May 31st, 2002 Severe Weather Outbreak Report
Severe
Weather Outbreak Report for Friday May 31st, 2002
by:
Robert Macedo, ARES SKYWARN Coordinator for NWS Taunton
This
Severe Weather Outbreak will be known for having history repeat itself.
Exactly
4 years ago to the same day, the most widespread severe weather outbreak
to grip
the region over the last several years occurred on May 31st, 1998. While
this
outbreak was not in the caliber of its predecessor 4 years ago in the NWS
Taunton
County Warning Area, the event will be known for its widespread nature
and for
spreading significant wind damage and hail across the region.
This
outbreak was well forecasted by local weather forecast offices and the
Storm
Prediction Center which highlighted the region in a Slight Risk for
Severe
Weather three days out and cited the possibility for an upgrade to
moderate
risk in later outlooks. This allowed for several days preparation for
spotters
and coordinators to be prepared for this outbreak.
On
Friday May 31st, the activity started in the NWS Taunton County Warning Area
with a
Severe Thunderstorm Watch posted for the region until 8 PM. The NWS Taunton
ham
station was manned by Carl Aveni-N1FY, Phil Mclaughlin-KB1CYO, and myself. For
the
first time ever, a IRLP link was used between the 147.105 Wilbraham Repeater
and the
145.39 Scituate, Mass. Repeater through the efforts of Western Mass. SKYWARN
Coordinator,
Ray Weber, KA1JJM, Scituate, Mass. Repeater owner Bob Callahan, W1QWT
and his
control operator, Steve Johnson, KC1HO. Contact was maintained with MEMA
Framingham
and Tom Kinahan, N1CPE, the Massachusetts State RACES Radio Officer via
the
53.31 Mount Wachusett 6 Meter Repeater.
Severe
Thunderstorms made their way into Southern New Hampshire, Northwest
Massachusetts
and
Western Connecticut first with Severe Thunderstorm Warnings posted in Cheshire
and
Hillsborough
counties of New Hampshire and later in Litchfield County, CT and Franklin
County,
Massachusetts.
SKYWARN
was active in New Hampshire with Bruce Bohannon-WA1YZN and Marc Slater-KB1DFE
both on
frequency using the 443.350 Pack Monadnock Repeater. After a period of
inactivity reports came streaming in with numerous reports of trees and wires
down in Walpole, Gilsum, Alstead and Sullivan, NH between 4 and 4:15 PM. At the
same time, a powerful severe thunderstorm moved across New Hartford, and
Canaan, CT. Dime Sized Hail was reported in Canaan, CT at 4:10 PM and Quarter
Sized Hail fell in New Hartford, CT at 4:15 PM. As the storms moved through
Hartford County CT and into Eastern Cheshire and Hillsborough Counties, repors
of Pea Sized Hail were received in Jaffrey, NH at 4:33 PM, West Hartford and
Simsbury, CT at 4:35 PM and Manchester, CT at 4:45 PM. As the storms went
through Tolland County
Connecticut
in the town of Ellington, large branches were blown down on Route 83 with
Quarter
Sized Hail reported as well. The time of these reports were estimated at 4:45
PM
per a
spotter that later reported this via email. SKYWARN was active across
Connecticut
through
the efforts of Dixie, KD1UK, for Litchfield County CT on the 145.37 Torrington,
CT Repeater. This repeater utilized a 440 Mhz Repeater link into Vernon, CT
which allowed of timely upstream reporting from Litchfield County CT into the
NWS Taunton County Warning Area.
Roger
Jeanfaivre, K1PAI, Jim McBride, KD1LD, and Harvey Broverman, K1PZS were active
with
SKYWARN
on the 147.000 and 147.225 Soapstone and Killingly CT Repeaters. Also active
was Bernie Dubb, KB1DGY, who assisted with gather information on both repeaters
and worked with John Buco, N1EGS from Rhode Island SKYWARN as activity moved
through the area.
As the
storms moved in Franklin County, at 4:45 PM through the IRLP link, Ray Weber,
KA1JJM,
reported Wires Down in Bernardston, Mass. As the storms made there way into
Hampshire
County, numerous reports of Larger trees and wires down were reported in
Northampton,
Mass., Hadley Mass. Hatfield, Mass. and Easthampton Mass. in a timeframe
from
5:00-5:45 PM. A 52 MPH measured wind gust was reported out of Northampton, Mass.
as
well. Wires were also reported down in Springfield, MA with trees reported down
on the
'northern finger' of Holyoke, Mass. that borders Northampton at 6:10 PM. Damage
was
widespread
and significant in the Hampshire County area including a couple of
large
trees down on houses. Tom Kinahan, N1CPE, and the MEMA Framingham dispatchers
at the
request
of NWS Taunton also found numerous other reports of trees and wires down in
Plainfield
and
Worthington, Mass. at 4:45 PM, Huntington, MA at 4:55 PM and Pelham, Mass. at
5:25 PM. These reports were relayed using the 53.31 Mount Wachusett 6 Meter
Repeater. The damage across Hampshire County was significant enough to be a
cover story on the Hampshire Daily Gazette which is the newspaper in the
Northampton area. SKYWARN was active on the 146.985-Greenfield and 146.940
Mount Tom Repeaters in Western Mass. SKYWARN was also active in Worcester
County through the efforts of Tom Pratt-N1KKY through the Worcester-Templeton
Linked Repeater system utilizing the 145.37-Templeton and 146.925-Worcester
Repeaters.
