New York, 1998

Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in New York, May 29, 1998

May 29, 1998 · NWS OKX · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

Severe thunderstorms produced high winds that downed trees onto power lines at the locations listed above. High winds caused widespread damage to trees and power lines in Putnam County.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 OKX wrote it up.

With a warm, moist, and unstable airmass in place, lines of thunderstorms (some severe) moved southeast across the region ahead of an approaching cold front.Severe thunderstorms produced high winds that downed trees onto power lines at the locations listed above. High winds caused widespread damage to trees and power lines in Putnam County. In addition, lightning struck and ignited a fire that damaged a home on Corey Lane in Cold Springs. The extent of the damage is unknown.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Orange

When
May 29, 5:20 PM EST
Where
Orange County, Hamptonburg
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.430, -74.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Putnam

When
May 29, 5:20 PM EST
Where
Putnam County, Countywide
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.430, -73.750

Lightning, Putnam

When
May 29, 5:20 PM EST
Where
Putnam County, Cold Spgs
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
41.427, -73.749 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New York in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, 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: 5659736, 5659737, 5659738.