Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin
- When
- May 31, 4:30 PM EST to 5:00 PM EST
- Where
- Franklin County, Shelburne Falls to Bernardston
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 42.600, -72.750
Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, May 31, 1998
A severe thunderstorm moved through Franklin County bringing damaging winds to many communities during the late afternoon. A wind gust to an estimated 68 mph was reported by a spotter in Greenfield at 5:50 PM.
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
- None recorded
- 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 BOX wrote it up.
A severe thunderstorm moved through Franklin County bringing damaging winds to many communities during the late afternoon. A wind gust to an estimated 68 mph was reported by a spotter in Greenfield at 5:50 PM. In addition, law enforcement officials reported that trees were blown down between 5:30 PM and 6:10 PM in Shelburne Falls, Shelburne, Conway, Gill, Bernardston, Leyden, Northfield, and Warwick.
The radar
The Albany radar (KENX), 108 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:29 UTC.
Event by event
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin
- When
- May 31, 4:50 PM EST
- Where
- Franklin County, Greenfield
- Measured
- 59 kt (68 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.600, -72.600
Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin
- When
- May 31, 5:10 PM EST
- Where
- Franklin County, Northfield to Warwick
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 42.700, -72.620
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.
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: 5656285, 5656287, 5656286.