The most widespread severe weather event of the season struck most of the Bay State, with countless reports of downed trees, branches, and large hail from the east slopes of the Berkshires into metro Boston and the North Shore.The storms began in Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties around mid afternoon, and downed trees in Turners Falls, Worthington, and Chester.  Dime to nickel sized hail was also reported.  Severe weather reports became more numerous by late afternoon as the storms reached central and northeast Massachusetts.  There many reports of large trees down from Littleton, Wilmington, Southborough, Shrewsbury and Sterling, where a spotter recorded a gust to 62 mph.   In Essex County, severe thunderstorms downed trees and dropped dime sized hail in Lynnfield, Peabody, Beverly, and Marblehead. More severe thunderstorms erupted in Worcester County during the evening, dropping quarter sized hail in Mendon.  These storms tracked into southern Middlesex County near Holliston, where large limbs were downed, then reached Norfolk County where more considerable storm damage occurred.  A microburst downed many large trees and wires in Bellingham, Millis, and Medway.  A survey of the debris and an eyewitness account also confirmed that a small F0 tornado touched down in Bellingham around 725 pm EDT.  The tornado was estimated to have a path length of 150 yards and a width of 80 yards.  Wind speeds were estimated near 70 mph.  There were no injuries.  Spotters reported hail as large as a half dollar prior to the wind damage.  As the storms progressed across Norfolk County, trees and power lines were downed in Sharon, Walpole, and Norwood.  Another severe thunderstorm later in the evening downed trees onto a road in Walpole and another on a house.The storms also contained frequent cloud-to-ground lightning.  Tens of thousands were left without power.  In Auburn, lightning caused two house fires when a nearby transformer was struck.  In Whitman, a house fire started by a lightning strike on the second floor.  Police and fire communications were temporarily disrupted when lightning struck an antenna in Norwood.

Thunderstorm Wind in ESSEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 17:25:00 to 30-JUN-01 17:30:00 (EST)
Location: PEABODY
Magnitude: 55 E
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Thunderstorm Wind in HAMPSHIRE, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 16:08:00 to 30-JUN-01 16:08:00 (EST)
Location: WORTHINGTON CORNERS
Magnitude: 50 E
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Thunderstorm Wind in MIDDLESEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 16:35:00 to 30-JUN-01 16:40:00 (EST)
Location: WILMINGTON
Magnitude: 50 E
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Thunderstorm Wind in HAMPSHIRE, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 16:40:00 to 30-JUN-01 16:40:00 (EST)
Location: SOUTH HADLEY
Magnitude: 50 E
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Thunderstorm Wind in WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 16:40:00 to 30-JUN-01 16:40:00 (EST)
Location: STERLING
Magnitude: 54 M
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Thunderstorm Wind in HAMPDEN, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 16:45:00 to 30-JUN-01 16:45:00 (EST)
Location: LUDLOW
Magnitude: 50 E
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Thunderstorm Wind in HAMPDEN, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 16:08:00 to 30-JUN-01 16:08:00 (EST)
Location: CHESTER
Magnitude: 50 E
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Hail in HAMPDEN, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 16:11:00 to 30-JUN-01 16:11:00 (EST)
Location: CHESTER
Magnitude: 0.88 
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Thunderstorm Wind in WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 16:30:00 to 30-JUN-01 16:30:00 (EST)
Location: BARRE
Magnitude: 50 E
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Hail in HAMPSHIRE, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 16:35:00 to 30-JUN-01 16:35:00 (EST)
Location: GRANBY
Magnitude: 0.75 
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Thunderstorm Wind in ESSEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 16:58:00 to 30-JUN-01 16:58:00 (EST)
Location: LYNNFIELD
Magnitude: 50 E
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Hail in ESSEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 17:00:00 to 30-JUN-01 17:10:00 (EST)
Location: PEABODY
Magnitude: 0.75 
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Thunderstorm Wind in MIDDLESEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 16:58:00 to 30-JUN-01 16:58:00 (EST)
Location: READING
Magnitude: 50 E
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Thunderstorm Wind in WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 17:20:00 to 30-JUN-01 17:20:00 (EST)
Location: SHREWSBURY
Magnitude: 50 E
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Thunderstorm Wind in WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 17:30:00 to 30-JUN-01 17:45:00 (EST)
Location: WESTBOROUGH
Magnitude: 50 E
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Thunderstorm Wind in MIDDLESEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 17:40:00 to 30-JUN-01 17:40:00 (EST)
Location: WAKEFIELD
Magnitude: 50 E
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Thunderstorm Wind in NORFOLK, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 18:00:00 to 30-JUN-01 18:00:00 (EST)
Location: MILLIS
Magnitude: 50 E
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Thunderstorm Wind in MIDDLESEX, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 18:15:00 to 30-JUN-01 18:15:00 (EST)
Location: HOLLISTON
Magnitude: 50 E
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Thunderstorm Wind in NORFOLK, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 18:20:00 to 30-JUN-01 18:35:00 (EST)
Location: MEDWAY
Magnitude: 50 E
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Tornado in NORFOLK, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 18:25:00 to 30-JUN-01 18:25:00 (EST)
Location: BELLINGHAM
Tornado F-scale: F0
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY

Brief F0 touchdown

Hail in WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 18:20:00 to 30-JUN-01 18:20:00 (EST)
Location: MENDON
Magnitude: 1.00 
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Thunderstorm Wind in NORFOLK, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 18:56:00 to 30-JUN-01 18:56:00 (EST)
Location: WALPOLE
Magnitude: 50 E
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Thunderstorm Wind in NORFOLK, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 20:05:00 to 30-JUN-01 20:05:00 (EST)
Location: WALPOLE
Magnitude: 50 E
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Thunderstorm Wind in WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 20:35:00 to 30-JUN-01 20:35:00 (EST)
Location: HOPEDALE
Magnitude: 50 E
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Hail in HAMPSHIRE, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 14:57:00 to 30-JUN-01 14:57:00 (EST)
Location: PLAINFIELD
Magnitude: 0.88 
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Hail in HAMPSHIRE, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 15:30:00 to 30-JUN-01 15:30:00 (EST)
Location: PLAINFIELD
Magnitude: 0.75 
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Thunderstorm Wind in FRANKLIN, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 15:44:00 to 30-JUN-01 15:44:00 (EST)
Location: TURNERS FALLS
Magnitude: 50 E
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

Hail in NORFOLK, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 18:20:00 to 30-JUN-01 18:20:00 (EST)
Location: BELLINGHAM
Magnitude: 1.25 
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY

Lightning in PLYMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 20:30:00 to 30-JUN-01 20:30:00 (EST)
Location: WHITMAN
Property damage: 32K
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Lightning in WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 17:30:00 to 30-JUN-01 17:30:00 (EST)
Location: AUBURN
Property damage: 15K
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Lightning in NORFOLK, MASSACHUSETTS
From 30-JUN-01 18:50:00 to 30-JUN-01 18:50:00 (EST)
Location: NORWOOD
Property damage: 10K
Reported by: NEWSPAPER