2011 New England tornado outbreak

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2011 New England tornado outbreak
The EF3 tornado that struck Springfield, Massachusetts
TypeTornado outbreak
DurationJune 1, 2011
Highest winds
  • 160 mph
Tornadoes
confirmed		6
Max. rating1EF3 tornado
Duration of
tornado outbreak2		3:35 pm – 7:13 pm EDT (3 hours and 42 minutes)
Fatalities3 deaths,[2] 200 injuries
Damage$227.6 million USD(2011)[1]

1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale
2Time from first tornado to last tornado

On June 1, 2011, a total of six tornadoes touched down in both western Massachusetts and western Maine. The strongest was a long-track, high-end EF3 tornado that caused significant damage to the city of Springfield, Massachusetts as well as several adjacent cities and towns. By the end of the day, three people had been killed, at least 200 were injured, and over 500 families were left homeless.[3][4][5][6]

Meteorological synopsis

On May 30, two days before the outbreak, the

EML, which emerged over Arizona on May 28, was also present and created abnormally steep lapse rates in the mid-levels of the atmosphere, further increasing instability.[10]

Reflectivity radar loop of the supercell thunderstorm that produced the EF3 Springfield tornado

Between 8:18 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. (

Coos County, New Hampshire.[15]

Between 3:00 and 3:30 p.m., severe storms developed over western Massachusetts and prompted a tornado warning to be issued at 3:28 p.m. for parts of

Enhanced Fujita Scale.[18] At one point, this supercell displayed radar characteristics similar to historic supercells that produced violent tornadoes over the Southeast and the Great Plains.[19] Over the next hour, damage was reported as far east as Southbridge
from this long track tornado. Other brief touchdowns were reported across the state afterward as well, which caused minor damage.

In total, 10 towns and cities, Westfield, West Springfield, Springfield, Monson, Hampden, Wilbraham, Brimfield, Sturbridge, Southbridge, and Charlton, Massachusetts, all sustained damage from the long track EF3 tornado. A total of three (downgraded from the originally reported 4) people were killed as a result of the tornado and at least 200 people were injured from severe weather across the state.[20] The outbreak included the first killer tornado in Massachusetts since the 1995 Great Barrington tornado.[21]

Confirmed tornadoes

Confirmed tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita rating
EFU EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5 Total
0 1 4 0 1 0 0 6
List of confirmed tornadoes – Wednesday June 1, 2011[note 1]
EF# Location County / Parish State Start Coord. Time (UTC) Path length Max width
EF1 ESE of Bethel Oxford ME 44°24′14″N 70°40′54″W / 44.4038°N 70.6817°W / 44.4038; -70.6817 (Bethel (Jun. 1, EF1)) 19:35–19:36 0.26 mi (420 m) 25 yd (23 m)
A brief tornado touched down to the northwest of
Bryant Pond, snapping or uprooting numerous trees. Tree limbs were thrown up to 0.5 miles (0.80 km) away.[22][23]
EF3 S of Westfield to Downtown Springfield to SSW of Charlton Hampden, Worcester MA 42°06′00″N 72°45′00″W / 42.100°N 72.750°W / 42.100; -72.750 (Springfield (Jun. 1, EF3)) 20:17–21:27 37.58 mi (60.48 km) 880 yd (800 m)
3 deaths – See section on this tornado – 200 people were injured.[24][25][26][27]
EF1 S of New Portland to S of Embden Somerset ME 44°54′31″N 70°01′38″W / 44.9087°N 70.0273°W / 44.9087; -70.0273 (New Portland (Jun. 1, EF1)) 21:51–22:06 8.38 mi (13.49 km) 200 yd (180 m)
Hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted, and several buildings, along with at least one vehicle, were damaged. Winds were estimated at 90 to 100 mph (140 to 160 km/h).[28][29]
EF1 Wilbraham Hampden MA 42°08′24″N 72°28′48″W / 42.140°N 72.480°W / 42.140; -72.480 (Wilbraham (Jun. 1, EF1)) 22:32–22:40 4.16 mi (6.69 km) 200 yd (180 m)
Numerous trees were downed, and large limbs were snapped. Some trees fell onto homes and across roads.[30]
EF1 N of Brimfield Hampden MA 42°08′24″N 72°28′48″W / 42.140°N 72.480°W / 42.140; -72.480 (Brimfield (Jun. 1, EF1)) 22:54–22:57 1.69 mi (2.72 km) 100 yd (91 m)
Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted.[31]
EF0 NE of Fiskdale Worcester MA 42°09′15″N 72°04′04″W / 42.1541°N 72.0677°W / 42.1541; -72.0677 (Wells State Park (Jun. 1, EF0)) 23:10–23:13 1.42 mi (2.29 km) 25 yd (23 m)
Numerous trees were downed in and just east of Wells State Park, one of which fell on and damaged a home.[32]

Greater Springfield

Greater Springfield
EF3 tornado
A satellite view of the tornado's path, shown as a brown streak across the center of the image; part of the track, including Springfield, is obscured by clouds.
Highest winds
  • 160 mph (260 km/h)
Max. rating1EF3 tornado
Fatalities3 fatalities, 200 injuries
Damage$227.6 million (2011 USD)[33]
1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale

