Hail and Lightning Strike in Massachusetts, November 4, 1997

Name: Hail and Lightning Strike in Massachusetts, November 4, 1997
Start: 1997-11-04T15:30
End: 1997-11-04T16:45
Location: Massachusetts

November 4, 1997 · NWS BOX · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

Widespread thunderstorms moved across western and central Massachusetts and there were numerous reports of small hail. The hail ranged in size from 1/16th inch to 5/8 inch in diameter.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS BOX wrote it up.

Widespread thunderstorms moved across western and central Massachusetts and there were numerous reports of small hail. The hail ranged in size from 1/16th inch to 5/8 inch in diameter. Pea size hail fell in Chicopee, Springfield, West Springfield, Amherst, Templeton, Monson, and Holyoke. Half-inch hail was reported from Northampton and Sterling. Hail up to 5/8 inch in diameter was reported from Tolland. Lightning struck more than once in nearly the same place and blew out the electrical systems of three houses on a hill in Belchertown. Telephone boxes melted to the sides of two of the houses. A utility pole was hit by lightning and a pine tree near the homes may have been hit.

The radar

The Albany radar (KENX), 121 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:27 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 hail, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Western Franklin

When: November 4, 3:30 PM EST to 4:45 PM EST
Where: Western Franklin forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.583, -72.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Eastern Franklin

When: November 4, 3:30 PM EST to 4:45 PM EST
Where: Eastern Franklin forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.583, -72.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Eastern Hampden

When: November 4, 3:30 PM EST to 4:45 PM EST
Where: Eastern Hampden forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.135, -72.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Eastern Hampshire

When: November 4, 3:30 PM EST to 4:45 PM EST
Where: Eastern Hampshire forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.340, -72.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Northern Worcester

When: November 4, 3:30 PM EST to 4:45 PM EST
Where: Northern Worcester forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.351, -71.908 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Western Hampden

When: November 4, 3:30 PM EST to 4:45 PM EST
Where: Western Hampden forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.135, -72.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Western Hampshire

When: November 4, 3:30 PM EST to 4:45 PM EST
Where: Western Hampshire forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.340, -72.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning, Hampshire

When: November 4, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Hampshire County, Belchertown
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 42.340, -72.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Massachusetts in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Massachusetts, November 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5625423, 5625424, 5625425, 5625426, 5625427, 5625428, 5625429, 5625430.