NWS Determines WesternCentral Massachusetts Damage From Downburst Wind

The National Weather Service storm survey of wind damage from Tuesday's severe thunderstorms in Western and Central Massachusetts has determined no tornado formed.  Rather, it was straight-line, downburst wind:

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
705 PM EDT WED JUL 27 2011

...NWS METEOROLOGISTS CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF STORM DAMAGE FROM
HOLYOKE TO WILBRAHAM IN HAMPDEN COUNTY MASSACHUSETTS...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN TAUNTON MA CONDUCTED A STORM
SURVEY FOR THE WILBRAHAM AND SPRINGFIELD AREAS IN HAMPDEN COUNTY
MASSACHUSETTS. THIS SURVEY WAS IN RELATION TO THE SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS THAT MOVED THROUGH WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS DURING THE
AFTERNOON OF JULY 26 2011.

THE GREATEST CONCENTRATION OF WIND DAMAGE WAS FOUND IN THE TOWN OF
WILBRAHAM. THE GREATEST DAMAGE WAS ALONG AN APPROXIMATELY 2 MILE
LONG PATH WHICH EXTENDED FROM JUST NORTH OF SPRINGFIELD
STREET...ACROSS THE COUNTRY CLUB OF WILBRAHAM...ACROSS FEDERAL LANE
TO JUST BEYOND TINKHAM ROAD. BASED ON TREE DAMAGE...THE STRONGEST
WINDS WERE ESTIMATED TO BE BETWEEN 90 AND 100 MPH. THE WIDTH OF THE
STRONGEST WINDS AVERAGED APPROXIMATELY 250 YARDS...UP TO A MAXIMUM
WIDTH OF
600 YARDS ALONG SPRINGFIELD ROAD. BEYOND THIS CORE OF STRONGEST
WINDS...MODERATE TREE DAMAGE EXTENDED OUT TO AN AVERAGE WIDTH OF
JUST OVER A HALF A MILE.

OUTSIDE OF THIS AREA OF EXTENSIVE DAMAGE IN WILBRAHAM THE TREE
DAMAGE WAS ISOLATED IN NATURE AND ONLY INVOLVED A FEW TREES AT ANY 
ONE LOCATION. THIS INCLUDES AREAS OF SPRINGFIELD...CHICOPEE AND
HOLYOKE AS WELL AS WILBRAHAM OUTSIDE OF THE MAIN DAMAGE PATH. TREE
DAMAGE IN THESE ISOLATED LOCATIONS INDICATED WIND SPEEDS OF 55 TO 65
MPH.

THIS STATEMENT WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE...WHICH CAN BE
FOUND AT WEATHER.GOV/BOX.  IT WILL BE LINKED AS THE LATEST PUBLIC
INFORMATION STATEMENT NEAR THE TOP OF THE PAGE.

$$

AED

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