2011-06-01 MISC: MA

[Eddie Natenberg]

Tornado reported in downtown Springfield, MA.

Caught live on skycam:

http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/local/hampden/Tornado-touches-down-in-downtown-Spfld

Was thinking about chasing today but had to work. Hope there wasn't much damage or injury. Too many cities getting hit this year. =(

Eddie

 

[Bill Hark]

The Weather Channel was showing a radar image and one of the storms had an amazing hook and "debris ball" east of Springfield. They are also showing some wild "skycam" video from Springfield earlier.

Bill Hark

 

[MClarkson]

wow, you don't see velocity couplets like that in Mass very often! Also look at that hook! Fortunately its recent track has been through an area sparsely populated, by MA standards, just south of I90 near the 84 interchange. We will see if it holds together as it gets into more maritime air and larger populations in eastern mass.

 

[Chip Redmond]

Here is something that greatly bothers me. Between warnings for this storm, while it had an obvious debris ball and reports of a tornado on the ground, there was no tornado warning. At first when I just looked at this on radar I thought my eyes were deceiving me... but nope, somebody messed up. Definitely could have been very bad. Seen a few picks from the Springfield area that elude to a pretty violent tornado, although, if TWC can interview a firefighter via phone minutes after, it may not be to bad. Also have to keep in mind though, the people in this area aren't as prepared or trained in this kind of situation as opposed to people out west.

Here is the unwarned storm:

Chip

 

[MClarkson]

The storm appears to have organized rapidly on radar just after it passed through Springfield. There should be a significant damage swath starting in Springfield and moving east just south of I90. That is an area with many trees and fewer homes. There are some significant damage pictures starting to show up. Maybe EF3 damage with some bad strutural damage and cars rolled? Tomorrow we should get an airborne view of the track east of Springfield through the trees.

 

[Chip Redmond]

Yet another tornado being reported on the ground in Westfield, where the Springfield tornado initially touched down. There seems to be some kind of boundary these storms are following W to E across this area. Another isolated storm has gone up farther west along it as well.

Chip

 

[MClarkson]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...erstorm-weather-0602-20110601,0,2257963.story

nice video of the tornado associated with that cell pictured above. It is forming up over the Connecticut river in downtown Springfield. The spray off the river looks really amazing.