Alert archive / Massachusetts / Tornado Warnings in 2013

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

May 22, 2013Franklin County, Worcester County, Massachusetts

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this tornado warning at May 22, 2013, 5:59 PM EDT for Franklin County, Worcester County, Massachusetts. It was in force for 46 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: May 22, 2013, 5:59 PM EDT (21:59 UTC)
Expired: May 22, 2013, 6:45 PM EDT
In force: 46 min
Issued by: NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Franklin County, MA, Worcester County, MA

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 106 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:01 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.

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, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 135 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.

049 
WFUS51 KBOX 222159
TORBOX
MAC011-027-222245-
/O.NEW.KBOX.TO.W.0003.130522T2159Z-130522T2245Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN FRANKLIN COUNTY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS...
  NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY IN CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS...

* UNTIL 645 PM EDT
    
* AT 556 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
  CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED
  NEAR NEW SALEM...OR 11 MILES NORTHEAST OF AMHERST...AND WAS MOVING
  EAST AT 30 MPH. THERE HAS NOT BEEN CONFIRMATION OF A TORNADO...
  BUT ONE MAY TOUCH DOWN AT ANY TIME!

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  HUBBARDSTON...NEW SALEM...PETERSHAM AND WESTMINSTER. 

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 4252 7243 4256 7188 4239 7188 4247 7242
TIME...MOT...LOC 2159Z 273DEG 28KT 4249 7235 

$$

JWD

1 follow-up statement

344 
WWUS51 KBOX 222222
SVSBOX

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

MAC011-027-222227-
/O.CAN.KBOX.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-130522T2245Z/
FRANKLIN MA-WORCESTER MA-
622 PM EDT WED MAY 22 2013

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EASTERN FRANKLIN AND NORTHERN WORCESTER
COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...
    
THE TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED 
AND WAS NO LONGER CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THEREFORE THE 
WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

AS OF 615 PM...THERE HAS BEEN NO CONFIRMATION OF A TORNADO TOUCHDOWN.

EARLIER...SPOTTERS IN HAWLEY AND GREENFIELD REPORTED SEEING A 
ROTATING WALL CLOUD WITH THIS STORM. AROUND 530 PM...AN AMATEUR 
RADIO OPERATOR ON RIVER ROAD IN WHATELY OBSERVED A FUNNEL CLOUD TO 
THE NORTH.

&&

LAT...LON 4252 7243 4256 7188 4239 7188 4247 7242
TIME...MOT...LOC 2217Z 273DEG 28KT 4248 7216 

$$

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, 5:40 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	BOX	Franklin	50 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.