Looking Good Right Through The Weekend!!

Thursday will feel noticeably less humid and comfortable. Winds will blow out of the northwest, keeping shoreline and inland locations equally warm this afternoon. High pressure will provide mostly sunny skies with a few fluffy fair weather clouds. You don’t need the air conditioner tomorrow night with temperatures dropping into the 50s! Friday will be partly cloudy with the chance for an isolated shower or storm. The weekend looks great for outdoor plans! Saturday will be dry, sunny and warm. Humidity returns on Sunday with the chance for a shower or storm as a cold front moves by. Then warm but less humid air will follow for July 4th with lots of sun!

Wednesday Improvement

A cold front could trigger an early morning shower in spots followed by partial clearing. The front is ushering in a less humid air making it feel less muggy and more comfortable as the day progresses. There is a slight chance for a shower this afternoon as a storm passes to the north but most of the state stays dry. Thursday will be noticeably less humid with mostly sunny skies. Temperatures heat up over the weekend with a mix of sun and clouds, and a pop up shower/t-storm at times.

Sticky Tuesday, Showers Late

This forecast will apprear in Tuesday's Courant. As usual, I'm giving my blog viewers a sneak peak. Don't tell anyone.

Today (Tuesday) will be milder and increasingly humid as a warm front lifts north of the area. Sunshine will mix in with clouds as the day progresses. Although there could be a pop up shower in spots late this afternoon, the best chance for rain will be tonight. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible this evening though early tomorrow. Early clouds and showers will clear out quickly on Wednesday with falling humidity. Thursday and Friday look spectacular with a dry, comfy air mass in place.

Honey, I Shrunk The Cupcakes

I'm the type of person who will order four appetizers instead of one main course because I love tasting different things. I don't order four desserts...only because I'm sick of hearing my friends oink every time we go to dinner.


Then I discovered Baked By Melissa. Bite sized, stuffed cupcakes (about the size of a quarter). They cost one dollar each and I like to think I'm saving calories by eating three mini cupcakes instead of one normal cupcake. Shhhh...let me live in my fantasy world.

My sister got me a pack of these for my birthday. Some didn't make the drive from NJ intact as you can see in the picture. I normally have a problem with mini cupcakes. They're so small that the oven dries them out. But these cupcakes were perfect! Moist, just enough icing, and melt in your mouth fillings. THANK GOODNESS they don't have one near me!

FOX Meteorologists at the TPC

The FOX meteorologists were out in full force on Friday to shake hands and kiss babies. Although we talk on the phone all the time, it's rare to have the whole team physically together. We had fun shmoozing. Look at Joe! He's down about 50-60 pounds and he lost that weight the old fashioned way...by hitting the gym and eating healthy. GO JOE!!

MUCH BETTER THIS WEEK!

After a blah start to summer...the weather will be SO much nicer this week!

Patchy morning fog will burn away revealing mostly sunny skies on Monday. High pressure will keep our weather dry even though fluffy clouds are expected to bubble up in the afternoon. Tuesday will be increasingly humid. Although there could be a shower in spots late in the day, I expect most areas to stay dry until Tuesday night with an advancing cold front. Showers and isolated storms are likely tomorrow night, washing the humidity out of the air! Rain will end early Wednesday followed by clearing .

The Blah Goes On

Our unsettled weather pattern will continue into Saturday! Waves of low pressure will ride along a frontal boundary stalled south of Connecticut. Thursday morning will be mostly cloudy. Although showers are possible at any time , most of the rain will hold off until the afternoon. Thunderstorms are possible too with locally heavy rainfall. Friday and Saturday will not be as wet with a bit of sun peeking through at times and isolated showers/storms. Humid air will remain in place until Sunday.

Hello Summer, Goodbye Summer.

After a perfect start to summer, the weather is heading downhill. Today (Wednesday) will start off partly sunny, but clouds will increase in the afternoon with scattered showers/thunder in spots. Humidity continues to rise making it feel increasingly muggy and uncomfortable. Thursday looks like the wettest day of the week with considerable cloudiness and periods of rain. With an easterly wind, temperatures will stay in the 60s to low 70s. Friday and Saturday remain unsettled with a shower/storm at times.

LAST DAY OF SPRING!

the last day of spring will feel like spring. The first day of summer will feel like summer. But changes are in store starting wednesday.

