June 30th, 2001 Severe Weather Outbreak Report

Severe Weather Outbreak Report for Saturday June 30th, 2001
by: Robert Macedo, ARES SKYWARN Coordinator for NWS Taunton

The Severe Weather Outbreak for Saturday June 30th will be best known
for being widespread, significant, and surprising from the standpoint
of the area that it covered and it upstaged a significant severe 
weather event that occurred on Sunday July 1st across portions of 
the region.

At 9:30 AM on Saturday, Dave Vallee called me to coordinate for 
weekend severe weather. At that time, it was expected that a 
siginficant severe weather event would occur across the region on
Sunday with the Storm Prediction Center ready to put the region in a
Moderate Risk for Severe Weather. As for Saturday, isolated severe
weather was possible which was initially planned to be handled on a
self-activation basis.

By 3:55 PM on Saturday, it rapidly became apparent that the severe 
weather event for Saturday was going to be far more significant then
expected. This prompted a call from Dave Henry at NWS Taunton. He 
requested the situation to be monitored closely and that ops at the 
weather office may be needed. At this point, a call was placed to 
Ray Weber, KA1JJM, who was already monitoring and active with the 
situation, reports of large hail were received in Berkshire County. 
Shortly after that call, I placed a call with NWS Taunton
at 4:15 PM and at that time, ops at NWS Taunton were requested. After
several pages were issued for the significant event for Sunday, a 
page was sent asking for activation informally across much of the 
area for severe weather for Saturday June 30th and I went enroute 
to NWS Taunton.

When I arrived, severe weather was already making its way into Western
Hampden and Western Hampshire Counties. Severe thunderstorms also 
rapidly developed over Northeastern Massachusetts and Southern New 
Hampshire. It rapidly became apparent that this would be a widespread
significant severe weather event. The concern was that because
of the emphasis on severe weather for Sunday, would people be there to
respond to the events for Saturday? The hams and spotters for the 
NWS Taunton program proved their worth and mettle by responding 
rapidly to the events of Saturday June 30th.

When I arrived at 4:45 PM, liaison connection was made with Ray Weber,
KA1JJM, and Western Mass. SKYWARN on the 53.31 Mount Wachusett 
Repeater. At 4:48 PM, Nickel Sized hail was reported in West Becket,
Massachusetts in Berkshire County. Liaison was then made with 
Hillsborough County, NH SKYWARN on the 443.350 Pack Monadnock
Repeater. Pea Sized hail was reported in Milford New Hampshire 
at 4:55 PM.

Meanwhile, Ray Weber, KA1JJM, had reports streaming in from Western Hampden
County with Dime to Nickel Sized hail in Chester, Mass. at 5:11 PM. The 146.94
Mount Tom Repeater was active with SKYWARN through Ray, KA1JJM and Eric, N1QKO. 
Storms then fired up in Northeastern Massachusetts in the town of Wilimington, Mass.
with several minutes of 1/2" hail and trees down with one 3 foot in diameter.
N1VUX, Bill Ricker, was on the 146.64 Waltham Repeater with SKYWARN active.
Storms then fired up and moved into Worcester County with SKYWARN active on the
146.925/145.37 Worcester/Templeton linked repeater system. Trees were blown down
on to a car in the twon of Barre, Massachusetts. Back in Hampshire County Massachusetts
in the town of Granby, Mass, Dime Sized Hail occurred at 5:35 PM with the report relayed
by Ray Weber, KA1JJM, on 53.31 Mount Wachusett Repeater.

At this time, Tom Kinahan, N1CPE, Massachusetts State RACES Radio Officer, went to the
bunker at MEMA Framingham and assisted us at NWS Taunton in gathering reports out
of the areas affected by the Severe Weather. This would help fine-tune and obtain
some reports out of areas that there were no spotters.

Severe Thunderstorms in the Wilmington area then moved eastward into extreme Northeast
Middlesex and Essex counites. Reports came streaming in of wind damage and hail. At
5:58 PM, trees and wires were down on Bourbon Street with trees also blown down in
the town of Reading, Massachusetts. Back in Western Massachusetts, Ray Weber, KA1JJM,
reported 8-9" diameter trees down in the town of South Hadley. The report came in at 6 PM
but the time of the event was at 5:40 PM. Switching back to Northeastern Massachusetts,
at 6:05 PM, Dime Sized Hail occurred in Peabody, Mass. SKYWARN was active with Phil,
N1HWA, on the 145.47 Danvers Repeater as well as on Waltham through Bill, N1VUX. Numerous
reports of Pea Sized hail came in from Salem, Peabody and Swampscott Mass. between 6:10
and 6:25 PM and then at 6:27 PM more trees were blown down partially blocking a road
in Peabody, Mass.

Activity continued to hammer the North Shore of Massachusetts. In Lynfield, Mass, 4" Limbs
were blown down with 1 foot diameter trees blown down in Wakefield. In Marblehead, Mass,
trees were blown down on Ocean and Atlantic Avenue with Large limbs blown down on the
other part of town. At 6:45 PM, wires were blown down on to a house in Westboro, Mass.
All reports were from the 6:40-7PM timeframe and came from the Waltham and Danvers Repeater
SKYWARN nets.

