 26, 3:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOXFranklin, Hampden, Hampshire62 min
Jul 26, 4:09 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOXHampden, Hampshire66 min
Jul 26, 4:10 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementBOXFranklin65 min
Jul 26, 4:14 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBOXFranklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Worcester99 min
Jul 26, 4:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOXHampden, Hampshire60 min
Jul 26, 4:28 PM EDTTornado WarningBOXHampden, Hampshire47 min
Jul 26, 4:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOXHampden53 min
Jul 26, 4:59 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBOXHampden, Worcester98 min
Jul 26, 5:26 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBOXWorcester106 min
Jul 26, 5:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOXNorfolk, Worcester45 min
Jul 26, 6:22 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBOXBristol, Middlesex, Norfolk, Worcester53 min
Jul 26, 5:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOXNortheastern Connecticut Planning Region39 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Massachusetts, 2011Tornado Warnings in Connecticut, 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.