Thunderstorm Wind, Rensselaer
- When
- May 1, 5:30 PM EST
- Where
- Rensselaer County, Schodack Lndg
- Property damage
- $4,000
- Coordinates
- 42.480, -73.770
Hail and Damaging Winds in New York, May 1, 1997
A cold front crossed eastern New York during the afternoon of May 1. This front produced scattered severe thunderstorms across Albany, Rensselaer, Ulster, Greene, Columbia and Washington Counties.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $52,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 7
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 ALY wrote it up.
A cold front crossed eastern New York during the afternoon of May 1. This front produced scattered severe thunderstorms across Albany, Rensselaer, Ulster, Greene, Columbia and Washington Counties. At Menands in Albany County, approximately one third of the Menands Elementary School gymnasium roof was blown off or damaged. In that local vicinity, aluminium siding was also ripped from a house and several trees were downed by the damaging winds. At Fort Edward in Washington County, winds downed several power poles and damaged a roof and chimney.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Rensselaer
- When
- May 1, 5:30 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Rensselaer County, Petersburg
- Property damage
- $4,000
- Coordinates
- 42.750, -73.350
Thunderstorm Wind, Albany
- When
- May 1, 5:35 PM EST
- Where
- Albany County, Menands
- Property damage
- $25,000
- Coordinates
- 42.700, -73.730
Hail, Ulster
- When
- May 1, 5:45 PM EST
- Where
- Ulster County, Lake Katrine
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 41.970, -73.980
Hail, Greene
- When
- May 1, 5:45 PM EST
- Where
- Greene County, Coxsackie
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Property damage
- $4,000
- Coordinates
- 42.350, -73.800
Hail, Columbia
- When
- May 1, 5:57 PM EST
- Where
- Columbia County, Ghent
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 42.320, -73.620
Thunderstorm Wind, Washington
- When
- May 1, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Washington County, Ft Edward
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Coordinates
- 43.270, -73.580
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, May 1 to 29, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 1, 1997
- Lightning Strike in New Jersey, May 1, 1997
- Drought in Texas, May 1 to 31, 1997
- Flooding in Idaho, May 1 to 31, 1997
- Heavy Rain in Ohio, May 1 to 31, 1997
- Flooding in Montana, May 1 to 31, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, May 1, 1997
- Flooding in Louisiana, May 1 to 9, 1997
- Flooding in Texas, May 1 to 9, 1997
- High Wind in Ohio, May 1, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Tennessee, May 1, 1997
More
Every storm in New York in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, May 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: 5597813, 5597815, 5597814, 5597816, 5597817, 5597818, 5597819.