Massachusetts, 2000

Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, July 18, 2000

July 18, 2000 · NWS BOX · 18 events in 5 counties and zones

Severe thunderstorms swept across much of eastern Massachusetts ahead of a cold front. There were many reports of large hail, downed trees and wires.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
18

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 swept across much of eastern Massachusetts ahead of a cold front. There were many reports of large hail, downed trees and wires. Golf ball size hail was reported in Newton, which covered the ground up to one inch deep. Half dollar size hail fell in Beverly, and hail as large as quarters fell in Wilmington, Stow, and Brighton. Traffic was snarled for a time on Route 128 in Needham, when a thunderstorm produced dime size hail. Quincy, Weymouth, and Hingham were especially hard hit by the storms, with numerous reports of trees falling on houses and cars. Also in Quincy, lightning struck the roof of a church, sending hundreds of pounds of stone crashing through the roof. There were no injuries reported.

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 92 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:00 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 hail, 6 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Middlesex

When
July 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Middlesex County, Townsend
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
42.667, -71.700

Hail, Middlesex

When
July 18, 12:45 PM EST
Where
Middlesex County, Townsend
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
42.667, -71.700

Hail, Middlesex

When
July 18, 1:29 PM EST
Where
Middlesex County, Westford
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
42.583, -71.433

Hail, Middlesex

When
July 18, 1:55 PM EST
Where
Middlesex County, Wilmington
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
42.550, -71.167

Hail, Middlesex

When
July 18, 2:02 PM EST
Where
Middlesex County, Stow
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
42.433, -71.500

Hail, Essex

When
July 18, 2:08 PM EST to 2:25 PM EST
Where
Essex County, Danvers
Measured
1.25 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
42.567, -70.917

Thunderstorm Wind, Essex

When
July 18, 2:10 PM EST
Where
Essex County, Salem
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.517, -70.900

Hail, Middlesex

When
July 18, 2:25 PM EST to 2:32 PM EST
Where
Middlesex County, Newton
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
42.350, -71.217

Hail, Norfolk

When
July 18, 2:39 PM EST
Where
Norfolk County, Needham
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
42.283, -71.233

Hail, Suffolk

When
July 18, 2:44 PM EST
Where
Suffolk County, Brighton
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.350, -71.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Norfolk

When
July 18, 2:45 PM EST
Where
Norfolk County, Quincy
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.267, -71.033

Thunderstorm Wind, Suffolk

When
July 18, 3:00 PM EST
Where
Suffolk County, Forest Hills
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
42.300, -71.117

Lightning, Norfolk

When
July 18, 3:00 PM EST
Where
Norfolk County, Quincy
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Plymouth

When
July 18, 3:30 PM EST
Where
Plymouth County, Hingham
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.233, -70.883

Thunderstorm Wind, Norfolk

When
July 18, 3:37 PM EST to 3:40 PM EST
Where
Norfolk County, Milton
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
42.250, -71.083

Hail, Plymouth

When
July 18, 3:52 PM EST
Where
Plymouth County, Scituate
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
42.200, -70.733

Thunderstorm Wind, Plymouth

When
July 18, 3:52 PM EST
Where
Plymouth County, Scituate
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
42.200, -70.733

Hail, Plymouth

When
July 18, 4:08 PM EST
Where
Plymouth County, Scituate
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
42.200, -70.733

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Massachusetts in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, July 2000

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: 5163823, 5162701, 5162702, 5162703, 5162704, 5162705, 5162706, 5162707, 5162708, 5162709, 5162710, 5162711, 5162717, 5162712, 5162713, 5162714, 5162715, 5162716.