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.
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