If you were watching the radar on Wednesday afternoon, you probably noticed the massive storm which struck Rhode Island and parts of Southeastern Massachusetts around 4:00. This storm prompted the issuance of severe thunderstorm warnings and even tornado warnings. Here at HinghamWeather.com we were streaming live to cover the storm, something which is done only in extreme conditions.

That powerful thunderstorm, responsible for flooding rains and hail up to ping pong size, also spawned a tornado, according to the National Weather Service in Taunton.

At first the storm produced a waterspout (a tornado over water), just off of Rumstick Point in Barrington, Rhode Island. At 4:05 PM this storm moved ashore (officially becoming a tornado) in Warren. There winds are estimated to have reached 90 MPH. By 4:10 PM the tornado had reached Swansea, Massachusetts. Here it is estimated that winds reached 65-75 MPH. The storm had a path of 4.2 miles, but was only 40 yards wide. As you are aware, tornadoes are rare, but not unheard of in Southern New England. Massachusetts typically sees at least one weak tornado every year, and some years feature more than one. The tornado was rated an EF 1, the second lowest rating on the new EF tornado rating scale.

Saved radar images of the storm can be found at www.hinghamweather.com

Just before 3 PM thunderstorms began to roll into Hingham. Very loud thunder accompanied frequent lightning and heavy downpours on and off for about an hour and a half in town. The main threat from the storms was street flooding in the heavy downpours (1.14″ of rain today), and lightning. Below are various storm reports I have gathered from around town.

STORM DAMAGE

Lazell Street: Lightning knocked down power lines; contributed to power outage in South Hingham which lasted 3 hours (including HinghamWeather.com Headquarters)

Derby Street: Person struck by lightning at #14, said to be alert and conscious.

Main Street: Scarlet Oak Tavern struck by lightning, minor structural damage and slight damage to nearby car.

Tropical Storm Dolly formed in the Caribbean Sea on Sunday. Gusty winds and heavy rainfall are the main threats associated with this storm as it moves across the Yucatan Peninsula this weekend. From there it will emerge into the Gulf of Mexico and head toward the Texas/Mexico border next week.

The year’s second heat wave is now officially in the books here in Hingham. This weekend’s hazy, hot and humid weather does not qualify as a heat wave because it included at least three days of 90+ heat. Friday and Saturday both featured highs of 92, while Sunday’s high reached 91. The last heat wave occurred back on June 7-10. So far this year there have been 8 days of 90+ heat.

Tropical Depression 3 formed off of South Carolina late Friday night, and is now moving northward along the Eastern seaboard. The storm became Tropical Storm Christobal over the weekend, which prompted the issuance of Tropical Storm Watches and Warnings in the Carolinas. We will have to watch this storm closely to see what impacts, if any, it has on us in New England. For more, log on to www.hinghamweather.com

Bertha is now the longest lived storm to ever roam the Atlantic during July. She formed just before the July 4th holiday and she is still holding her own. The storm passed by Bermuda on Monday, bringing tropical storm force winds, tropical downpours and high surf. Here in New England we can expect some larger than normal swells due to Bertha, and a high risk of rip currents. For more, visit www.hinghamweather.com

The seemingly endless string of severe weather continued on Wednesday, as yet another batch of storms rolled through parts of Massachusetts. The worst storms were located through Metro West, and on parts of the South Shore. Hail accompanied heavy rainfall, lightning and damaging winds in many storms which hit Metro West early in the afternoon. By around 3:00 or so, the worst storms were located just south of Boston in places like Norwood, Randolph, Canton and Braintree. In those areas winds howled to 60 MPH which caused many trees and power lines to come down. Hail to the size of nickels was also reported in a few locations. Flooding rains closed some roads for a time as well. Here in Hingham some thunder was reported, but no rainfall was recorded.

Overall June was a warm month, with a good amount of rainfall. Much of that rainfall can be attributed to the frequent thunderstorms which rolled through the area.

June 2008
 
 Average High: 79.4
 Average Low: 61.2
 Average Temperature: 70.3
 
 High: 97.5
 Low: 50.0
 
 Rainfall: 3.86”
 
 June 2007
 
 Average High: 77.5
 Average Low: 59.2
 Average Temperature: 68.4
 
 High: 95.5
 Low: 47.7
 
 Rainfall: 3.69”
 
 June 2006
 
 Average High: 75.8
 Average Low: 61.6
 Average Temperature: 68.5
 
 High: 91.2
 Low: 52.5
 
 Rainfall: 16.47”
 
 June 2005
 
 Average High: 79.9
 Average Low: 60.8
 Average Temperature: 70.2
 
 High: 95.5
 Low: 47.3
 
 Rainfall: 1.44”

Tuesday was full of strong to severe thunderstorms! The storms began to fire up along the South Coast just after Noon, and continued there for several hours. Hail was reported from New Bedford to Plymouth to the Cape. By 2:30 PM, the heavy rains, thunder and lightning reached Hingham. South Hingham saw over an inch of rain in just 40 minutes between 2:30 and 3:10 PM, while North Hingham saw less than a quarter of an inch! By 4:00 PM, most of the South Shore saw a break in the action, while new storms formed North and West of Boston. They rolled through metro West and Boston with more hail, gusty winds, and even a shelf cloud. That line of storms weakened before it got to Hingham, but we still saw a bit more rain, thunder and lightning as it moved through right around 6 PM. The final rainfall total here in South Hingham was 1.65″, while North Hingham saw less than a half an inch. Some damage was reported here in town, which can be found below.

STORM DAMAGE IN HINGHAM
Cushing Street: 315 Cushing Street was hit by lightning. The house had minor siding damage.
Meadowview Road: A tree fell at 6 Meadowview Rd., but no damage was reported.
Linscott Road: Tree and power line down; the tree briefly was on fire.

After an amazing light show on Monday evening around Hingham and many other South Shore communities, Southeastern Massachusetts was hit by another round of storms Tuesday afternoon. These storms brought torrential rain to parts of South Hingham for a time around 3 PM and then again around 6 PM. The storms were severe in some parts of the area, as penny sized hail was reported in Hanover. Small, non severe hail was also reported in places like Brockton and Norwell.