2011 New England tornado outbreak
The EF3 tornado that struck Springfield, Massachusetts
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| Type | Tornado outbreak |
|---|---|
| Duration | June 1, 2011 |
| Tornadoes confirmed | 7 confirmed |
| Max rating1 | EF3 tornado |
| Duration of tornado outbreak2 | 3:35 pm – 6:57 pm EDT (3 hours and 22 minutes) |
| Damage | $140 million (2011 US$) |
| Casualties | 3 deaths |
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1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado |
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1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale
The 2011 New England tornado outbreak occurred on Wednesday, June 1, 2011, in Massachusetts' Connecticut River Valley and also in southern Maine, devastating sections of the large city of Springfield, Massachusetts and its surrounding region. Although the vast majority of damage occurred in the Connecticut River Valley, the tornado outbreak spawned 7 tornadoes across New England, affecting both Massachusetts and Maine.
By 9:47 pm EDT, the violent storms—which included seven reported tornadoes—had killed three people, injured 300 people in Springfield alone, and left over 500 people homeless in Springfield's MassMutual Center arena. More than 48,000 electricity customers lost power. Because of the severe weather and resulting damage, Governor Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency for Massachusetts, and on June 14, 2011, President Barack Obama declared Springfield and the surrounding region a United States Federal disaster area. Governor Patrick also activated 1,000 National Guard troops for rescue and recovery efforts.
On May 30, two days before the outbreak, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) noted the possibility of a severe weather event in the Northeastern United States in their outlook. A storm system was forecast to draw warm, moist air (with dew points over 60 °F (16 °C)) from the south, ahead of a driving cold front. In light of this, the SPC issued a slight risk for severe thunderstorms the area. As an upper-level trough moved over the Great Lakes, further moisture and warmth increased atmospheric instability in the area, raising the threat of a squall line or supercell thunderstorms. By June 1, the storm system moved over Ontario and Quebec, with a cold front trailing behind it over northern New England. CAPE values exceeded 4,000 J/kg, indicating an extreme amount of instability in the atmosphere, conducive to strong thunderstorms. Additionally, a strong upper-level jet stream brought significant wind shear, which, in combination with the atmospheric instability, indicated a significant severe weather threat, with the main effects expected to result from downburst winds and large hail, but with tornadoes possible. An EML, which emerged over Arizona on May 28, was also present and created abnormally steep mid-level lapse rates, further increasing instability.
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