Alert archive / New York / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1871

October 16, 2021Berkshire County, Massachusetts; 12 counties in New York; 5 counties in Vermont

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Oct 16, 2021, 12:09 PM EDT for Berkshire County, Massachusetts; 12 counties in New York; 5 counties in Vermont. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Oct 16, 2021, 12:09 PM EDT (16:09 UTC)
Expired
Oct 16, 2021, 2:15 PM EDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch likely
Chance of a watch
80%

Counties Berkshire County, MA, Albany County, NY, Clinton County, NY, Essex County, NY, Fulton County, NY, Hamilton County, NY, Montgomery County, NY, Rensselaer County, NY, Saratoga County, NY, Schenectady County, NY, Schoharie County, NY, Warren County, NY, Washington County, NY, Addison County, VT, Bennington County, VT, Chittenden County, VT, Grand Isle County, VT, Rutland County, VT

The radar

The Burlington radar (KCXX), 89 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:11 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 watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Albany, NY (KALY), launched 12:00Z, 4.2 hours before the alert went out and 134 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 12:00Z on 2021-10-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 50 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Albany, NY at 12:00Z on 2021-10-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 279 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
50 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-197 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
735 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
279 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
291 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

148 
ACUS11 KWNS 161610
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 161609 
VTZ000-MAZ000-NYZ000-161815-

Mesoscale Discussion 1871
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1109 AM CDT Sat Oct 16 2021

Areas affected...Northeast NY...Western VT...Far Western MA

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch likely 

Valid 161609Z - 161815Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...80 percent

SUMMARY...A narrow line of storms is expected to develop and move
east-northeastward this afternoon across northeast NY into western
VT and far western MA. Damaging wind gusts and a couple of brief
tornadoes are possible.

DISCUSSION...Showers and thunderstorms moving across northern NY
have shown a gradual strengthening trend over the past hour or so.
At the same time the downstream air mass across northeast NY and
adjacent western VT/far western MA continues to warm and
destabilize. Low-level southerly flow has also been strengthening
during this time (sampled well by the CXX VAD). Poor lapse rates
should keep buoyancy modest, but the strong forcing for ascent and
favorable vertical shear will still likely result in a narrow
convective line capable of damaging wind gusts and perhaps even a
tornado or two. The tornado threat appears to be relatively greater
across in the NY/VT border vicinity where temperatures have climbed
into the low/mid 70s amid mid 60s dewpoints. One or more watches
(including the potential for a tornado watch along the NY/VT border)
will likely be needed soon to address this developing severe threat.

..Mosier/Grams.. 10/16/2021

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...BOX...BTV...ALY...BGM...

LAT...LON   44247456 44857404 44987321 44277272 42177307 42517496
            44247456

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 16, 12:35 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBerkshire6 hr
Oct 16, 2:55 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBerkshire95 min
Oct 16, 5:39 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCEssex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk and 2 more2 hr
Oct 16, 11:06 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBroome, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Madison, Otsego and 2 more114 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in New York, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Vermont, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Massachusetts, 2021Every mesoscale discussion in 2021

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.