Hail, Fairfield
- When
- May 31, 9:32 PM EST
- Where
- Fairfield County, Danbury
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.380, -73.470
Hail and Lightning Strikes in Connecticut, May 31, 1998
Severe thunderstorms (in lines and clusters) formed and moved over parts of Southwest Connecticut. Severe thunderstorms produced large hail, frequent lightning, heavy rain and gusty winds.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 1
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
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 OKX wrote it up.
Severe thunderstorms (in lines and clusters) formed and moved over parts of Southwest Connecticut. They formed in a moist and unstable airmass ahead of an approaching cold front.Severe thunderstorms produced large hail, frequent lightning, heavy rain and gusty winds. Frequent lightning strikes also downed trees onto power lines and houses.Lightning travelled through a telephone line at the Trumbull Police Headquarters and injured the Communications Officer, who was taken to a hospital. The Trumbull Department's primary radio system was knocked out.Lightning blew out the second floor light and light switch of a Snowberry Lane residence in New Canaan.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 hail, 2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, New Haven
- When
- May 31, 9:57 PM EST
- Where
- New Haven County, Derby
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.330, -73.080
Lightning, Fairfield
- When
- May 31, 10:00 PM EST
- Where
- Fairfield County, Trumbull
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 41.326, -73.447 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning, Fairfield
- When
- May 31, 10:01 PM EST
- Where
- Fairfield County, New Canaan
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 41.326, -73.447 (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
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, May 31, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in New York, May 31, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in New York, May 31, 1998
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, May 31, 1998
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Wisconsin, May 31, 1998
- Tornado and Hail in Michigan, May 31, 1998
- Tornado and Hail in Pennsylvania, May 31, 1998
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Massachusetts, May 31, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in Pennsylvania, May 31, 1998
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, May 31, 1998
- Tornado and Hail in Vermont, May 31, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, May 31, 1998
More
Every storm in Connecticut in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Connecticut, May 1998
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: 5659758, 5659759, 5659760, 5659835.