Pleasant, dry weather continues today (Tuesday) with a weak ridge of high pressure overhead. Grab those sunglasses on your way out the door with mostly sunny skies. Temperatures are exactly around average for this time of year with low humidity. Tomorrow humidity will begin to creep up making it feel more sticky and muggy just in time for the arrival of summer! The summer solstice occurs at 1:16 P.M. on Tuesday. The middle/late work week looks more unsettled with more clouds and periods of rain.

Summer Rain

Today (Friday) will be humid with scattered showers and the opportunity for an embedded thunderstorm. Most of the steady rain will fall during the morning with showers becoming more widely scattered by afternoon. But temps in the 70s will make today feel more like a summer rain. Remember Tuesday when it was downright cool, damp and raw with temperatures stuck in the 60s? No more of that crap in the forecast.

Moisture moves offshore Saturday with partly sunny skies. But with cold air moving into the upper atmosphere, a few pop up showers/storms are possible, mainly in the afternoon. Father’s Day also looks a bit unsettled with the chance for showers. But most of the day will turn out dry.

Me Vs. Air Cannon

Jeevan, Rachel And The Air Cannon! (video)

Woodbury Funnel Cloud Video

NBC Connecticut's Ryan Hanrahan put this on YouTube for us to see. It's a home video of the funnel cloud in Woodbury.

Spring Returns!

Today (Wednesday) will be a huge improvement following a cool and dreary Tuesday! After a cool start to the morning, temperatures will rebound into the 70s and low 80s. High pressure will provide plenty of sunshine with some fluffy fair weather cumulus clouds bubbling up. Tomorrow will be partly to mostly sunny with similar temperatures. Rain returns Thursday night and Friday with periods of rain and drizzle. The weather improves Saturday with partly cloudy skies and the chance for a scattered shower.

Surprise! Tornado Last Week!

No one in Connecticut or Albany knew the National Weather Service was investigating the possibility of a tornado last week (June 9) in Woodbury. No one except the employee who made the trip to Litchfield County to survey the damage. When reports of a tornado started leaking out yesterday, various meteorologists called Albany to verify the claims. The Albany NWS covers that portion of Connecticut and told some of my colleagues that the reports were a hoax.

Then today at 11 AM a report was issued confirming an EF1 tornado in Woodbury at 4:48 PM on 6-9. My guess is that the person who surveyed the damage never told his superiors about the findings. Very odd. But that's just a guess. In any event, this is not a rare event in such a strong squall line. You may remember there were over 100,000 power outages statewide when the line of storms came through. Here is the FULL REPORT about the tornado. It should be noted that most of the damage in the area was due to microburst and not a tornado.

Cloudy, Cool Start To The Week

Temperatures will remain cooler than average the next few days with scattered showers. Our weather is courtesy of a slow moving low pressure system working through the northeast. Low pressure systems generally cause a rising motion in the atmosphere by literally sucking surrounding air towards a central point. With nowhere to go but up, that rising air tends to cause clouds to form a little more easily, increasing rain chances.

Today (Monday) will remain mostly cloudy (a slight improvement from this weekend). An isolated shower is possible, but many towns will stay dry. Showers look more widespread on Tuesday with temperatures staying in the 60s statewide! Wednesday is a transitional day with a lingering sprinkle. Thursday looks dry and warmer!

Heat Wave Peaks Tomorrow!

Heat and humidity will peak Thursday. The daily record high temperature in Windsor Locks is 96 degrees set in 2008. This record will be challenged or broken as temperatures soar well into the 90s inland. Sunshine will mix with clouds as the day progresses. A cold front approaching will trigger some thunderstorms this afternoon, some of which could be strong/severe with gusty winds, heavy rain and hail possible. Less humid, cooler air will stream in behind the front tomorrow into the weekend.

Heat Wave!!

Bradley Intl. Airport hit 90 degrees today and will fly will through the 90s Wednesday and Thursday as well. A heat wave is generally defined as three or more days of at least 90 degrees.

Wednesday's temps: Low 90s shoreline, mid and upper 90s inland.
Thursday's temps: 90-100 degrees.

High instability Wednesday. 2000+ CAPE, LI -7. BUT there is no real trigger to start a big outbreak of storms. So.... Any storms will be isolated. MOST OF THE STATE DRY. However, any storm that manages to pop up could be strong or severe with heavy rain, damaging winds, frequent lightning, hail. I'll keep you posted. Otherwise, hot, humid, 90s, record challenging/breaking warmth.

