Flash Flood and Hail in New York, May 10, 2000

On May 10, eastern New York was sandwiched between two frontal boundaries during much of the day. The air mass was very unstable which resulted in numerous single and multi-cell thunderstorms throughout much of the day. Due to cold air aloft, and cool air near the surface, many of the thunderstorms produced hail ranging from dime to walnut size. The largest hail was reported in Tivoli, Dutchess county. The dime size hail near Saugerties, Ulster county, produced small dents on some cars. Lightning struck two separate individuals during the morning hours. A female located at the intersection of State Route 5 and Old Karner road, was struck in her car in Colonie, Albany county. Another female, carrying an umbrella, was struck at a local bus depot, also in the town of Colonie. Both of the women suffered only minor injuries. Lightning strikes also produced fires in homes in Connelly and West Hurley in Ulster county, as well as a garage in Germantown, Columbia county. A tree initially caught fire. The fire spread to the home in Connelly which was badly damaged. Lightning started a shed on fire in West Hurley , that spread to an adjacent house, producing significant damage. Only the roof on the shed was damaged. Lightning briefly knocked out power to as many as 20,000 customers in the Mid Hudson Valley area. Thunderstorms trained over Herkimer county, producing rainfall amounts up to 4 inches during the course of the day. The torrential rain swelled the drainage facilities in Middleville and produced flash flooding. A culvert under Park Street near Reservoir Road became clogged with debris, and resulted in the runoff flooding the road and cellars nearby. A few residents were forced to evacuate their homes.