Alert archive / Massachusetts / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 12, NWS Boston/Norton, MA
NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 19, 2026, 6:05 PM EDT for 4 counties in Massachusetts. It was in force for 27 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
- May 19, 2026, 6:05 PM EDT (22:05 UTC)
- Expired
- May 19, 2026, 6:32 PM EDT
- In force
- 27 min
- Issued by
- NWS Boston/Norton, MA
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Hail
- 0.88 in
- Wind
- 60.0 mph
Counties Middlesex County, MA, Norfolk County, MA, Plymouth County, MA, Suffolk County, MA
The radar
The Boston radar (KBOX), 35 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:09 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 19, 6:15 PM EDT | TSTM WND DMG | Needham, MA | In Needham on Great Plain Avenue near the Golf course a large tree branch was reported down. Relayed by amateur radio. |
| May 19, 6:24 PM EDT | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Sse Milton, MA | In Milton, a tree was down on a car on Ford Ranch Rd. |
Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.
Did it verify
Verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow matched 2 storm reports to this severe thunderstorm warning; the first came 10 minutes after it went out.
Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.
The nearest sounding before it
Gray, ME (KGYX), launched 12:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 192 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 30 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -411 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1718 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 45 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 69 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 134 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted.
948
WUUS51 KBOX 192205
SVRBOX
MAC017-021-023-025-192245-
/O.NEW.KBOX.SV.W.0012.260519T2205Z-260519T2245Z/
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
605 PM EDT Tue May 19 2026
The National Weather Service in Boston/Norton has issued a
* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
Suffolk County in eastern Massachusetts...
Northern Norfolk County in eastern Massachusetts...
Southeastern Middlesex County in northeastern Massachusetts...
Northwestern Plymouth County in southeastern Massachusetts...
* Until 645 PM EDT.
* At 605 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Dover, or
over Needham, moving east at 35 mph.
HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and nickel size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Expect damage to trees and power lines.
* Locations impacted include...
Boston, Cambridge, Quincy, Newton, Framingham, Waltham, Brookline,
Weymouth, Braintree, Natick, Randolph, Watertown, Needham, Norwood,
Wellesley, Milton, Stoughton, Dedham, Walpole, and Hingham.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.
&&
LAT...LON 4235 7083 4234 7083 4213 7092 4215 7119
4219 7151 4237 7136
TIME...MOT...LOC 2205Z 282DEG 31KT 4226 7128
HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...60 MPH
$$
FT2 follow-up statements
553
WWUS51 KBOX 192226
SVSBOX
Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
626 PM EDT Tue May 19 2026
MAC017-021-023-025-192245-
/O.CON.KBOX.SV.W.0012.000000T0000Z-260519T2245Z/
Suffolk MA-Norfolk MA-Middlesex MA-Plymouth MA-
626 PM EDT Tue May 19 2026
...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 645 PM EDT
FOR SUFFOLK...NORTHEASTERN NORFOLK...EAST CENTRAL MIDDLESEX AND
NORTHWESTERN PLYMOUTH COUNTIES...
At 626 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Quincy, moving
east at 35 mph.
HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and nickel size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Expect damage to trees and power lines.
Locations impacted include...
Boston, Cambridge, Quincy, Newton, Waltham, Brookline, Weymouth,
Braintree, Randolph, Watertown, Needham, Norwood, Wellesley, Milton,
Stoughton, Dedham, Hingham, Canton, Rockland, and Abington.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.
&&
LAT...LON 4235 7083 4213 7092 4217 7118 4221 7128
4237 7127
TIME...MOT...LOC 2226Z 282DEG 31KT 4222 7104
HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...60 MPH
$$
FT283
WWUS51 KBOX 192232
SVSBOX
Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
632 PM EDT Tue May 19 2026
MAC017-021-023-025-192241-
/O.CAN.KBOX.SV.W.0012.000000T0000Z-260519T2245Z/
Suffolk MA-Norfolk MA-Middlesex MA-Plymouth MA-
632 PM EDT Tue May 19 2026
...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SUFFOLK...NORTHEASTERN
NORFOLK...EAST CENTRAL MIDDLESEX AND NORTHWESTERN PLYMOUTH COUNTIES
IS CANCELLED...
The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe
limits. Therefore, the warning has been cancelled. While the storm
has weakened below severe limits, dangerous cloud to ground
lightning continues.
LAT...LON 4235 7083 4213 7092 4217 7118 4221 7128
4237 7127
TIME...MOT...LOC 2225Z 282DEG 31KT 4221 7098
$$
FTWhat forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Boston/Norton, MA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 19, 2:35 PM EDT, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- Lingering thunderstorm activity quickly winds down with the loss of daytime heating. Expecting very warm minimum temps tonight with lows in the 60s and low to mid 70s in more urban areas.