MADD About Dancing

OH IT'S ON! I'm participating in a Mothers Against Drunk Driving event where I face off on the dance floor against other local pseudo-celebrities. It's sort of like a Connecticut's Dancing With the Stars. I have 20 free dance lessons from the Arthur Murray Dance Studio to prepare. But training doesn't start until July! I'm doing the Cha-Cha-Cha and the Waltz. I'm terrified. I can't dance. No, really. I can't even do the macarena. But I'll tell you this...I'm an incredibly competitive. I don't like losing anything, and I'm taking this seriously. Bring it on! I'll keep you posted as training progresses.

I wonder if the spray tan and sequins are included?

Here's more info if you want to buy tickets!

GETTING HOT, HOT, HOT!

Heat and humidity will continue to increase this week, peaking Thursday! On Tuesday, morning sun will mix with afternoon clouds as temperatures soar into to 80s. Those of you who don’t turn on the air conditioning Tuesday will certainly need it Wednesday and Thursday. Temperatures will skyrocket into the 90s inland with a steamy, humid air mass taking over. Isolated showers and storms are possible today through Thursday, activated by daytime heating. But most of the time will be dry.

The record high for Windsor Locks on Wednesday is 96 degrees, set back in 1984. That record IS my forecast high temperature. So we could see a tie. The record high on Thursday is 96, set back in 2008. I’m forecasting a high of 98.

The Record high for Bridgeport is 93 on Wednesday (set in 1999), and 97 on Thursday (set in 1980). Those records are not likely to be broken with an onshore wind keeping the coast a hair cooler. My forecast is 89 Wednesday and 91 Thursday.

Warming Up This Week!

The main weather story this week is a big warming trend peaking on Thursday. Today (Monday) will start the process with temperatures rising into the 70s and low 80s. Sunshine will mix clouds as the day progresses. Watch for a shower in spots during the afternoon, although most towns will stay dry. A spotty shower or thunderstorm is also possible tomorrow with partly sunny skies. Wednesday will be sunny and hot. The humidity and heat will increase on Thursday with storms likely in the afternoon.

Saturday & Beyond

Our pleasant weather continues today with bright sunshine and less wind than recent days. Even though temperatures will climb into the 70s, the air will feel really comfortable with dry (almost desert-like) air in place. High wispy clouds could filter in late today but you still need sunglasses. Clouds will increase a bit on Sunday with the chance for an isolated shower. But most of the day looks dry. A stray shower is also possible on Monday. Warmth returns for the middle of next week.

THREE Tornadoes, One Historic EF3, Two EF1 Tornadoes.

EF3 Tornadoes only occur once every decade in southern New England. But this tornado has one of the longest tracks in Massachusettes history. Maybe it will set a record!(I'm going to dig through the records to find out.) A 39 mile path is rare in any part of the country let alone in New England. The last F3 or higher tornado in Southern New England was the F4 tornado in Great Barrington,MA on May 29, 1995.

Here is the statement issued by the NWS:
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
1002 PM EDT FRI JUN 3 2011

...THREE TORNADOES CONFIRMED ON JUNE 1 2011 IN MASSACHUSETTS...

...EF3 TORNADO CONFIRMED FROM WESTFIELD TO CHARLTON...

LOCATION...WESTFIELD TO CHARLTON IN HAMPDEN AND WORCESTER COUNTIES
DATE...JUNE 1 2011
ESTIMATED TIME...417 PM TO 527 PM EDT
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF3
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...160 MPH
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...ONE HALF MILE
PATH LENGTH...39.0 MILES
BEGINNING LAT/LON...42.10N / 72.75W
ENDING LAT/LON...42.10N / 71.99W
* FATALITIES...4
* INJURIES...200

* THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT(S) AND PUBLICATION IN NWS STORM DATA.

...SUMMARY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS HAS CONFIRMED AN EF3 TORNADO FROM WESTFIELD TO CHARLTON MASSACHUSETTS ON JUNE 1 2011.

A SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPED OVER WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THIS STORM STRENGTHENED AND PRODUCED A LONG-LIVED...VERY SIGNIFICANT TORNADO...THAT DID EXTENSIVE DAMAGE ACROSS SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS.

THIS STORM WILL BE NOTED NOT ONLY FOR ITS INTENSITY...BUT ALSO FOR THE LENGTH OF THE CONTINUOUS DAMAGE PATH...APPROXIMATELY 39 MILES. THE TORNADO WAS ALSO VERY WIDE AT SOME POINTS...REACHING A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF ONE-HALF MILE.

