Severe T-Storms, Damaging Winds Moving Through Berkshires

10:20AM / Friday, May 15, 2020Print Story | Email Story

One of the big weather stories on #Friday will be the #severe thunderstorm threat across the Northeast into the Ohio Valley, basically from Boston to Columbus. The main threat from these #thunderstorms will be damaging winds but hail and a tornado or two are also possible. pic.twitter.com/dSXdhQsw05
— National Weather Service (@NWS) May 14, 2020

After two nights of frost, it was 61 degrees on Main Street in North Adams on Thursday night.

You think, ahhh, spring has finally arrived! Warm evenings, buds popping, birds chirping.

Well, the weather is never easy in the Berkshires. Yet another storm front will batter the region with torrential rain and damaging winds — but it will be warmer!

The National Weather Service in Albany, N.Y., is forecasting severe thunderstorms capable of damaging winds and hail Friday afternoon and the possibility of an isolated tornado.

There will be scattered thunderstorms moving across the region between 1 and 5 and a much stronger line of storms that will cross the Berkshires during the evening until about 10 p.m.

"Thunderstorms will erupt Friday afternoon ahead of a cold front across parts of Ohio, northwestern Pennsylvania and upstate New York then charge east and southeastward into portions of New England, the lower Hudson Valley and central and eastern Pennsylvania into the early evening hours," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Joe Lundberg said.

"The warmth and humidity that will help to fuel these strong storms will come just a day and half after widespread frost and even some freezes in parts of the interior Northeast."

This severe storm blast will be followed by plenty of sunshine this weekend and temperatures in the 70s in the region and higher to the south. Get out and about — but not too close — because another storm system will hit the region on Sunday night because another low pressure system will be parking itself over the region and bringing plenty of rain, especially in central and South Berkshire.

"A key difference to this pattern from the pattern we're just exiting is that nighttime lows will be much warmer," said Lundberg. "It's not an Arctic air mass but rather a large pocket of cool and moist air, so frosts and freezes will not be a returning concern."

Lundberg says the weather conditions will improve toward Memorial Day weekend, the "unofficial start of summer," with warmer air and sunshine.

Severe Storm Threat Continues.

Expected warm and humid air today....temps spiking 75 to 80 thus afternoon.

Clusters of cells may form 3 to 5pm....the main squall line 5 to 7pm....
Main threat damaging winds, some large hail in any discrete supercells, and a few rotating storms pic.twitter.com/MLHjxwxiYG
— Steve Caporizzo (@SteveCaporizzo) May 15, 2020

The line of organized T-Storms is predicted to hit central MA between 6 & 9 pm. CT between 8:30-11pm. Northern NJ between 9-11 pm. The line of storms weaken as they pass through CT & Lower Hudson Valley. pic.twitter.com/7i6JHB4brw
— New England Weather (@SouthernNewEng1) May 15, 2020

Risk for severe storms today as isolated T-storms develop initially between 4-8pm becoming more widespread from 8-11pm. Main concerns will be damaging wind gusts and hail, especially in western New England, where an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out. pic.twitter.com/UwZ1Q9VVBa
— Jason Doris (@Doris_Weather) May 15, 2020

Severe weather is possible across much of Southern New England tomorrow. Storms are expected to occur from the mid afternoon into the evening.

PRIMARY THREAT: Damaging Wind
Secondary Threat: Isolated Tornadoes
Tertiary Threat: Large Hail pic.twitter.com/GFSzKPhMMq
— Tucker Antico (@tuckerweather) May 14, 2020

Tags: bad weather, rain,

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North Adams Council Seats New Councilor Riehl

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
08:46PM / Tuesday, November 10, 2026

New Councilor Virginia Riehl was accompanied by her daughter.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council voted in a new council member to replace the departed Alexa Macdonald.

Virginia Riehl, 10th candidate in last year's election by 41 votes, was elected 5-3 to fill the vacant seat until next election.

She will sit on Community Development and Public Services committees.

"I feel called to serve North Adams, and North Adams has made me a better person," she said after being sworn in. "And then I have one announcement, which is that any compensation I receive in this position, will be donated to the Affordable Housing Trust."

Riehl had had the most public support for filling the seat, including a petition with hundreds of names and letters to the editor encouraging the council to vote her in. She thanked her supporters who were in the audience and at home.

She was sworn by City Clerk Tina Leonesio with her daughter at her side.

The other candidates were Peter Oleskiewicz, a past councilor and current member of the Planning Board and Hoosac Water Quality District; Jesus Leyva, a community activist in his previous hometowns of Greenfield and Northampton; Joseph Ousterhoudt, a hardware store manager; and member of the Democratic City Committee; and Ronald Sheldon, a past candidate for City Council.

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