Hail, Berkshire
- When
- May 31, 4:45 PM EST
- Where
- Berkshire County, Pittsfield
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Property damage
- $8,000
- Coordinates
- 42.450, -73.250
Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, May 31, 1998
During the morning hours of May 31, a strong low pressure system over the upper Great Lakes pushed a warm front across eastern New York and western New England. This set the stage for severe weather in 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
- $61,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
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 morning hours of May 31, a strong low pressure system over the upper Great Lakes pushed a warm front across eastern New York and western New England. This set the stage for severe weather in Berkshire County. In this highly sheared environment several lines of severe thunderstorms formed ahead of an approaching cold front. Severe thunderstorms downed trees and power lines in several locations. Approximately 5,000 customers lost power during the storms. At North Adams, a large tree crushed part of a house and garage. At Pittsfield, a severe thunderstorm produced golf ball size hail.
The radar
The Albany radar (KENX), 68 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:44 UTC.
Event by event
3 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Berkshire
- When
- May 31, 6:55 PM EST
- Where
- Berkshire County, North Adams
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Property damage
- $35,000
- Coordinates
- 42.700, -73.100
Hail, Berkshire
- When
- May 31, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Berkshire County, Great Barrington
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 42.200, -73.370
Thunderstorm Wind, Berkshire
- When
- May 31, 7:03 PM EST
- Where
- Berkshire County, Pittsfield
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 42.450, -73.250
Thunderstorm Wind, Berkshire
- When
- May 31, 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Berkshire County, South Lee
- Property damage
- $8,000
- Coordinates
- 42.280, -73.270
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- 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.
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 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: 5647026, 5647027, 5647028, 5647029, 5647030.