Alert archive / Massachusetts / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2012

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 108, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

September 8, 2012Hampden County, Hampshire County, Massachusetts; Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 8, 2012, 6:50 PM EDT for Hampden County, Hampshire County, Massachusetts; Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut. It was in force for 25 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: Sep 8, 2012, 6:50 PM EDT (22:50 UTC)
Expired: Sep 8, 2012, 7:15 PM EDT
In force: 25 min
Issued by: NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Capitol Planning Region, CT, Hampden County, MA, Hampshire County, MA

The radar

The Brookhaven radar (KOKX), 102 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:53 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Sep 8, 6:58 PM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	Southwick, MA	LARGE TREE LIMB DOWN ON POWERLINES
Sep 8, 7:17 PM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	New Britain, CT	TREES AND WIRES DOWN ON KELSEY STREET

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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Sep 8, 11:18 AM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	10 hr
Sep 8, 4:47 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Brookhaven, NY (KOKX), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 102 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: 173 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -96 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 793 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 103 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 120 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 2.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

546 
WUUS51 KBOX 082250
SVRBOX
CTC003-MAC013-015-082315-
/O.NEW.KBOX.SV.W.0108.120908T2250Z-120908T2315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
650 PM EDT SAT SEP 8 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  HARTFORD COUNTY IN NORTHERN CONNECTICUT...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...WINDSOR LOCKS...WEST HARTFORD...
  NEWINGTON...NEW BRITAIN...HARTFORD...HARTLAND...BRISTOL...
  WESTERN HAMPDEN COUNTY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS...
  EXTREME SOUTH CENTRAL HAMPSHIRE COUNTY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS...

* UNTIL 715 PM EDT

* AT 644 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN
  EXCESS OF 60 MPH. THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE 
  EXTENDING FROM RUSSELL TO HARTLAND TO 27 MILES SOUTH OF 
  SOUTHINGTON...OR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 13 MILES SOUTHWEST OF 
  NORTHAMPTON TO HARTLAND TO MILFORD...AND WAS MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

  THESE STORMS HAVE A HISTORY OF PRODUCING DOWNED TREES AND WIRES.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...MONTGOMERY...CANTON...
  PLAINVILLE...WESTFIELD...AVON...SIMSBURY...FARMINGTON...
  SOUTHWICK...GRANBY...HOLYOKE...EAST GRANBY...BLOOMFIELD...WEST
  SPRINGFIELD...BERLIN...SUFFIELD...WINDSOR...WETHERSFIELD AND ROCKY
  HILL.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL...AS WELL
AS DEADLY LIGHTNING AND TORRENTIAL RAIN. GET TO SAFE SHELTER NOW...
INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING OR IN A VEHICLE. DO NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER
TREES. IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY
LIGHTNING. DRIVERS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR PONDING OF WATER AND AVOID
FLOODED ROADS.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EDT
SATURDAY EVENING FOR NORTHERN CONNECTICUT AND MASSACHUSETTS AND
SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND CENTRAL RHODE ISLAND.

&&

LAT...LON 4203 7302 4223 7291 4223 7262 4163 7262
      4162 7271 4157 7276 4155 7282 4156 7284
      4154 7285 4156 7288 4155 7294 4164 7294
      4164 7299 4180 7302 4181 7295 4188 7295
      4191 7291 4197 7290 4196 7303
TIME...MOT...LOC 2248Z 270DEG 33KT 4222 7282 4200 7291
          4123 7303

$$
FIELD

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 8, 2:06 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	BOX	Franklin	24 min
Sep 8, 2:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Hampden, Hampshire	45 min
Sep 8, 3:51 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	BOX	Hampden	24 min
Sep 8, 5:09 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	BOX	Middlesex	51 min
Sep 8, 5:32 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Essex, Middlesex, Worcester	36 min
Sep 8, 5:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Worcester	60 min
Sep 8, 5:56 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Hampden, Hampshire	64 min
Sep 8, 6:31 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Worcester	59 min
Sep 8, 6:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Worcester	32 min
Sep 8, 7:15 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Hampden, Hampshire	30 min
Sep 8, 7:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Worcester	60 min
Sep 8, 1:41 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	BOX		64 min
Sep 8, 2:02 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Capitol Planning Region	43 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Massachusetts, 2012 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Connecticut, 2012 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2012

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.