Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, July 6, 1999

Severe thunderstorms swept across Massachusetts in advance of a strong cold front. For the fourth day in a row, temperatures soared well up into the 90s across the Bay State, along with high humidity. The thunderstorms arrived in two lines: one from mid-afternoon into early evening with winds clocked as high as 82 mph, and the second during the late evening with winds estimated over 80 mph and large hail. Damage was widespread from the east slopes of the Berkshires to the North and South Shore communities around Boston. In the wake of the storms, tens of thousands of electric customers were left without power, and in some communities, it took several days for power to be restored.In Hampshire County, a 29-year old man was killed and two men were injured when a large tree branch fell on their car on Route 5 in Hatfield while returning home from a fishing trip. Wind gusts as high as 65 mph were reported in North Hatfield as the storms passed. There were countless reports of downed trees, wires, and telephone poles throughout western and central Massachusetts, where the most widespread damage occurred during mid to late afternoon.In eastern Massachusetts, the storms caused the most damage during the late afternoon and early evening when there were many reports of downed trees, tree limbs, and power lines. In Middlesex County, wind gusts were estimated to be over 70 mph. Several five to ten ton air conditioning units were blown off the roof of a building in Ashland, and part of the roof was torn off. Large hail was reported throughout much of Norfolk and Plymouth Counties early in the evening. Hailstones as large as baseballs fell in Brockton, covering Milton Street and damaging cars. In Chatham, on Cape Cod, a 13-year old boy was lowering the sail on his small fiberglass sailboat on the shore of Oyster Pond when thunderstorm winds blew him and the boat about 200 yards into the middle of the pond. The boy was not injured. Later in the evening, the second round of severe thunderstorms caused more sporadic wind damage to trees and power lines. The worst damage occurred in Weymouth, when a microburst caused extensive wind damage near Whitmans Pond. A storm survey conducted the next day by the National Weather Service concluded wind speeds reached around 80 mph, which downed large trees, power lines, damaged homes, and made some roads impassable from fallen debris. Damage was also noted farther south into Abington and Hanson.