Massachusetts, 1999

Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, July 25, 1999

July 25, 1999 · NWS BOX · 13 events in 6 counties and zones

Severe thunderstorms brought damaging winds and large hail to central and eastern Massachusetts for the second day in a row. The hardest hit areas were once again in the suburbs of Boston, especially to the south, where there were many reports of downed trees and power lines.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
13

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.

Severe thunderstorms brought damaging winds and large hail to central and eastern Massachusetts for the second day in a row. The hardest hit areas were once again in the suburbs of Boston, especially to the south, where there were many reports of downed trees and power lines. Hail as large as quarters covered the ground in spots. Brockton, in Plymouth County, was especially hard hit. Large hail the size of ping pong balls damaged cars, and torrential rainfall of two inches in one hour resulted in street flooding. A storm spotter reported two to three feet of water on Main and Belmont streets. Several house fires were started by lightning in Middlesex County. In Boston, water flooded the mezzanine level of South Station, closing the MBTA Red Line Station for about an hour. Service was also interrupted on the MBTA Green Line for about an hour, after a tree fell near Brookline Hills station. Logan International Airport recorded a wind gust to 58 mph in a thunderstorm, a day after measuring a wind gust to 74 mph. An estimated 25,000 customers in central and eastern Massachusetts were left without power.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail, 1 lightning, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Middlesex

When
July 25, 12:35 PM EST to 1:25 PM EST
Where
Middlesex County, Sudbury to Newton
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
42.370, -71.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Middlesex

When
July 25, 1:01 PM EST
Where
Middlesex County, Wayland
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
42.370, -71.370

Hail, Worcester

When
July 25, 1:15 PM EST
Where
Worcester County, Harvard
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
42.500, -71.580

Hail, Suffolk

When
July 25, 1:33 PM EST
Where
Suffolk County, Brighton
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.350, -71.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Suffolk

When
July 25, 1:48 PM EST
Where
Suffolk County, (Bos)logan Intl Arpt
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.370, -71.000

Lightning, Middlesex

When
July 25, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Middlesex County, Bedford
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Plymouth

When
July 25, 2:00 PM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where
Plymouth County, Brockton
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.987, -70.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Plymouth

When
July 25, 2:25 PM EST
Where
Plymouth County, Brockton to Hanson
Measured
1.25 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
42.080, -71.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Plymouth

When
July 25, 2:30 PM EST
Where
Plymouth County, East Bridgewater
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.030, -70.950

Hail, Norfolk

When
July 25, 3:05 PM EST
Where
Norfolk County, Stoughton
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
42.120, -71.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Essex

When
July 25, 3:18 PM EST
Where
Essex County, Haverhill to West Newbury
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
42.780, -71.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Norfolk

When
July 25, 3:45 PM EST
Where
Norfolk County, Walpole
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
42.130, -71.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Plymouth

When
July 25, 3:55 PM EST
Where
Plymouth County, Abington
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.100, -70.930

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.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Massachusetts in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, July 1999

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: 5710890, 5710891, 5710892, 5710893, 5710894, 5710895, 5710899, 5710896, 5710898, 5710900, 5710897, 5710901, 5710902.