THE TORNADO FIRST TOUCHED DOWN IN THE MUNGER HILL SECTION OF WESTFIELD WITH DAMAGE MAINLY LIMITED TO TREES...MANY UPROOTED AND SNAPPED. THE ROOF OF MUNGER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WAS ALSO DAMAGED. THE TORNADO RAPIDLY INTENSIFIED AS IT MOVED INTO WEST SPRINGFIELD. THE TORNADO CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS AND HOMES. SEVERAL BUILDINGS HAD THEIR ROOFS REMOVED BY THE TORNADO...A FEW STRUCTURES COLLAPSED...AND SEVERAL MULTI-
STORY BUILDINGS LOST THEIR UPPER STORIES.

THE TORNADO THEN CROSSED THE CONNECTICUT RIVER AT THE MEMORIAL AVENUE BRIDGE AND INTO THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD. HERE THE TORNADO PRODUCED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE DOWNTOWN AREA WITH MANY HOMES DESTROYED. IN ADDITION COMMERCIAL BRICK BUILDINGS SUSTAINED MAJOR DAMAGE. ROOFS WERE REMOVED FROM MANY OF THESE LARGE COMMERCIAL STRUCTURES. THE TORNADO ALSO PRODUCED SEVERE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO TOWN HOMES AND APARTMENTS NEAR SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE. THE TORNADO CONTINUED MOVING EAST INTO THE ISLAND POND SECTION OF SPRINGFIELD WHERE CATHEDRAL HIGH SCHOOL SUSTAINED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE...AND MANY HOMES IN THIS PART THE CITY WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED.

THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO MOVE EAST THROUGH WILBRAHAM NEAR THE WILBRAHAM-HAMPDEN TOWN LINE PRODUCING NEARLY COMPLETE DEFORESTATION AND SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO NEARBY STRUCTURES.

THE TORNADO THEN CONTINUED DIRECTLY THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE TOWN OF MONSON. IN MONSON WIDESPREAD DAMAGE OCCURRED TO COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS WITH MANY HOMES COMPLETELY DESTROYED. THE ROOF OF MONSON HIGH SCHOOL WAS DESTROYED. FORESTED PARTS OF TOWN EXPERIENCED NEARLY COMPLETE DEFORESTATION AND IN SOME LOCATIONS TREE BARK WAS STRIPPED FROM REMAINING TRUNKS.

THE TORNADO MOVED ACROSS THE BRIMFIELD STATE FOREST WHERE IT REACHED IT MAXIMUM WIDTH OF APPROXIMATELY ONE-HALF MILE. ADDITIONAL SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OCCURRED BOTH TO STRUCTURES AND FORESTED AREAS FOR MANY MILES BEFORE THE TORNADO REACHED THE SOUTHBRIDGE AIRPORT. THERE NUMEROUS AIRCRAFT WERE LIFTED OFF THE GROUND AND INTO THE WOODS EAST OF THE AIRPORT.

THE TORNADO THEN MOVED EAST BEFORE LIFTING IN THE SOUTHWEST PART OF CHARLTON.

...EF1 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN WILBRAHAM...

LOCATION...WILBRAHAM IN HAMPDEN COUNTY
DATE...JUNE 1 2011
ESTIMATED TIME...632 PM TO 640 PM EDT
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF1
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...90 MPH
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...200 YARDS
PATH LENGTH...3.6 MILES
BEGINNING LAT/LON...42.14N / 72.48W
ENDING LAT/LON...42.15N / 72.40W
* FATALITIES...0
* INJURIES...0

* THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT(S) AND PUBLICATION IN NWS STORM DATA.

...SUMMARY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS HAS CONFIRMED AN EF1 TORNADO IN WILBRAHAM ON JUNE 1 2011.

A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEY TEAM CONFIRMED THAT AN EF1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF WILBRAHAM. THE TORNADO CONTINUED EAST CROSSING MAIN STREET AND MOUNTAIN ROAD...BUT REMAINED SOUTH OF ROUTE 20. MOST OF THE DAMAGE WAS TO TREES WITH LARGE LIMBS SNAPPED OFF...AS WELL AS NUMEROUS TREES DOWNED. SEVERAL WERE UPROOTED.

...EF1 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN NORTH BRIMFIELD...

LOCATION...NORTH BRIMFIELD IN HAMPDEN COUNTY
DATE...JUNE 1 2011
ESTIMATED TIME...654 PM TO 657 PM EDT
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF1
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...90 MPH
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...100 YARDS
PATH LENGTH...1.3 MILES
BEGINNING LAT/LON...42.14N / 72.23W
ENDING LAT/LON...42.15N / 72.20W
* FATALITIES...0
* INJURIES...0

* THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT(S) AND PUBLICATION IN NWS STORM DATA.