Across
Southern New Hampshire in Hillsborough County, and extreme Northern Worcester
and
Northern Middlesex Counties of Massachusetts, more reports of hail and wind
damage were received. In Manchester, NH at 4:50 PM, large branches were down
with a couple of small trees down in neighboring Hooksett, NH. At 5:10 PM,
N1JDK, Steve, reported Dime Sized Hail in Bedford, NH, Large trees and power
poles were blown down in Milford, NH at 5:30 PM and in Nashua NH wires were
blown down at 5:35 PM. In Winchendon, Mass at 5:35 PM, trees were blown down
from severe thunderstorms that went through that area and these set of storms
resulted in more trees and wires down on Elm Street in Townsend, Mass at 5:58
PM per KB1FXP-Ray Dean who roamed much of the Northeast Worcester and Northwest
Middlesex County corridor. The Winchendon
Mass
report was completed through a relay from MEMA Framingham dispatchers and
Tom-N1CPE operating at the bunker and utilizing the 53.31 Mount Wachusett
Repeater.
In
Litchfield, NH, Large branches and wires were blown down at 5:35 PM. In
Jaffrey, NH, Small branches were blown down with 1/4-1/2" hail at 5:35 PM
and in Wilton, NH at 5:45 PM, large trees were blown down. Trees and wires were
also blown down in Merimmac, NH at 5:50 PM. All
reports
were received through the 443.350 Pack Monadnock Repeater. This activity in
Hillsborough County, NH eventually
moved through Extreme Northern Essex County where WA1ESU-Joe at Newburyport
Emergency Management reported trees and wires down in Amesbury and Salisbury
Mass. at 6:05 PM. Pea Sized Hail was also reported in this activity as it went
through the same area. The report from Newburyport Emergency Management was
received via
the
53.31 Mount Wachusett Repeater.
Across
Connecticut, activity increased in this area with a second set of Severe
Thunderstorms
that went through the area. In New Hartford, CT at 5:55 PM, Golf Ball
Sized
Hail was reported via the Torrington-Vernon, CT linked repeater system. As
the
storms made their way into Northern Hartford County, Pea Sized Hail was
reported
in
Windsor Locks, CT at 5:59 PM with trees blown down in Windsor, CT at the same
time of
5:59
PM. In East Windsor, CT, Pea Sized Hail fell with Dine Sized Hail reported in
West
Hartford
and Vernon CT at 6:15 PM and Pea Sized Hail repored in Tolland and Broad Brook,
CT
at 6:20
and 6:45 PM respectively. All reports were forwarded from Roger-K1PAI and
Harv-K1PZS
via the
IRLP link between the 147.105 Wilbraham, Mass. Repeater and the 145.39
Scituate,
Mass.
Repeater. In Ashford, CT at 6:30 PM, trees and wires were reported down per a
report received from John-N1EGS through Bernie KB1DGY.
Across
Northern Worcester County, more activity went through the area but it remained
sub-severe with pea sized hail reported in Gardner, Mass. at 6:58 PM and Pea
Sized Hail reported
in
Ashburnham, Mass. at 7:05 PM. Reports were given through the Worcester County
SKYWARN
Net on
the 146.925-145.37 linked repeater system where Tom-N1KKY was continuing to run
the
net on
that frequency.
Rhode
Island SKYWARN was active through the efforts of Martin-N1JMA and John-N1EGS.
Storms
weakened
as they moved through Providence and Kent Counties in Rhode Island but Pea
Sized
hail
was reported in West Coventry, RI at 8:18 PM and lasted less than one minute.
Follow-up
damage reports were received through the work of Tom Kinahan, N1CPE, and the
MEMA
Framingham dispatchers as Numerous trees and wires were reported down in
Berkshire
County
in Beckett, Lanesboro, Lenox, otis, Egermont, Alford, Stockbridge, and Cheshire
Mass
along
with Ashfield and Conway, Mass. in Franklin County Mass. around 6:30 PM.
Reports
were
forwarded by Tom over the 53.31 Mount Wachusett Repeater.
The
SKYWARN Activation was secured at approximately 9:30 PM. All wind damage noted
was
from microburst and straight line wind activity and no tornadoes were reported.
A
HEARTY
thank you to all of the SKYWARN Coordinators, Net Controls, and Spotters who
gave
their time and reported the reportable and severe critieria weather to NWS
Taunton.
Special
thanks also to the MEMA Framingham dispatchers and Tom Kinahan-N1CPE for
digging
up
further reports of wind damage from the region.
Respectfully
Submitted,
Robert
Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES
SKYWARN Coordinator
SEMCARES
Emergency Coordinator
Pager
#: (508) 354-3142
Home
Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data
#: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work
Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8
AM-5 PM)
Email
Address: rmacedo@pop.ma.ultranet.com
http://www.ultranet.com/~rmacedo