Excessive Heat, Southern Worcester
- When
- May 3, 12:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
- Where
- Southern Worcester forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 42.351, -71.908 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Excessive Heat in Massachusetts, May 3, 2001
The high temperature of 87 degrees at Worcester Regional Airport tied the previous record high for the date, which was set in 1942. At Logan International Airport in Boston, the high temperature of 92 degrees broke the previous record high of 85 degrees, which was set in 1942.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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.
The high temperature of 87 degrees at Worcester Regional Airport tied the previous record high for the date, which was set in 1942. At Logan International Airport in Boston, the high temperature of 92 degrees broke the previous record high of 85 degrees, which was set in 1942. Finally, the high temperature at the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton reached 91 degrees, which broke the previous record high of 84 degrees, also set in 1942.
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 2, 8:14 PM EST, 3 hours 46 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 2, 8:14 PM EST, 3 hours 46 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA 914 PM EDT WED MAY 2 2001 .DISC... UPDATED ZNS TO REMOVE SCT EVENING RWS/TSTMS AS PULSE CONVECTION TO OUR NW HAS DISSIPATED WITH LOSS OF DIURNAL HEATING. OTHERWISE FCST LKS VRY GD. ANOTHER DAY OF RECORD HEAT EXPECTED THU. 00Z SNDGS FM ALY AND CHH CONFIRM DEEP BLYR XTNDG UP TO ARND H7. SO WITH GD MIXING EXPECTED AGAIN THU COMBINED WITH W TO NW LO LVL FLO...TEMPS SHOULD REACH TDY/S VALUES AND PROBABLY A FEW DEGREES WARMER AS AIRMASS MODIFIES EACH DAY. THE FOLLOWING ARE RECORD HI/S FOR THU WHICH SHOULD ALL BE EXCEEDED: RECORDS FOR 5/3/01 BDL 90 1913 ORH 87 1942 PVD 86 1913 BOS 85 1942 IN ADDITION...DID LWR OVRNGT MINS A NOTCH AS MNLY CLR SKIES AND DECOUPLED ATM WILL ALLOW TEMPS TO FALL CLOSE TO DEW PT VALUES... SIMILIAR SITUATION TO LAST FEW NGTS. AGREE WITH DAYSHIFT FCSTR IN NOT MENTIONING ANY CHC OF A RW/TSTM FOR THU. INC HGHTS SHOULD YIELD TO ADDITIONAL SUBSIDENCE THU. BUFKIT MDL SNDGS FM ETA OUTPUT FCST MLVL CAP (ARND H5 ATTM) TO SHARPEN AND LWR TO ARND 650 MBS (PER INC HGHTS). THIS SHOULD CAP AND INHIBIT ANY RW OR TSTM ACTIVITY THU. ALTH CAN NOT RULE OUT AN ISOLATED RW/TSTM...ALTH NOT WORTH MENTIONING IN FCST. EXTENDED PERIOD OF DRY WX AND INCREASING OUTDOOR ACTIVITY PROMPTED AN SPS TAFTN REGARDING POTENTIAL FIRE DANGER. ONLY LIMITING FACTOR PREVENTING RED FLAG CONDITIONS ARE WNDS SPDS BELOW 25 MPH. NEVERTHELESS DANGEROUS CONDITIONS PREVAIL. RELIEF WILL COME LATE FRI AND INTO THE WKND WITH A CDFNT PSSG...AS DAYTIME TEMPS DROP INTO THE 60S AND OVRNGT MINS INTO THE 40S. THIS WL RESULT IN HIER RH VALUES. ADDITIONAL RELIEF WL COME IN THE FORM OF SCT RW/TSTM ACTIVITY LATE FRI...ALTH WIDESPREAD RWS AND TSTMS NOT EXPECTED AS MSTR AND INSTAB ARE LACKING. .BOX...NONE. NOCERA
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 excessive heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Excessive Heat, Eastern Norfolk
- When
- May 3, 12:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Norfolk forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Excessive Heat, Suffolk / Also Part of Norfolk
- When
- May 3, 12:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
- Where
- Suffolk / Also Part of Norfolk forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 42.264, -71.125 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Excessive Heat
- Heat at or above the local excessive heat warning criteria, or heat that caused deaths.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Texas, May 3 to 4, 2001
- Flash Flooding in Texas, May 3 to 4, 2001
- Hail in Florida, May 3, 2001
- Winter Storm in Colorado, May 3 to 4, 2001
- Damaging Wind in Florida, May 3, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, May 3, 2001
- High Wind in California, May 3, 2001
- Lightning Strike in Iowa, May 3, 2001
- Damaging Wind in Florida, May 3, 2001
- Damaging Wind in Florida, May 3, 2001
- Lightning Strike in Florida, May 3, 2001
- Blizzard in Wyoming, May 3, 2001
More
Every storm in Massachusetts in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5243182, 5243183, 5243184.