...SUMMARY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS HAS CONFIRMED AN EF1 TORNADO IN NORTH BRIMFIELD ON JUNE 1 2011.

A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEY TEAM CONFIRMED THAT A SECOND EF1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NORTH OF BRIMFIELD WEST OF ROUTE 19. THIS TORNADO CROSSED ROUTE 19 AND LIFTED NEAR TOWER HILL ROAD. THE DAMAGE WAS SURVEYED ON THE GROUND AND BY AIRCRAFT. THE DAMAGE CONSISTED OF TREES WITH LARGE LIMBS SNAPPED OFF...AS WELL AS NUMEROUS TREES DOWNED...A FEW OF WHICH WERE UPROOTED. THIS TORNADO
IS FROM THE SAME PARENT THUNDERSTORM THAT PRODUCED THE TORNADO IN NORTH WILBRAHAM.

THIS INFORMATION CAN ALSO BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/BOX.

FOR REFERENCE...THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:

EF0...WIND SPEEDS 65 TO 85 MPH.
EF1...WIND SPEEDS 86 TO 110 MPH.
EF2...WIND SPEEDS 111 TO 135 MPH.
EF3...WIND SPEEDS 136 TO 165 MPH.
EF4...WIND SPEEDS 166 TO 200 MPH.
EF5...WIND SPEEDS GREATER THAN 200 MPH.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE VARIOUS STATE AND LOCAL AGENCIES AND THE CIVIL AIR PATROL FOR ALL OF THEIR ASSISTANCE IN COMPLETING THESE STORM SURVEYS.

Preliminary Tornado Survey

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
1215 PM EDT FRI JUN 3 2011

...SOME PRELIMINARY TORNADO SURVEY INFORMATION...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS IS STILL IN THE PROCESS OF CONDUCTING A STORM SURVEY. HOWEVER AT THIS TIME WE ARE ABLE TO CONFIRM SOME INFORMATION REGARDING THE TORNADO THAT PASSED FROM WESTFIELD THROUGH SPRINGFIELD AND EASTWARD TO MONSON AND BEYOND.

SOME OF THE HARDEST HIT AREAS WILL BE CLASSIFIED WITH A RATING OF EF-3 OR HIGHER ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA DAMAGE CLASSIFICATION SCALE.

WE ARE HOPING TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE MORE COMPLETE INFORMATION ON PATH LENGTH...PATH WIDTH...TIMING...AND EF SCALE RANKINGS...LATE THIS EVENING.

EF3 Or Higher

Just got this e-mail from the Nartional Weather Service. Wow.

"FYI... We JUST issued a preliminary PNS stating that the hardest hit areas will be classified with an EF3 or higher ranking. We are still surveying and hope to have complete reports in time for the 10 or 11 PM newscasts.

-- Glenn"

Sunny, Seasonable End Of The Week

High pressure continues to settle into New England providing mostly sunny skies and near average temperatures. You will notice a breeze at times today with winds blowing from the northwest at 10-20 mph. Tonight will feature great sleeping weather with temperatures tumbling into the 40s and low humidity. Tomorrow looks fantastic with a slight warm up and continuing sunshine! There could be an isolated shower on Sunday with clouds increasing. But overall, there are no big storms on the horizon.

Debris Ball

This is a radar image from Massachusettes yesterday. The bright purple color you see at the end of the hook echo looks like a "debris ball". A debris ball is a round area of high reflectivity on Doppler radar at the end of a hook echo. The radar is actually "seeing" large debris getting picked up by the tornado! This can include trees, insulation, parts of houses, etc.

We saw a simliar debris ball during the Joplin, MO tornado. Joplin is the little spec northwest of the debris ball.

EF-what?? The Answer....Tomorrow.

The National Weather Service is still surveying the damage in Massachusettes. There is so much to look at. Not only do they have to determine what damage was caused by a tornado and what damage was caused by gusty straight line winds, but they also have to classify the tornado damage according to the Enhanced Fujita scale.

I just got this e-mail from the weather service:

"Hi all,

FYI... We have 7 NWS Meteorologists on 2 surveys and it will be quite some time for them to complete them. We expect to have a face-to-face debriefing tomorrow at our office and our plan is to get a PNS out that explains everything sometime tomorrow afternoon. Sorry it can't be today. A lot to determine. Thanks for your patience...