- Final day of record warmth Wednesday with highs in the 90s away from the immediate coast. Chance for strong to severe thunderstorms by the afternoon with a risk for damaging winds and small hail.
- Cooler temperatures through Memorial Day Weekend. Unsettled weather returns for the weekend with periods of rain possible, but confidence is low.
Area forecast discussion, May 19, 2:35 PM EDT, 3 hours 30 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
235 PM EDT Tue May 19 2026
.WHAT HAS CHANGED...
No changes were made to this forecast package.
&&
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Lingering thunderstorm activity quickly winds down with the loss
of daytime heating. Expecting very warm minimum temps tonight with
lows in the 60s and low to mid 70s in more urban areas.
- Final day of record warmth Wednesday with highs in the 90s away
from the immediate coast. Chance for strong to severe thunderstorms
by the afternoon with a risk for damaging winds and small hail.
- Cooler temperatures through Memorial Day Weekend.
Unsettled weather returns for the weekend with periods of rain
possible, but confidence is low.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
KEY MESSAGE 1...Lingering thunderstorm activity quickly winds down
with the loss of daytime heating. Expecting very warm minimum temps
tonight with lows in the 60s and low to mid 70s in more urban areas.
Showers and storms are expected to develop across western portions
of our CWA between 3 and 5pm and then quickly move east. Main but
guidance is showing the potential for storms to initiate over the
Southern Adirondacks and Green Mountains and then gradually coalesce
into a more organized line or cluster that generally moves west to
east through the afternoon. Main threats with any organized storms
will be strong to damaging straight-line winds given drier air in
the low to mid-levels resulting in inverted-V soundings. Somewhat
notably, the 12z ALB and OKX soundings featured a modified EML
between 700 and 500mb with mid level lapse rates between 6.5 and 7.5
C/km. Thankfully RAP mesoanalysis indicates limited bulk shear
around 25 kt this afternoon so we're not looking at a widespread
severe weather episode. Still, with CAPE values between 1200 and
1500 J/kg, there could be a severe storm or two north of the Mass
Pike. Activity quickly wanes with the loss of daytime heating this
evening.
Bigger story tonight will be continued heat in humidly. Overnight
lows remain in the upper 60s for much of the region and closer to
the lower and even middle 70s across urban areas. These
temperatures, paired with dewpoints in the 60s will keep apparent
temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s even well into the night.
Those without adequate access to cooling and air conditioning are at
greatest risk with the elevated overnight lows. There won't be much
in the way of relief from winds as the boundary layer decouples and
winds calm to less than 5 mph for much of the CWA.
KEY MESSAGE 2... Final day of record warmth Wednesday with highs in
the 90s away from the immediate coast. Chance for strong to severe
thunderstorms by the afternoon with a risk for damaging winds and
small hail.
Upper level ridge begins to break down on Wednesday ahead of an
approaching trough. Despite the changes to the upper pattern, 850
temps will remain above +15C S of the Mass Pike and slightly cooler
to the N. Guidance has somewhat increased the speed of the cold
front resulting in increased cloud cover over much of northern
Massachusetts where temperatures have trended a few degrees cooler.
Even in these areas, still think that valley locations see highs in
the low 90s with downsloping from west winds. Further south, there
is higher confidence in more widespread readings in the low to mid
90s away from the water. Greatest chance will be in the HFD PVD and
BOS urban corridor. Dewpoints in the low to mid 60s (discounting the
outlier NAM) will make it feel humid but not tropical by any means.
An approaching cold front provides a much more robust lifting
mechanism on Wednesday. With temperatures quickly warming into the
90s, expecting surface CAPE values to rise to 1000-1500 J/kg. 0-6km
bulk shear values, while fine (25-30 kts), are less favorable for
organized severe weather than they are further north where the
stronger mid level flow resides. So, the ingredients are there for
some strong to severe storms. Wednesday the cold front will serve as
a better lifting mechanism, timed coincident with peak diurnal
heating so would expect more coverage of storms and any storms that
do form have the chance to produce strong to damaging winds
primarily given inverted-v soundings. Greatest threat for any severe
weather will likely be S of the Mass Pike where higher instability
exists.
KEY MESSAGE 3...Cooler and unsettled weather is possible Memorial
Day Weekend, but confidence remains low.
High pressure builds and mid-level ridging building in behind
Wednesday's system bringing near-seasonable temperatures and dry
conditions.
