{{Short description|1995 tornado in Massachusetts}} {{Infobox weather event | formed = May 29, 1995, 7:06 p.m. EDT (UTC−04:00) | image = Radar scan of 1995 Great Barrington Tornado.png | alt = | caption = Radar scan of the supercell at 7:03 p.m. | duration = 18 Minutes | dissipated = May 29, 1995, 7:24 p.m. EDT (UTC−04:00) }}{{Infobox weather event/Tornado | fujita-scale = F4 | winds = {{convert|207|to|260|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} | path-length = {{convert|11.5|mi|km|abbr=on}} | path-width = {{convert|300|yards|m|abbr=on}} }}{{Infobox weather event/Effects | fatalities = 3 | injuries = 24-27 | damages = $25 million (1995 USD) | affected = Great Barrington, Massachusetts }}{{Infobox weather event/Footer | season = tornadoes of 1995 }}
The '''Great Barrington tornado''' (also known as the '''Memorial Day Tornado of 1995''') was a violent and deadly F4 tornado that occurred in the western Massachusetts town of Great Barrington on May 29, 1995. The tornado remains the last (E)F4 tornado in New England, a streak of over 30 years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tornado Archive |url=https://tornadoarchive.com/home/tornado-archive-data-explorer/}}</ref> It is also one of the deadliest and costliest tornadoes in New England history, causing 3 deaths and $25 million (1995 USD) worth of damage.<ref name=":2" /> Due to the unusual strength of the tornado for its location, as well as complex terrain interactions with the Appalachian Mountains, the tornado was the focal point of a 2006 paper researching tornadogenesis over complex terrain.<ref name=":3" />
==Meteorological synopsis== In the morning hours of May 29, 1995, a regionally strong, negatively tilted mid-level trough moved through the northeast United States, bringing {{convert|60-65|knot|km/h|lk=in|adj=mid}} mid-level winds to the area.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Violent Tornado Webpage |url=https://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/outbreaks/# |access-date=2025-10-22 |website=www.spc.noaa.gov}}</ref> The mid-level trough brought an associated surface low that had developed via lee cyclogenesis the previous day. Due to the surface low over Quebec, moisture surged north, bringing dew points to {{convert|65|F|C}}.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=NWS Violent Tornado Webpage |url=https://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/outbreaks/SOUNDINGS/SOUNDINGTABS/19950529_alb.html |access-date=2025-10-22 |website=www.spc.noaa.gov}}</ref> Modest lapse rates resulted in CAPE values in excess of 1000 J/kg, sufficient for storm initiation given the rough terrain.
Around 3:30 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) on May 29, 1995, scattered thunderstorms developed over the Western Catskill Mountains of New York. A few were supercellular, producing isolated wind and hail over the next few hours the storms moved east. Meanwhile, low-level winds were intensifying due to the surface low, producing widespread 40 knot winds at 850 mb.<ref name=":0" /> As a result, 0-3 km storm-relative helicity values exceeded 150 m<sup>2</sup>s<sup>−2</sup> over much of southern New England, with local values likely much higher. However, they failed to become surface-based, likely due to the absence of low-level instability.<ref name=":1" /> One thunderstorm however suddenly became surface-based upon crossing the Hudson River Valley, likely due to the presence of greater instability associated with more moist air flowing up the valley from the south as well as locally enhanced wind shear due to numerous outflow boundaries in the area. With a discrete, surface-based supercell in an environment with robust mid-level instability and low-level shear in place, the supercell was primed to produce a tornado. Thanks to the complex terrain, which helps stretch rotating motion vertically, the storm was able to produce its first tornado which touched down in Columbia County at 6:40 p.m., producing F2 damage.<ref name="Update">{{harvnb|Grazulis|1997|p=1380}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Bosart |first=Lance F. |title=Supercell Tornadogenesis over Complex Terrain: The Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Tornado on 29 May 1995 |url=https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/wefo/21/6/waf957_1.xml |access-date=2025-10-22 |website=journals.ametsoc.org}}</ref> The tornado lifted off the ground twenty minutes later as the storm moved past the Taconic Mountains along the New York/Massachusetts border. Shortly after crossing into Massachusetts, the cell entered the Berkshire Mountains, reintroducing surface-level rising motion and spurring tornadogenesis at 7:06 PM EDT.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=US Department of Commerce |first=NOAA |title=25th Anniversary Great Barrington Tornado |url=https://www.weather.gov/aly/25th_Anniversary_Great_Barrington_Tornado |access-date=2025-10-22 |website=www.weather.gov |language=EN-US}}</ref>