-- Glenn"

These pics are not from MA. But I wanted to show you what the NWS will look for to determine what caused the damage from town to town.

Tornadoes will leave a path of damage in different directions within a given area.

Straight line damage will show debris falling in the same direction over a given area.


The Fujita scale is no longer used to estimate tornado damage. Now we use the EF scale which takes the structural integrity of buildings and objects while making wind estimates.

Tornado Timeline

 
My heart goes out to all the people in Massachusetts who are cleaning up after severe weather and possibly several tornadoes tore through Massachusetts in a line from Westfield to Sturbridge.

The Governor of Massachusetts has declared a state of emergency for the Springfield area as residents are still assessing the damage.

Here is a timeline of the storms as they unfolded yesterday. Some of these are my personal observations. Most of the reports I are from Amateur Radio operators. You can find the full list of reports here. Thank you John West for forwarding this. Remember all tornado reports remain unconfirmed until the National Weather Service finishes surveying the damage. They will have a full report by tomorrow.

June 1, 2011

1:00 p.m.: A tornado watch is issued from Philly to Maine, by the National Weather Service.

2:45 PM Strong storms on the radar developed hook echoes and rotation from western Massachusetts to southern New Hampshire.

4:20: Barnes Airport reports a funnel cloud in their observation. Westfield, Mass: Trees and Utility Poles down Shaker Road and Union Street. First pictures/video of tornado are captured.

422 PM: Belchertown, Mass: Routes 9 and 22 Near Quabbin Shopping plaza, counterclockwise rotation reported.

427 PM: Chicopee, Mass: 1.00" Hail, Springfield, Mass: 1/2" Hail

4:30 p.m.: A tornado warning is issued for parts of western Massachusetts and extreme northern Connecticut. Radar showed a cluster of severe thunderstorms moving across western Massachusetts. Storms were moving due east. We began continuous storm coverage mentioning storms were heading east likely stay well north of CT.

432 PM: Springfield, Mass: several Homes destroyed on Allen Street and Broadway. Trees and wires down on RT 5 from Memorial Bridge to north end bridge. Roosevelt Avenue: house with roofs and other parts of homes blown off by Cathedral High School.

432 PM: West Springfield, Mass: Tree down on House on Hill Street. Tree down on car on Union Street

432 PM: Springfield, Mass: Roof off house on Wilcox Street near Main Street. 3 story building collapse on Wilcox Street. McDuffy School on Ames Hill Road Significant damage to structure. Tractor Trailer blown over on the Memorial Bridge.

432 PM: West Springfield, Mass and Springfield Mass:
TORNADO TOUCHDOWN...MAJOR DAMAGE...Multiple trees and wires down on Main Street/Union Street 6 houses totally destroyed. 50 homes damaged. 1 confirmed fatality.

446 PM: Monson, Mass: Person stuck in vehicle on Eli Street due trees and wires down, Golf Ball Sized Hail, Numerous Trees and Wires down on Waide Road. 6 homes destroyed, Police Department and EOC received structural damage.

510 PM: Southbridge, Mass: Trees down blocking Sturbridge parkway road impassable. Reported tornado Touchdown on Chaplin and Charlton Road with car flipped over and trees down. Trees down on Airport Road.

529 PM: Sturbridge, Mass: 2.00" hail on Hamilton Road

5:30 p.m.: The cell with a reported tornado was moving eastward through southern Worcester County, including Sturbridge and Oxford. Tornado reported near I-84 with cars overturned in Sturbridge. Numerous reports of hail in towns like Worcester, Chicopee, West Walpole, and Agawam.

553 PM: Douglas, Mass: Possible Tornado Touchdown on Route 16. No damage reported.
6:15 p.m.: Another super cell formed and was heading toward Springfield. The first cell heading toward South Walpole and Foxborough.
648 PM: East Longmeadow, Mass: Possible Tornado Touchdown on Allen and Cooley street.

Around 7: Another tornado warning is issued for northern Connecticut for storms in Massachusetts. Again this is a precautionary warning as storms move east, north of the CT/MA border.

7:18 PM: Sturbridge, Mass: Trees down on Route 49, funnel cloud spotted.

7:40 PM: Gardner, Mass: Golf Ball Sized Hail

10:00 p.m.: The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency confirmed that four people were killed from this evening's tornadoes in Massachusetts. (Later reduced to three). Thunderstorms moved into the Atlantic coast of Massachusetts. Tornado Watch is canceled. The threat for storms has ended.