Alert archive / Massachusetts / Tornado Warnings in 2013

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

May 22, 2013Franklin County, Massachusetts

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this tornado warning at May 22, 2013, 5:40 PM EDT for Franklin County, Massachusetts. It was in force for 50 min. 1 report 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: May 22, 2013, 5:40 PM EDT (21:40 UTC)
Expired: May 22, 2013, 6:30 PM EDT
In force: 50 min
Issued by: NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Franklin County, MA

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 124 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:44 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
May 22, 5:50 PM EDT	HAIL 2.25	New Salem, MA	PHOTO FROM WWLP-TV SPRINGFIELD

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
May 22, 12:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	10 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Albany, NY (KALY), launched 12:00Z, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 114 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: 132 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -118 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 738 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 113 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 124 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.

097 
WFUS51 KBOX 222140
TORBOX
MAC011-222230-
/O.NEW.KBOX.TO.W.0002.130522T2140Z-130522T2230Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
540 PM EDT WED MAY 22 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL FRANKLIN COUNTY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS...

* UNTIL 630 PM EDT
    
* AT 535 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
  CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED
  NEAR SUNDERLAND...OR 6 MILES SOUTH OF GREENFIELD...AND WAS MOVING 
  EAST AT 20 MPH. A SPOTTER IN CONWAY REPORTED GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL 
  AT 533 PM. ALTHOUGH THERE HAS NOT BEEN CONFIRMATION OF A TORNADO...
  A TORNADO MAY TOUCH DOWN AT ANY TIME!

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  SHUTESBURY...LEVERETT...NEW SALEM...SUNDERLAND...WHATELY AND
  MONTAGUE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! DO NOT WAIT TO SEE THE TORNADO. GO TO A BASEMENT OR
INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING...AWAY FROM
WINDOWS. IF IN A VEHICLE...A MOBILE HOME OR OUTDOORS...GET TO THE
CLOSEST SHELTER. PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 4253 7265 4255 7229 4239 7231 4240 7237
      4242 7238 4241 7244 4242 7249 4243 7249
      4243 7253 4245 7267
TIME...MOT...LOC 2139Z 277DEG 16KT 4249 7260 

$$

JWD

2 follow-up statements

164 
WWUS51 KBOX 222151
SVSBOX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
551 PM EDT WED MAY 22 2013

MAC011-222230-
/O.CON.KBOX.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-130522T2230Z/
FRANKLIN MA-
551 PM EDT WED MAY 22 2013

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 630 PM EDT FOR CENTRAL
FRANKLIN COUNTY...
    
AT 548 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE
OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR
SUNDERLAND...OR 7 MILES NORTH OF AMHERST...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
SHUTESBURY...LEVERETT...NEW SALEM...SUNDERLAND...WHATELY AND
MONTAGUE.

AS OF 550 PM...THERE HAS BEEN NO CONFIRMATION OF A TORNADO. 
HOWEVER...A TORNADO MAY TOUCH DOWN AT ANY TIME!

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 4253 7265 4255 7229 4239 7231 4240 7237
      4242 7238 4241 7244 4242 7249 4243 7249
      4243 7253 4245 7267
TIME...MOT...LOC 2148Z 277DEG 16KT 4248 7253 

$$

JWD

493 
WWUS51 KBOX 222217
SVSBOX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
617 PM EDT WED MAY 22 2013

MAC011-222227-
/O.CAN.KBOX.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-130522T2230Z/
FRANKLIN MA-
617 PM EDT WED MAY 22 2013

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CENTRAL FRANKLIN COUNTY IS CANCELLED...
    
THE TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT 
OF THE WARNED AREA.

&&

LAT...LON 4253 7265 4255 7229 4239 7231 4240 7237
      4242 7238 4241 7244 4242 7249 4243 7249
      4243 7253 4245 7267
TIME...MOT...LOC 2217Z 277DEG 16KT 4246 7236 

$$

JWD

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 21, 8:57 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	BOX		63 min
May 21, 9:00 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	BOX	Hampshire	45 min
May 21, 10:51 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	BOX	Franklin, Hampshire	39 min
May 21, 11:46 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	BOX	Hampden, Hampshire, Worcester	44 min
May 22, 12:18 AM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOX	Hampden, Hampshire	117 min
May 22, 4:25 AM EDT	Small Craft Advisory	BOX		5 days
May 22, 3:36 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	BOX	Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire	84 min
May 22, 4:35 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	BOX	Franklin	40 min
May 22, 4:55 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Franklin, Hampshire	65 min
May 22, 5:03 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	BOX	Franklin	42 min
May 22, 5:59 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	BOX	Franklin, Worcester	46 min
May 22, 6:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Worcester	45 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Massachusetts, 2013 Every tornado warning in 2013 Tornadoes in 2013

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.