Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin
- When
- July 1, 2:30 PM EST
- Where
- Franklin County, Greenfield
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.600, -72.600
Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, July 1, 2001
For the second straight day, severe thunderstorms moved across much of central and northeast Massachusetts. Thunderstorm winds downed trees, power lines, and large branches throughout much of Worcester, Middlesex, and Essex Counties.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $200,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 12
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.
What happened
The episode as NWS BOX wrote it up.
For the second straight day, severe thunderstorms moved across much of central and northeast Massachusetts. Thunderstorm winds downed trees, power lines, and large branches throughout much of Worcester, Middlesex, and Essex Counties. Hail as large as quarters was reported in Lawrence and Methuen. In the Connecticut River Valley, a second line of storms downed nearly ten trees, one of which flattened a parked car. Nearly 22,000 electric customers were left without power during the storms.Lightning strikes caused damage in southern Middlesex County. In Natick, lightning struck a church steeple and ignited a fire, causing an estimated $75,000 in damage. In Framingham, lightning struck an apartment building and caused an estimated $125,000 in damage. No injuries were reported.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, 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 the first event at Jul 1, 1:50 PM EST, 40 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 1, 1:50 PM EST, 40 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA 250 PM EDT SUN JUL 1 2001 SEVERAL LINES OF +TSRA SURROUNDING FA ATTM. SVR TSTM WATCHES ACROSS SNE WILL EXPIRE AT 01Z. LEADING EDGE OF COOLER DRIER AIRMASS WILL SWEEP THRU AREA TNGT. ASSOC SFC LO WILL BE DEEPENING OVER MARITIMES LATER TNGT AND MON...CAUSING NW WINDS TO INCR TO 15 TO 25 KT. DRY WX WILL CONT INTO TUE AS RIDGE MOVES OFFSHORE. .BOX...SCA ALL MARINE ZONES. FRANKLIN
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jul 1, 10:30 AM EST, 4 hours before
CTZ002>004-MAZ005>007-013>024-RIZ001>007-012000- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA 1130 AM EDT SUN JUL 1 2001 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS... THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND. A COLD FRONT OVER THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES LATE THIS MORNING WILL MOVE ACROSS SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND THIS EVENING. AS THE FRONT APPROACHES NEW ENGLAND...IT WILL RUN INTO VERY HUMID AIR THAT WILL HAVE BEEN HEATED BY THE SUN TO TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 80S AND LOWER 90S. THUNDERSTORMS HAVE FORMED ACROSS PENNSYLVANIA...UPSTATE NEW YORK...AND VERMONT THIS MORNING...AND WERE MOVING EAST AT 40 TO 50 MPH. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM FOR MASSACHUSETTS FROM WORCESTER WEST TO THE NEW YORK BORDER...AND SOUTHWESTERN NEW HAMPSHIRE. PEOPLE PLANNING OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...INCLUDING THOSE PLANNING TO DO SOME BOATING...ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO WEATHER FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION. FRANKLIN
The radar
The Albany radar (KENX), 120 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:31 UTC.
Event by event
10 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Worcester
- When
- July 1, 2:32 PM EST to 2:35 PM EST
- Where
- Worcester County, Athol
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.600, -72.217
Thunderstorm Wind, Middlesex
- When
- July 1, 2:35 PM EST
- Where
- Middlesex County, Ashby
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.683, -71.817
Thunderstorm Wind, Essex
- When
- July 1, 2:51 PM EST
- Where
- Essex County, Haverhill
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.783, -71.083
Thunderstorm Wind, Worcester
- When
- July 1, 3:20 PM EST
- Where
- Worcester County, Fitchburg
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.583, -71.800
Thunderstorm Wind, Essex
- When
- July 1, 3:22 PM EST to 3:32 PM EST
- Where
- Essex County, Rowley
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.717, -70.867
Thunderstorm Wind, Middlesex
- When
- July 1, 3:30 PM EST
- Where
- Middlesex County, Groton
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.617, -71.567
Thunderstorm Wind, Hampden
- When
- July 1, 3:45 PM EST
- Where
- Hampden County, West Springfield
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.100, -72.667
Hail, Essex
- When
- July 1, 3:48 PM EST to 3:55 PM EST
- Where
- Essex County, Lawrence
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.717, -71.150
Thunderstorm Wind, Worcester
- When
- July 1, 3:55 PM EST
- Where
- Worcester County, Templeton
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.550, -72.067
Thunderstorm Wind, Essex
- When
- July 1, 4:15 PM EST
- Where
- Essex County, Topsfield
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.633, -70.950
Lightning, Middlesex
- When
- July 1, 5:15 PM EST
- Where
- Middlesex County, Natick
- Property damage
- $200,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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.
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Drought in Michigan, July 1 to 31, 2001
- Heat in Pennsylvania, July 1, 2001
- Rip Current in Michigan, July 1, 2001
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Maryland, July 1, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Winds in New York, July 1, 2001
- Tropical Storm in Guam, July 1 to 3, 2001
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Texas, July 1, 2001
- Wildfire in Alaska, July 1 to 7, 2001
- Tornado in Florida, July 1, 2001
- Flood in Minnesota, July 1 to 31, 2001
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in West Virginia, July 1, 2001
- Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, July 1, 2001
More
Every storm in Massachusetts in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, July 2001
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: 5258314, 5258315, 5258316, 5258317, 5258318, 5258319, 5258320, 5258407, 5258408, 5258409, 5258410, 5258411.