Massachusetts, 1973

Tornado and Hail in Massachusetts, August 28, 1973

August 28, 1973 · 6 events in 3 counties and zones

3 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
4
Injuries
36
Property damage
$25 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

3 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Essex

When
August 28, 11:30 AM CST
Where
Essex County
Coordinates
42.830, -71.000

Tornado, Berkshire

When
August 28, 11:40 AM CST
Where
Berkshire County
Rating
F4
Path length
6.4 mi
Path width
313 yd
Deaths
4 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
36 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25 million
Coordinates
42.370, -73.420

Hail,

When
August 28, 11:40 AM CST
Where
County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
42.330, -73.420

Hail, Essex

When
August 28, 11:45 AM CST
Where
Essex County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
42.530, -70.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Essex

When
August 28, 11:45 AM CST
Where
Essex County
Coordinates
42.630, -70.950

Hail, Essex

When
August 28, 12:05 PM CST
Where
Essex County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
42.600, -70.900

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Massachusetts in 1973Every state in 1973This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Massachusetts, 1973

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10039884, 10039885, 10039886, 10039887, 10039888, 10039889.