Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Massachusetts, May 12, 2001

Name: Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Massachusetts, May 12, 2001
Start: 2001-05-12T15:36
End: 2001-05-12T16:54
Location: Massachusetts

May 12, 2001 · NWS BOX · 6 events in 3 counties and zones

Severe thunderstorms moved through parts of central and northeast Massachusetts. In Worcester County, thunderstorm winds downed large trees and wires in Charlton, Worcester, Sutton, and Southborough.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $10,000
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.

What happened

The episode as NWS BOX wrote it up.

Severe thunderstorms moved through parts of central and northeast Massachusetts. In Worcester County, thunderstorm winds downed large trees and wires in Charlton, Worcester, Sutton, and Southborough. Lightning struck a home in Northborough, and only sustained minor damage. In Middlesex County, the Cornell Road neighborhood in Framingham was hit by thunderstorm winds which uprooted trees, blew down a stockade fence, and smashed a storm door window. Trees and wires were downed in Waltham and Lexington. In Essex County, severe thunderstorms downed trees and wires in Lynnfield, Salem, and Swampscott.

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 May 12, 12:37 PM EST, 2 hours 59 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 12, 12:37 PM EST, 2 hours 59 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
137 PM EDT SAT MAY 12 2001

...ANOMALOUS COLD PATTERN DEVELOPING WILL RESULT IN SOME RAIN
   BUT WILL IT BE A DENT IN EXCESSIVE RECENT DRYNESS...

UPDATED FIRST FEW PGHS:

SKYWARN: WELL NEED SOME CKS OF LARGER STORMS WHEN THEY WORK INTO
         FRANKLIN/HAMPSHIRE/HAMPDEN/CHESHIRE/HFD COUNTIES.

NSE (NEAR STORM ENVIRONMENT): TREND SEEMS MORE FAVORABLE FOR
                              MICROBURST POTENTIAL RIGHT ALONG CF
                              VCNTY BDL-ORH-LWM LINE MID OR LATE
                              AFTN.  15Z RUC HELPFUL. 1638Z SWODY1
                              COMMENTS NOTED. AWAITING 45
                              VIL REPORTS.

12Z ETA FCST SOUNDINGS... LV BOS/PVD OUT OF SVR RISK AND PROB NO RAIN
OR LESS THAN 20 PCT COVERAGE IN 195 AND SE WD.  CK 330 PM ZFP RELEASE
FOR DETAILS. NO HUGE ETA INSTABILITY INDEX SPIKES. BDL-BAF WORST RISK
21-22Z...ORH 22-23Z. THIS RUN OF THE ETA IS A LITTLE MORE SUBDUED
AND SLIGHTLY SLOWER. SUGGESTING MAIN THREAT FOR MARG MICROBURST SVR
WOULD BE IN ORH-BDL-BAF REGION.

30-35F SFC TD/TD SPREAD EXPECTED ARD 18Z. OKX STILL HAS 34 VILS AT
1725Z COMING OUT OF HUD VLY. MARG SITN BUT WE WILL HAVE SKYWARN
TESTING EQMT HERE ARD 2PM. HEADS UP FOR CT RVR VLY DVLPTS ARD 230-
330 PM. NOWCAST OUT. ALSO GETTING SOME LIGHTNING IN HUD VLY.

AVN MOS: YOU MAY RECALL THURSDAY 5/10 12Z AVN NEW MAV MOS FCST MAX
         TEMPS FOR TDY AT         BOS 66  BDL 65.
                  NGM HAD         BOS 74  BDL 76
         OLD AVN FAN MOS EQN HAD  BOS 74  BDL 75

SO FAR TODAYS HIGHS ARE RUNNING +15 WARMER THAN THE 48 HR MAX TEMPS
OF THE MAV FROM 5/10.

AS A MATTER OF FACT...RECORD MAXS MAY YET B REACHED TODAY AT
BOS 88 1991
BDL 88 1991
ORH 88 1959
PVD 87 1959

ALREADY RERBOS FOR BLUE HILL RECORD

NO MORE AFDS EXPECTED THRU 330 PM.

...REMAINDER BLO NO CHG FM 954 AM...

NOWCASTS: PLS FOLLOW CONVECTIVE NOWS EXPECTED TO B ISSUED STARTING
          ARD 1230-130PM EDT THIS AFTN.

SVR: MARGINAL. PLS FOLLOW SPC SWOS AND LOCAL OFFICE ASSESSMENTS
     OF NEAR STORM EVEVIROMENT (NSE). EL OF 29K WOULD SUGGEST FIRST
     REAL VALUABLE WARNING VIL OF 40. EXP ALGORITHM VIL OF 60 IS
     AUTO WARN BUT BLV THATS WAY TOO HIGH AND NOT REACHABLE TODAY.
     (CAPE HIGHLY LIMITED). TROP OF 42 ON 12Z ALB SOUNDING SUGGESTS
     VIL 45. WITH THESE 3 ASSESSMENTS IN MIND WILL BE WARNING IF VIL
     HITS 45.

