Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, July 9, 1997

A warm, moist airmass ahead of an approaching cold front produced a line of thunderstorms, many severe, which marched across the state from west to east. The line reached the Connecticut Valley, affecting towns in Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin Counties starting just before 3 PM. A microburst occurred in Worcester later during the afternoon. In Hampden County, spotters reported dime size hail in Blandford and Longmeadow. Trees were reported blown down in Granville and Tolland where about 4,000 electric customers lost power. State police reported trees blown down in Chester. Nickel size hail fell in West Springfield and Agawam. In Hampshire County, dime size hail was reported in Huntington and trees and power lines were knocked down in Northampton. One tree fell on a house. Numerous trees were blown down in Amherst and road signs were reported down in Hadley at the intersection of Routes 9 and 47. In Worcester County, wind damage was reported in Templeton, including downed power lines. Also, in Worcester County, two microbursts occurred within 15 minutes of each other. The first one struck in Holden at the Holden Reservoir and uprooted one tree and destroyed four others at 4:30 PM. At 4:45 PM, two miles farther east, another microburst hit at Indian Lake in Worcester. A National Weather Service investigation determined that a microburst occurred along the north shore of Indian Lake. Peak wind speeds were estimated up to 70 mph. There was an estimated $3,000 to $4,000 damage to boats at the lake. On land, one boat, about 12 to 14 feet long, was blown approximately 26 feet and the roof was ripped off a storage shed. A woman suffered a mild concussion when she was struck by a wind surfing sail. Timely warnings by the National Weather Service allowed up to 100 people to be cleared from the lake before the storm struck. In Middlesex County, in Pepperell, there was wind damage including trees and power lines blown down. Dime size hail fell in Lunenburg and Groton.