Hail and Damaging Wind in Massachusetts, September 7, 1998

Name: Hail and Damaging Wind in Massachusetts, September 7, 1998
Start: 1998-09-07T04:30
End: 1998-09-07T04:45
Location: Massachusetts

September 7, 1998 · NWS BOX · 2 events in 1 county or zone

An early morning severe thunderstorm swept across parts of Essex County. Telephone poles were reported snapped in half and trees and wires downed in Newburyport as reported by local police.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

An early morning severe thunderstorm swept across parts of Essex County. Telephone poles were reported snapped in half and trees and wires downed in Newburyport as reported by local police. More than 50 homes lost power. Dime size hail was reported in neighboring Salisbury.

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 100 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:31 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Essex

When: September 7, 4:30 AM EST
Where: Essex County, Salisbury
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.830, -70.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Essex

When: September 7, 4:40 AM EST to 4:45 AM EST
Where: Essex County, Newburyport
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.820, -70.870

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

Every storm in Massachusetts in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Massachusetts, September 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: 5672777, 5672778.