     LIGHTNING: ET TO AT LEAST 21K WITH 30 DBZ TO ARD 16K (DECENT
     ICE).

     HI EDITED HERE FOR 10.6 20.8 AND 26 KT MVMT FM SOMEWHERE
     240-270.

SKYWARN: XPCT BULK ACTION IN 19-23Z TIME FRAME WITH MAX RISK RUFLY
         SOMEWHERE BAF-ORE-MHT-LWM-BVY-BDL-BAF WITH FOCUS IN MAX WAA
         REGION WHICH SHUD B FIT-ASH-LWM.  06Z ETA NO HELP IN SPIKES
         SINCE ITS ALREADY ATTEMPTING QPF 18Z IN BOS AREA WHERE
         AN INV NR 600 MB COMBINED WITH CT OF 85F SHUD PREVENT
         EARLY SHOW. SO WILL REASSESS VIA 12Z ETA HRLY SOUNDINGS
         UNFORTUNATELY N/A HERE TIL 1710Z. XPCT A BRF AFD UPDATE
         AT THAT TIME.  FOR NOW CONTG FCST AS IS.

QPF: LOOKS LIKE A STRUGGLE TO GET QPF IN BOS-PVD CORRIDOR SEWD TO
     FMH. OUTSIDE CHC REGEN SHWRS FOR ACK TOWARD 08Z SUNDAY BUT
     AVN MODEL INDICATES LESS AND LESS CHC? ISOLATED 1 POSSIBLE
     IN TSTM N CENTRAL MA AND OR SNH THIS AFTN.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES: HAD NUMEROUS CALLS FOR THIS AFTN: LIGHTNING
                    RISK APPEARS GREATEST 3P-6P TIME FRAME BDL-ORH-
                    LWM-MHT.

LR: 00Z/12 ENSEMBLES NOT YET REVIEWED BUT EXCESSIVE EARLY SEASON
    WARMTH AND PURE SS PAST 2-3 WEEKS IS PROBABLY IN FOR MAJOR
    COMPENSATION VIA DREARY COLD AND DAMP WX. TEMP TREND TO NORMAL
    STARTING ERLY THIS WK AND CUD SEE MUCH BLO NORMAL MAXS FOR
    A COUPLE OF DAYS COMING UP  IN 5/16-19 TIME FRAME.  NAO STRONGLY
    NEG AND PNA MDTLY POS. AT LEAST 1 DAY OF COLD AND DAMP NE FLOW
    MODELED FOR SNE.

.MARINE...
MARGINAL SCA WNDS WITH FROPA TEVE. ETA XSXNS REVEAL STG CAA 00Z-06Z
MAX ARND H9. ETA BUFKIT WND FIELD SUGGEST MOMENTUM TRANSFER UP TO
25 KTS PSBL...WHICH MAY ONLY LAST 1 OR 2 HRS. THUS CONTG LEAN TWD
JUST UNDER SCA WNDS FOR NOW.

.FIRE WX...
FUEL MOISTURES REMAIN VRY LO. ALTH DEW PTS WL CLIMB SLOWLY INTO THE
50S AHEAD OF THE FRONT TAFTN...WHICH WL INC RH VALUES A BIT.  SHOWERS
AND TSTMS TAFTN AND EVENING WL ONLY TEMPORARILY MINIMIZE THE FIRE
THREAT. MNLY DRY WX WL RETURN SUN AND CONT INTO MUCH OF THE UPCOMING
WORK WEEK...WITH ONLY THE CHC OF ISOL SHOWERS MON AND TUE AFTN. WNDS
MAY BRIEFLY APPROACH 20-25 MPH THIS EVENING BEHIND THE FRONTAL
PASSAGE. OTHERWISE WNDS 10-20 MPH THRU THE PD.

.BOX...NONE.

DRAG

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Worcester

When: May 12, 3:36 PM EST
Where: Worcester County, Charlton
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 42.133, -71.967

Thunderstorm Wind, Worcester

When: May 12, 3:55 PM EST
Where: Worcester County, Worcester
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 42.267, -71.800

Thunderstorm Wind, Middlesex

When: May 12, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Middlesex County, Framingham
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 42.283, -71.417

Lightning, Worcester

When: May 12, 4:20 PM EST
Where: Worcester County, Northborough
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 42.351, -71.908 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Middlesex

When: May 12, 4:24 PM EST
Where: Middlesex County, Waltham
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.383, -71.233

Thunderstorm Wind, Essex

When: May 12, 4:50 PM EST to 4:54 PM EST
Where: Essex County, Lynnfield
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 42.533, -71.050

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.
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

Every storm in Massachusetts in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Massachusetts, May 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: 5243194, 5243195, 5243491, 5243196, 5243492, 5243493.