Tropical Storm — Eastern Hampden, Massachusetts

2021-08-22 · Eastern Hampden, Massachusetts

Event narrative

In Palmer at 134 PM EST, Fire Dept. officials reported that a tree fell through the windshield of an unoccupied vehicle at the intersection of Longview Street and Buckland Street. In Southwick at 227 PM EST, trees and wires were down on Klaus Anderson Road. In Westfield at 252 PM EST, a tree and utility pole were down on West Road. At 150 PM, the ASOS at Westover Air Reserve Base (KCEF) recorded a wind gust to 45 mph.

Wider weather episode

Tropical Storm Henri made landfall in southwest Rhode Island around noon on August 22nd, then moved slowly northwestward and westward across northern Connecticut and weakened. Henri brought strong wind gusts and flash flooding. The strongest gusts -- to 70 mph -- occurred along the Rhode Island coast. The worst flash flooding occurred in northeast Connecticut.

As the remnants of Henri moved eastward across southern New England on August 23rd, it spawned three tornadoes and a waterspout in MA and also it caused some renewed flooding.

The highest rainfall totals over the two-day period ranged from 5 to 6 inches in Hartford and Tolland Counties in northern Connecticut and in Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties in western Massachusetts.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 979812. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.