Thunderstorm Wind, Berkshire
- When
- May 29, 3:53 PM EST
- Where
- Berkshire County, Cheshire
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 42.570, -73.170
Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, May 29, 1998
During the afternoon of May 29, a line of fast moving severe thunderstorms crossed western Massachusetts. This intense convection developed well ahead of a strong cold front and produced damage across much of Berkshire County.
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
- $16,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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.
During the afternoon of May 29, a line of fast moving severe thunderstorms crossed western Massachusetts. This intense convection developed well ahead of a strong cold front and produced damage across much of Berkshire County. Damage was most widespread in the Towns of Adams, Cheshire and Hancock. In the Town of Cheshire, the southbound lane of State Road 8 was closed for several hours due to fallen trees.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Berkshire
- When
- May 29, 4:30 PM EST
- Where
- Berkshire County, Great Barrington
- Property damage
- $6,000
- Coordinates
- 42.200, -73.370
Hail, Berkshire
- When
- May 29, 4:35 PM EST
- Where
- Berkshire County, Monterey
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 42.180, -73.220
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
- Damaging Winds in New York, May 29, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in New York, May 29, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, May 29, 1998
- Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, May 29, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Mississippi, May 29, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in New York, May 29, 1998
- Flash Flood and Lightning Strike in South Carolina, May 29, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, May 29, 1998
- Lightning Strike in Mississippi, May 29, 1998
- Heavy Rain in Nebraska, May 29, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Iowa, May 29, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, May 29, 1998
More
Every storm in Massachusetts in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, 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: 5646219, 5646570, 5646571.