For Memorial Day weekend there is a signal for the pattern to
become more unsettled with a few disturbances moving through
bringing periods of rain. However, there is still a sufficient
amount uncertainty in the details of the track and timing of the
waves which will influence rain chances, timing, and amounts
this holiday weekend. Across deterministic guidance, there is
plenty of spread in the track and details of a system that moves
in from the Ohio Valley. This has led to a range of scenarios
from a drier weekend with seasonable temperatures to a weekend
with periods of rain and cooler temperatures. Whats adds to the
uncertainty is the lack of consistency of models from run to run
as well. From a probabilistic view, ensemble means are keying
in on moderate probabilities for rain across their respective
members at this time, so the risk is there for periods of rain
over the weekend into the holiday. We'll have to keep monitoring
as well get closer and model guidance comes into better
agreement.
&&
.AVIATION /18Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...
Forecaster Confidence Levels...
Low - less than 30 percent.
Moderate - 30 to 60 percent.
High - greater than 60 percent.
18Z TAF Update:
This Afternoon and Tonight...High confidence.
VFR. Sct'd TSRA possible by the afternoon with continued
confidence in impacts between 21 and 00z from BOS, BED, BDL,
and ORH. S-SW wind 10 to 15 kt gusts to 25 kt through the
afternoon and evening. VFR overnight, with MVFR ceilings across
the Cape and Islands. Possible IFR at ACK with areas of fog.
Gusts drop off for terminals not on the Cape and Islands after
00z tonight.
Wednesday...High confidence.
VFR. Scattered TSRA along and ahead of a cold front in the
afternoon and evening. S-SW wind 8-10kt with gusts 20-25 kts
turning NW behind the cold front between 15-00Z. Strong gusts
possible in any thunderstorms.
KBOS...High confidence in TAF.
KBDL...High confidence in TAF.
Outlook /Wednesday through Sunday/...
Wednesday: VFR. Breezy. Chance SHRA, slight chance TSRA.
Wednesday Night: VFR. Breezy.
Thursday through Friday: VFR.
Friday Night through Saturday Night: VFR. Chance SHRA.
Sunday: VFR. Breezy. Chance SHRA, slight chance TSRA.
&&
.MARINE...
Forecaster Confidence Levels...
Low - less than 30 percent.
Moderate - 30 to 60 percent.
High - greater than 60 percent.
Through Wednesday: High confidence.
Small craft advisories remain in effect through 06z Thurs. SW
winds of 15-25 kt continues this afternoon and overnight
Seas will also be building to around 4-6 ft, with some 7
footers possible tonight over the southern waters.
Mainly dry weather prevails through tonight with a few showers
or thunderstorms possible for the northern waters., Some fog may
persist and expand across the southern waters tonight on
increasing southwest winds.
Outlook /Wednesday through Sunday/...
Wednesday: Low risk for Small Craft Advisory winds with gusts
up to 25 kt. Local rough seas. Slight chance of rain showers.
Wednesday Night: Winds less than 25 kt. Areas of seas
approaching 5 ft. Chance of rain showers.
Thursday: Winds less than 25 kt. Seas locally approaching 5 ft.
Slight chance of rain showers.
Thursday Night through Friday: Winds less than 25 kt.
Friday Night: Winds less than 25 kt. Chance of rain showers.
Saturday through Saturday Night: Winds less than 25 kt. Seas
locally approaching 5 ft. Chance of rain showers.
Sunday: Winds less than 25 kt. Local rough seas. Chance of rain
showers.
&&
.CLIMATE...
Record Highs for Tue May 19...
BOS 90/2017
BDL 94/1962
PVD 91/2017
ORH 92/1962
Record Highs for Wed May 20...
BOS 91/1996
BDL 99/1996
PVD 95/1996
ORH 91/1903
&&
.BOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CT...Heat Advisory until 8 PM EDT Wednesday for CTZ002>004.
Air Quality Alert until 11 PM EDT this evening for CTZ003-004.
MA...Heat Advisory until 8 PM EDT Wednesday for MAZ003>007-010>019-
026.
Air Quality Alert until 11 PM EDT this evening for MAZ006-007-
013>019.
RI...Heat Advisory until 8 PM EDT Wednesday for RIZ001>004.
Air Quality Alert until 11 PM EDT this evening for RIZ001>008.
MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 2 AM EDT Thursday for ANZ254>256.
&&
DISCUSSION...Mensch/FT
AVIATION...Hrencecin/FT
MARINE...FT
CLIMATE...BW/HrencecinThe office that day
Everything else NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 5:02 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOX | Middlesex, Norfolk, Worcester | 39 min |
| May 19, 5:15 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOX | Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Worcester | 60 min |
| May 19, 5:47 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOX | Middlesex, Norfolk, Worcester | 30 min |
| May 19, 5:51 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | BOX | 54 min | |
| May 19, 5:51 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOX | Middlesex, Norfolk, Worcester | 26 min |
| May 19, 6:25 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOX | Bristol, Norfolk, Plymouth | 29 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Massachusetts, 2026Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2026
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.