Activity then shifted into Southeastern Middlesex Southern Worcester and Norfolk 
Counties in Mass. and the Northwest Corner of Providence County, RI where some of the most
significant activity for the outbreak occurred. Severe Thunderstorm Warnings were issued for
much of this area for the next couple of hours. While Southeast Middlesex County was on the
fringe of the storm, large limbs were blown down in the town of Holliston at 7:15 PM.

SKYWARN was activated on the 146.76 Scituate Repeater by Martin Mendelson, N1JMA, Jim
Cahill, N1TZM and Joe Farrington, KB1CMD. SKYWARN was activated in Norfolk County on the
146.895 Walpole Repeater by Dave Doe, K1HRV, and Roger Turner, W1ZSA.

In the town of Medway, 20-25 trees were blown down and some were blown on to houses per
reports obtained by Tom, N1CPE, at MEMA Framingham Headquarters. Also in the town of 
Millis, Mass, numerous trees were blown down across the town. Activity then built into
the Southern part of Norfolk County with trees and wires downed on Elm Street in 
Bellingham, Mass. Numerous reports of 1/4-1/2" hail were received in Wrentham, Franklin,
and Walpole, Mass from 7:20 to 7:30 PM. These reports came from the 146.895
Walpole Repeater.  At 7:20 PM in Mendon, Massachusetts, 1" hail was
reported and at 7:36 PM, Dime Sized Hail was reported in Woonsocket, RI. Dime Sized hail
restarted at 7:50 PM in Woonsocket, RI with further reports of Wires Down in Bellingham,
Mass at 7:55 PM. At 7:53 PM in Woonsocket, RI, Dime to Quarter Sized Hail was reported
in the Diamond Hill Road section of the town with trees and wires blown down. Trees and
Wires were also blown down on Social Street in Woonsocket, RI. Millville, Mass. also
reported 1/2" hail around 7:40 and again around 8:05 PM that evening. All reports from this
area were obtained through the 146.76 Scituate RI Repeater. K1ODW, 
Bob Smith, also drove through and talked with public safety across the Southeast part 
of Worcester County to obtain reports and was on the 53.31 Mount Wachusett Repeater.

It would later be determined that a microburst occurred in the Medway and Millis, Mass.
area per ground truth reports and an aerial survey done by MEMA and the Mass. State Police.
It would also be determined that a combination of a F0 Tornado and Microburst
occurred in Bellingham, Mass. across Elm and Scott Streets in Bellingham. Half-Dollar
to Ping-Pong Ball Sized Hail would also be reported in that Elm and Scott Street area
of Bellingham, Mass. This damage area was first investigated by Bob Thompson,
Metorologist-In-Charge of NWS Taunton, Joe Farrington, KB1CMD, ARES DEC for Providence County
and myself.

Wind damage reports came streaming in from other parts of Norfolk County Massachusetts.
In Walpole on West Street, large limbs and trees were reported down at 7:56 PM with large
limbs and wires reported down in Sharon, Mass. around that time. It was also reported
that 6-12" diameter trees limbs were blown down on Common Street also around 8 PM. Norfolk
County would get further Severe Weather as the evening wore on.

Meanwhile, in Eastern Plymouth County, storms developed and were just below severe criteria
with Pea Sized Hail reported in Scituate and Marshfield, Mass. at 7:30 PM. SKYWARN was active
with Carl, N1FY and South Shore SKYWARN on the 147.180 Bridgewater Repeater.

Storms then built back into Southern Worcester County, and Norfolk County Massachusetts
and Providence County RI. Severe thunderstorms fired up in Western Providence County 
with Wendy, KB1FEP reporting in with large limbs blown down in Burrilville, RI and trees
down in Chepachet, RI at 8:55 PM. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for this area.

These Severe Thunderstorms then moved into Norfolk County and affected much of the
western and central portions of the county with another Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued.
Several trees were reported down blocking roads by KB1FIX and K1HRV, Dave later on that 
evening from that Severe Thunderstorm. Thunderstorms then fired back into Southern Worcester
County with another Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued for that area. Large limbs were
blown down in Hopedale, Mass. at 9:35 PM that evening. At this time, Mike-N1YLQ, arrived
to assist in obtaining reports from the area so that I could work with forecasters on
the Local Storm Report. 

Flash Flooding then became a concern over Norfolk County as 3-4" of rain fell in the
Walpole, Mass. area with other parts of the county receiving 1-2" of rain. The Northeast
River Forecast Center which is co-located with NWS Taunton requested reports of river
and stream flooding and the rain guage total information. No river and stream flooding
was reported but reports of significant street flooding were common in the area.

The SKYWARN Activation was completed by 11:30 PM. It was a significant activation that
caused significant damage from the combined effects of wind and lightning with numerous
reports of large hail as well. Forty-six severe weather events were logged during the
event with 26 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings issued.

Special thanks to all Spotters and Coordinators who reacted quickly to rapidly changing
Severe Weather situation and relayed reports of Severe Weather to NWS for the protection
of life and property.

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

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