==Tornado summary== thumb|Damage to the Great Barrington Fairgrounds The tornado touched down around 7:06 p.m. near Prospect Lake in North Egremont, west of Great Barrington.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Storm Events Database - Event Details {{!}} National Centers for Environmental Information |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=10329561 |access-date=2025-10-22 |website=www.ncei.noaa.gov}}</ref> Moving ESE at 40 mph, the tornado crossed Massachusetts Route 41 and U.S. Route 7 just south of downtown Great Barrington. The Great Barrington Fairgrounds were heavily damaged, with winds estimated at 150 mph.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=LaPointe |first=Chief Meteorologist Steve |date=2020-05-29 |title=Tornadoes in Hillsdale, NY and Great Barrington, MA Today in Wx History May 29, 1995 |url=https://cbs6albany.com/weather/weather-extra/tornadoes-in-hillsdale-ny-and-great-barrington-ma-today-in-wx-history-may-29-1995 |access-date=2025-10-22 |website=WRGB |language=en}}</ref> Local WSBS newsman Tom Jay reported following the event “The fairgrounds are no more.”<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Cowgill |first=Terry |date=2020-05-23 |title=Remembering the 'great' Great Barrington tornado 25 years later |url=https://theberkshireedge.com/remembering-the-great-great-barrington-tornado-25-years-later/ |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=The Berkshire Edge |language=en-US}}</ref> Although it was Memorial Day and many residents had the day off, the fairgrounds were vacant, and no injuries were reported. By this time the tornado had become rain-wrapped, obscuring the tornado and leaving the residents with little warning.<ref name=":7" />
The tornado damaged and destroyed scores of homes and buildings in the area before entering East Mountain State Forest, southeast of Great Barrington.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=Great Barrington tornado 14 years later |url=http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/local/wwlp_local_great_barrington_tornado_14_years_later_200905281710 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307131126/http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/local/wwlp_local_great_barrington_tornado_14_years_later_200905281710 |archive-date=2012-03-07 |access-date=2025-10-22 |website=WWLP TV |language=en-US}}</ref> A gas station was destroyed, and multiple other buildings were "flattened" around the fairgrounds.<ref name=":2" /> Timberlyn Heights, a nursing home with 120 residents, was evacuated when its roof was blown off.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Archives |first=L. A. Times |date=1995-05-31 |title=Counseling Team Visits School That Lost 3 People to Tornado |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-05-31-mn-7961-story.html |access-date=2025-10-22 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":7" /> A wooden beam was driven through the passenger side of a minivan, leaving a woman with a hip injury.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":7" /> Another vehicle was thrown into a supermarket, causing a large hole in the building.<ref name=":4" />
After traversing the peaks of the forest, the tornado intensified on the lee side of the mountains. According to some sources,<ref name=":5" /> the tornado briefly lifted as it reached the apex of the mountain, before touching down again and rapidly intensifying. This rapid intensification was due to the terrain, as the lowered elevation past the peak caused the tornado to stretch vertically, narrowing the wind field and intensifying damage due to conservation of angular momentum. In the state forest, over 1,500 acres of forest were blown down, likely indicating the peak intensity of the tornado.<ref name="Tornadoes">{{cite news |date=July 4, 1997 |title=Tornadoes touch down in Mass. |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VXlIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zgINAAAAIBAJ&pg=2322,578501&dq=1995+great+barrington+tornado&hl=en |accessdate=June 3, 2011 |publisher=The Associated Press via the Record-Journal}}</ref><ref name=":5" /> Ski Butternut, a small ski mountain in the forest sustained $2.5 million (1995 USD) worth of damage to lifts, buildings, snowmaking equipment, as well as trees planted to form ski trails.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ski Butternut History - Massachusetts - NewEnglandSkiHistory.com |url=https://www.newenglandskihistory.com/Massachusetts/butternut.php |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=www.newenglandskihistory.com}}</ref>
Near the town line with Monterey, a car was lifted off of Route 23, and tossed {{convert|1,000|ft|m|sigfig=3}} into a wooded area.<ref name="berkshireeagle">{{cite news |last=Lindsay |first=Dick |date=June 2, 2011 |title=Tornadoes can and did happen in Berkshires |url=http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_18195945 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610000859/http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_18195945 |archive-date=June 10, 2011 |accessdate=June 3, 2011 |publisher=The Berkshire Eagle}}</ref> Two students and two staff members at the private Eagleton School, a residential treatment center for boys ages 9–22, were returning to the campus east of Great Barrington.<ref name=":6" /> School counselor Seung Choi, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the car and critically hurt. The other three occupants were seat belted and sustained fatal injuries as the car was thrown by winds estimated at up to 260 mph, the first tornado fatalities in Massachusetts since 1979.<ref name=":2" /> The school director, Bruce Bona, found Choi alongside the highway while Choi was looking for the car.<ref name=":6" /> The tornado continued doing minor tree damage alongside and south of Route 23, causing the road to be blocked for more than 24 hours.<ref name=":4" /> At 7:24 p.m. the tornado lifted near Morley Hill, one and a half miles southwest of West Otis.
