All the signs were there. A low pressure center going by to our northwest into Canada dragging a cold front toward New England.
The parameters we use that show energy and spin in the atmosphere underscored the possibility of severe weather. In fact, the Storm Prediction Center located in Norman, Oklahoma is responsible for monitoring and forecasting the risk of severe weather nationwide and they gave us the heads-up days in advance.
It was, sadly, an excellent forecast on June 1, 2011.
The day actually had two rounds of severe weather. The first was in the morning. While the storms did produce hail, they were largely uneventful.
I remember we were on the air live with @KevinBoston25 reporting on the tornado and watching it pass over the Connecticut River. The next day, I field anchored our shows live from Western MA after seeing firsthand, the devastation in Monson and Brimfield. I’ll never forget it. https://t.co/WT5M6Cx2xz
— Mark Ockerbloom (@ocktalks) June 1, 2021
The next round came in the afternoon. By then, our region was in a Tornado Watch.
We were on the air tracking severe thunderstorms coming through western Massachusetts just after 3 p.m.
A Tornado Warning was issued and we stayed on the air until it was over. We did not have a 4 p.m. newscast yet in 2011, but we were back on the air during that time for more severe thunderstorms.
Our intern was charged with monitoring the storms for rotation on Doppler radar while I was on the air.
At one point, I was handed a note telling me they see rotation. While I was reporting that on the air, we could not be sure there was a tornado on the ground. Radar beams out that far are hitting the atmosphere over 6,000 feet above the ground. We could be certain there was rotation at that level, but not at the ground. Minutes later, while I was explaining this and telling viewers not to take any chances, a Tornado Warning was issued by the National Weather Service.
At 4:38 p.m., the famous video of the water being sucked out of the Connecticut River by the tornado as it crossed into downtown Springfield confirmed the gravity of the situation.
The tornado continued for nearly 38 miles and hit 10 towns. In the end, three people were killed and 200 injured.
The tornado was a half-mile wide as it hit Brimfield and Monson. Springfield was devastated, as was the town of Monson.
The tornado was rated EF-3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, which indicates maximum winds of 136 to 165 miles-per-hour. Debris was lofted high into the air and carried miles away. In fact, we found debris from Monson in our parking lot in Dedham!
I’ve been on the air at this station for nearly 25 years. That day 10 years ago is one I will never forget. It is most certainly a top five career day.
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