Thunderstorm Wind, Berkshire
- When
- July 17, 6:35 PM EST
- Where
- Berkshire County, Pittsfield
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 42.450, -73.250
Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, July 17, 1998
A cold front moving east into the Berkshires resulted in scattered severe thunderstorms. Wind from the storms downed powerlines and trees in Pittsfield and Great Barrington.
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
- $8,000
- 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 ALY wrote it up.
A cold front moving east into the Berkshires resulted in scattered severe thunderstorms. Wind from the storms downed powerlines and trees in Pittsfield and Great Barrington. Nickel size hail fell twice within thirteen minutes time in the town of Lenox.
The radar
The Albany radar (KENX), 68 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:36 UTC.
Event by event
2 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Berkshire
- When
- July 17, 6:35 PM EST
- Where
- Berkshire County, Lenox
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.370, -73.280
Hail, Berkshire
- When
- July 17, 6:48 PM EST
- Where
- Berkshire County, Lenox
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.370, -73.280
Thunderstorm Wind, Berkshire
- When
- July 17, 6:55 PM EST
- Where
- Berkshire County, Great Barrington
- Property damage
- $3,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.200, -73.370
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
- Heat in Oklahoma, July 17, 1998
- Wildfire in Montana, July 17 to 23, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, July 17, 1998
- Wildfire in Montana, July 17 to 19, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, July 17, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Vermont, July 17, 1998
- Lightning Strike in New Jersey, July 17, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Texas, July 17, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Puerto Rico, July 17, 1998
- Damaging Winds in Texas, July 17, 1998
- Funnel Clouds in Florida, July 17, 1998
- Flood in Guam, July 17 to 28, 1998
More
Every storm in Massachusetts in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, July 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: 5648656, 5648657, 5648658, 5648659.