A large, long-lived tornado left a swath of major damage through

EF3 or higher tornadoes since reliable records began to be kept in 1950, and this was the first on record in Hampden County.[35] Overall, the tornado killed three people, injured about 200 others, and left hundreds homeless.[36] In Springfield alone, approximately 500 buildings were destroyed.[37] Hundreds of other homes were destroyed in surrounding towns, including West Springfield (88 structures) and Monson (77 structures), among others.[38][39] Damage estimates from the storm, to date, exceed $140 million, the majority of which was from the destruction of homes and businesses.[40] Based on a post-storm survey by the National Weather Service office in Boston, the tornado attained maximum estimated winds of 160 mph (260 km/h) as it moved into Springfield, ranking it as a high-end EF3.[34]

The tornado first touched down at 4:17 p.m. EDT (20:17 UTC) in the Munger Hill section of

oak tree fell on a vehicle, killing the driver.[42]

Homes suffering varying degrees of damage

The storm then crossed the

Sixteen Acres neighborhood, a middle-class neighborhood – Springfield's most suburban in character – was similarly devastated.[47]

Continuing eastward, the tornado tracked through Wilbraham, causing near-total deforestation and extensive structural damage. According to town administrator Robert Weitz, a total of 213 buildings in Wilbraham received damage from the tornado, 13 of which were destroyed. All injuries in Wilbraham were non life-threatening and relatively minor.[48] The storm then moved through the center of Monson, damaging nearly every structure in the area. Many homes were badly damaged, some of which were completely flattened.[34] A total of 77 buildings were destroyed,[39] some completely. In some locations, trees were debarked and had most of their branches removed. Some unanchored homes in town slid from their foundations and collapsed. The roof of the old Monson High School, which is now the town's police building, was also completely destroyed.[34] In Natick, roughly 60 miles (97 km) from Monson, a picture from the town was found.[49]

Tree damage in Sturbridge

Shortly before 5:00 p.m.,[50] the tornado moved through Brimfield State Forest where it reached its maximum width of 0.5 miles (0.80 km). Thousands of trees were snapped and uprooted in this area.[34] In Brimfield, a total of 192 buildings were damaged by the tornado, including several homes which were completely swept from their foundations.[39][51] In East Brimfield, the Village Green campground was almost completely destroyed by the tornado. At the campground's trailer park, 95 out of 96 trailers were destroyed. One woman was killed at the trailer park after her RV was overturned by the tornado. Her boyfriend was critically injured; they both declined to vacate when the owners of the campground warned them of the approaching tornado and encouraged them to seek shelter.[52] Losses at the Village Green campground exceeded $1 million.[53] Moving southeast, the tornado then devastated the Quinebaug Cove campground in Brimfield, damaging or destroying an estimated 80 percent of the campground.[54] A bank statement from Brimfield which was displaced by the tornado was found in a Boston 25 News parking lot in Dedham roughly 53 miles (85 km) away from Brimfield.[55] Around 5:09 p.m., another tornado warning was issued to include portions of Norfolk County, Massachusetts and Providence County, Rhode Island.[56]

The tornado then crossed into

Southbridge Airport sustained some damage and aircraft were picked up and thrown into the nearby woods. Once through the airport, the tornado ripped through the Rosemeade Apartments and devastated the neighborhood of Brookside Road, Charlton Street and Harrington Road at 5:18pm before it dissipated in southwestern Charlton at 5:27 p.m EDT (21:27 UTC).[34]

Aftermath

National Guard troops and Massachusetts State Police secure Main Street in Springfield, Massachusetts on June 2, 2011.

Immediately following the storms, four people were reported dead. That number was later reduced to three as one Springfield man was found to have died of an unrelated heart attack prior to the tornado's impact.[36] Hundreds of people were admitted to hospitals with injuries ranging from lightning strikes to trauma, and almost 500 people were forced to leave their homes, most of whom stayed in the MassMutual Center.[57][58] Over two weeks later, more than 200 people were still homeless at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.[59] In addition to the MassMutual Center, Tantasqua High School in Sturbridge and Brookfield Elementary School were opened up as emergency shelters. A Special Emergency Response Team was activated by the state police in order to search for missing people and those trapped underneath debris.

In Springfield, firefighters from Boston, Worcester, Newton, Waltham, Watertown, and Weston assisted in rescue efforts.

twin city – and the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District were helping the Springfield Business Improvement District with clean-up.[65] Within two days of the tornadoes, the process of demolishing "structures beyond repair" began as local officials inspected hundreds of damaged homes.[66] By June 7, three shelters remained open, housing 362 people.[67]
AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) deployed their nearby team, Summit 7 of Class 17, to aid the community in debris removal. Armed with chainsaws and other tools, the team spent several weeks helping residents clean up their homes and properties.

On June 15, the

Massport donated $300,000 in unused construction supplies from the Boston Logan Residential Soundproofing Program.[70]

See also

References

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Notes

  1. ^ All dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time for consistency.

External links

KML file (edit • help)
Template:Attached KML/2011 New England tornado outbreak
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