Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, May 31, 1998

Severe thunderstorms moved through central and southern Worcester County and caused intense downbursts between about 10 PM and 1030 PM. Two primary macroburst paths were identified by a National Weather Service survey on June 1st. The more southern path produced locally severe damage in parts of Charlton and Oxford, where a wind gust to 60 mph was reported by a spotter. It may be possible to trace this path back to the Brookfield, Brimfield, and Wilbraham areas, where there also were reports of wind damage. A second macroburst path could be traced nearly west to east across central Worcester County, from North Brookfield through Spencer, Leicester, Worcester, Shrewsbury, and Grafton. Along this path, a wind gust to 104 mph was recorded at 10:15 PM at Holy Cross College in Worcester at an elevation of approximately 750 feet. At 10:11 PM, the Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS) at the Worcester Municipal Airport reported a peak gust to 94 mph. This equaled the highest wind gust on record for Worcester set on December 10, 1953. A small airplane was damaged at Worcester Airport even though it had been tied down. The plane landed on its roof and its windshield was shattered and both doors were ripped off. A 65-foot flagpole in front of the terminal building at the Airport was broken in three places. A small section of the roof of the terminal building was damaged. Along both paths of wind damage, numerous one to two foot diameter trees were snapped off or uprooted. Most of the damage was caused by trees falling on houses, cars, and power lines. Dozens of utility poles were snapped off. A 24-foot by 36-foot barn was demolished and one large tractor trailer was blown onto its side in Oxford. Winds tore sections of roofs from two school buildings in the city of Worcester. Some flying debris crashed through a window of a nearby home. Siding and awning damages to homes and businesses were observed in a few locations. A number of windows in a nursing home in Charlton were blown in. Trees fell in essentially one direction (to the east) and at times exhibited a divergent pattern. East of the city of Worcester and still in Worcester County, there was considerable wind damage in Shrewsbury, Westborough, and Southborough. On one particular street in Westborough, five large trees were blown down in one yard and an automobile severely damaged. Similar damage occurred in Shrewsbury, where damage was estimated at $10,000 to one home. As the severe thunderstorm continued to the east, wind damage occurred in parts of Middlesex and Norfolk Counties. First, in Middlesex County in Marlborough, Hopkinton, and Natick, officials reported trees and wires down. In Ashland, a tremendous number of trees were reported blown down, per local police. Trees were reported blown down on many streets in Newton, farther to the east. Trees were blown down on one street in Waltham and three trees were downed in Belmont. In Norfolk County, trees were blown down in Medfield, Walpole, and Brookline. The day after the storm, a state of emergency was declared in Worcester, Shrewsbury, and Charlton in Worcester County, so that the state could assist with debris removal. Between 20,000 and 30,000 electric customers lost power in central Massachusetts due to the storms.