It's Wednesday! That means it's time for another edition of The Weather Wednesday Podcast! In this episode, I talk about New England's less-than-ideal pattern we've been stuck in as well as when it finally breaks down. I also look into next week's weather and the causes of these blocked up patterns. I also look back at the worst tornado in New England history, which struck 70 years ago this week. Check it out here:
Prefer to read? You will find a written version of the Worcester tornado below the video as well as some weather graphics from the podcast episode.
1953 Worcester Tornado: A Look Back
On June 9, 1953, one of the most powerful tornadoes in the region's history struck. This tornado would cause over 50 million dollars in damages and kill 94 people, making it the deadliest tornado in New England history. The tornado would injure well over 1,000 people. The tornado is estimated to have had a strength of F4.
The tornado dropped into the Quabbin Reservoir and quickly began to track in a southeast direction. The tornado tore through the towns of Barre and Rutland while quickly gaining strength. The tornado began to cause devastation when it entered into Holden, completely wiping out an entire neighborhood.
After Holden, the tornado, now 1 mile wide, entered into Worcester. The scale of devastation this storm inflicted in the city is hard to put into words. The scenes of Worcester on June 10, 1953 resemble scenes from many of the United States' other extreme tornadoes. Large neighborhoods were completely erased from existence. A large bus was picked up and thrown against an apartment complex.
The tornado would not stop after devastating Worcester. At maximum strength and still a mile wide, the tornado tore through Shrewsbury and Westborough. After 84 minutes of havoc, the tornado dissipated. It traveled a total of 48 miles.
This tornado prompted an overhaul to the Storm Prediction Center's tornado warning system. Three other tornadoes touched down in New England on this day, including an estimated F3 just south of Worcester. Another powerful tornado touched down in Rockingham County, New Hamoshire, casing damage in Exter and Fremont. The fourth tornado was a much weaker one in Strafford county New Hampshire.
The NAO Index has supported this crummy weather pattern due to it being entrenched in a negative phase since the beginning of June:
While a positive NAO (strong) keeps cold air locked near the north pole, a negative NAO (weak) can allow shots of cold air to dive further south, say into New England:
With that said, an area of low pressure will track across the country and bring New England more wet weather next week. This storm could become *sigh* cut off and hang around New England next week:
The good news is that before that happens, our current block will break down and give New England a very nice Sunday, with a brief ridge of high pressure building in:
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