Alert archive / Massachusetts / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2012

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 96, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

August 17, 2012Middlesex County, Worcester County, Massachusetts; Hillsborough County, New Hampshire

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 17, 2012, 8:37 PM EDT for Middlesex County, Worcester County, Massachusetts; Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. It was in force for 34 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 17, 2012, 8:37 PM EDT (00:37 UTC)
Expired
Aug 17, 2012, 9:11 PM EDT
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Middlesex County, MA, Worcester County, MA, Hillsborough County, NH

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 98 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:38 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 nearest sounding before it

Albany, NY (KALY), launched 00:00Z, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 167 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 00:00Z on 2012-08-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 2012-08-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -66 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1120 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-66 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-6 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.

411 
WUUS51 KBOX 180037
SVRBOX
MAC017-027-NHC011-180130-
/O.NEW.KBOX.SV.W.0096.120818T0037Z-120818T0130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
837 PM EDT FRI AUG 17 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTH CENTRAL WORCESTER COUNTY IN CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS...
  NORTHWESTERN MIDDLESEX COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS...
  SOUTH CENTRAL HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY IN SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE...

* UNTIL 930 PM EDT

* AT 834 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL...AND
  DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR   
  GARDNER AND WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...ASHBURNHAM...ASHBY...
  MASON...TOWNSEND...BROOKLINE...PEPPERELL AND HOLLIS.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 4282 7162 4264 7151 4256 7208 4263 7211
TIME...MOT...LOC 0037Z 250DEG 27KT 4261 7205

$$

JWD
2 follow-up statements
667 
WWUS51 KBOX 180056
SVSBOX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
856 PM EDT FRI AUG 17 2012

MAC017-027-NHC011-180130-
/O.CON.KBOX.SV.W.0096.000000T0000Z-120818T0130Z/
MIDDLESEX MA-WORCESTER MA-HILLSBOROUGH NH-
856 PM EDT FRI AUG 17 2012

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 930 PM EDT
FOR SOUTH CENTRAL HILLSBOROUGH...NORTH CENTRAL WORCESTER AND
NORTHWESTERN MIDDLESEX COUNTIES...

AT 855 PM EDT...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR ASHBURNHAM 
AND WAS MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 60 
MPH WIND GUSTS AND QUARTER SIZED HAIL.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO 
ASHBY...MASON...TOWNSEND...BROOKLINE...PEPPERELL AND HOLLIS

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH...PREPARE
IMMEDIATELY FOR DAMAGING WINDS...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...AND DEADLY CLOUD
TO GROUND LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

&&

LAT...LON 4282 7162 4264 7151 4256 7208 4263 7211
TIME...MOT...LOC 0055Z 250DEG 27KT 4266 7188

$$

JWD
222 
WWUS51 KBOX 180111
SVSBOX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
911 PM EDT FRI AUG 17 2012

MAC017-027-NHC011-180121-
/O.CAN.KBOX.SV.W.0096.000000T0000Z-120818T0130Z/
MIDDLESEX MA-WORCESTER MA-HILLSBOROUGH NH-
911 PM EDT FRI AUG 17 2012

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL HILLSBOROUGH...
NORTH CENTRAL WORCESTER AND NORTHWESTERN MIDDLESEX COUNTIES IS
CANCELLED...

THE THUNDERSTORM HAS WEAKENED AND IS NO LONGER CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
DAMAGING WINDS OR LARGE HAIL.

&&

LAT...LON 4282 7162 4264 7151 4256 7208 4263 7211
TIME...MOT...LOC 0111Z 250DEG 27KT 4270 7173

$$

JWD

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 17, 8:04 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementBOXHampden56 min
Aug 17, 8:35 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementBOXMiddlesex, Worcester55 min
Aug 17, 9:24 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementBOXSuffolk36 min
Aug 17, 11:22 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementBOXNorfolk23 min
Aug 18, 3:34 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBOX56 min
Aug 18, 4:47 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOXBarnstable, Bristol, Plymouth58 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Massachusetts, 2012Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New Hampshire, 2012Every 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.