In total, more than 100 homes and businesses were either damaged or destroyed, causing $25 million (1995 USD) worth of damage, including the grandstand at the Great Barrington Fairgrounds. Additionally, twenty-four people were injured.<ref name=":2" /> 5,000 people in the area were left without power due to the tornado and related storm.<ref name=":7" /> The tornado had a length of {{convert|11.5|mi|km|sigfig=2}}, a maximum width of {{convert|300|yd|m|abbr=on}} and was on the ground for 18 minutes.<ref name="Update" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Severe Weather Maps, Graphics, and Data Page |url=https://www.spc.noaa.gov/wcm/#data |publisher=Storm Prediction Center |access-date=29 May 2023 |date=25 April 2023}}</ref><ref name=":2" />
==Aftermath== A chapel was constructed in the forest where the two students and their teacher passed away during the tornado.<ref name=":8" /> The chapel was built by students of the Eagleton School using the trees felled by the tornado, and was used by the school until its closure in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goot |first=Michael |date=2025-05-28 |title=Chapel memorializes tornado victims, supports hikers |url=https://wnyt.com/top-stories/chapel-memorializes-tornado-victims-supports-hikers/ |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=WNYT.com NewsChannel 13 |language=en-US}}</ref> Today, the chapel, named Memorial Chapel A.T. Great Barrington, serves as a rest stop for the nearby Appalachian Trail. In 2000, a plaque was erected by the Great Barrington Historical Society in the local Mahaiwe Cemetery to commemorate the 5 year anniversary of the storm.<ref name=":7" />
Ski Butternut, whose owner had cancelled the property insurance on the mountain to save money during the previous season, was rebuilt with the help of nearby ski areas and a $1.5 million (1995 USD) loan from the Small Business Administration.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ski Butternut History - Massachusetts - NewEnglandSkiHistory.com |url=https://www.newenglandskihistory.com/Massachusetts/butternut.php |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=www.newenglandskihistory.com}}</ref> The mountain was rebuilt in time to open for the 1995-1996 season. Coincidentally, Ski Butternut sustained similar damage and recovery to the nearby Mohawk Mountain Ski Area, which was struck by a tornado in 1989 and was rebuilt.<ref>{{Cite web |last=cornsoc |date=2021-05-21 |title=1989 Tornado |url=https://cornwallhistoricalsociety.org/1989-tornado/ |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=Cornwall Historical Society |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Rating controversy== The F4 rating was based entirely on the car that was thrown 1,000 feet, as the worst structural damage from this tornado was in the F3 range. Thomas Grazulis recorded the tornado as an F3, in his ''Significant Tornadoes Update, 1992-1995''.<ref name="Update" /> In 2024, a group led by Miller ''et al''. ran detailed Monte Carlo simulations on lofted vehicles in tornadoes in order to more accurately determine tornadic wind speeds.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Connell S. |title=Estimating Wind Speeds in Tornadoes Using Debris Trajectories of Large Compact Objects |url=https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/mwre/152/8/MWR-D-23-0251.1.xml |website=American Meteorological Society}}</ref> The study determined that winds of around 230 mph are required to lift an SUV similar to the one the tornado lofted. This mark would put the tornado firmly in the F4 range, which is between 207 and 260 mph.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fujita Tornado Damage Scale |url=https://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/f-scale.html |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=www.spc.noaa.gov}}</ref>
==Related research== In 2006, Bosart et al. published "Supercell Tornadogenesis over Complex Terrain: The Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Tornado on 29 May 1995," which investigated the formation of supercellular tornadoes over complex terrain, such as the Catskills and Berkshires surrounding Great Barrington.<ref name=":3" /> In traditional tornado alley, the American Great Plains, there are very little hills, and as such, tornadoes and their associated supercells do not often interact with complex terrain. The classic rule of thumb is that due to the cooler, more stable air in the mountains, which inhibits the formation of mesocyclones, tornadoes are much less common in complex terrain.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Prociv |first=Kathryn |date=2013-03-14 |title=Tornadoes don’t happen in mountains. Or do they? Debunking the myth. |url=https://www.ustornadoes.com/2013/03/14/tornadoes-dont-happen-in-mountains-or-do-they-debunking-the-myth/ |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=ustornadoes.com |language=en-US}}</ref> However, according to Bosart et al., given sufficient synoptic instability, complex terrain can actually enhance tornado potential.<ref name=":3" />
==See also==
* Tornadoes of 1995 * List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks * Worcester tornado * Windsor Locks tornado * 2011 Springfield tornado * May 1995 tornado outbreak sequence
==References== {{Reflist}} {{clear}}
===Bibliography=== *{{citation|last=Grazulis|first=Thomas|year=1997|title=Significant Tornadoes Update, 1992–1995|publisher=Environmental Films|location=St. Johnsbury, Vermont|isbn=978-1879362048}} *{{citation|last=Grazulis|first=Thomas|year=2001|title=The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|location=Norman, Oklahoma|isbn=978-0-8061-3538-0}} {{clear}}
{{1995 tornado outbreaks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:1995 Great Barrington tornado}} Category:F4, EF4 and IF4 tornadoes Great Barrington tornado Category:Tornadoes in Massachusetts Great Barrington tornado Category:Geography of Berkshire County, Massachusetts Category:History of Berkshire County, Massachusetts Category:Great Barrington, Massachusetts Category:Monterey, Massachusetts Great Barrington tornado