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.