Hail and Damaging Wind in Rhode Island, August 10, 2000

A long-lived supercell, which formed over eastern New York during the late evening of the 9th, strengthened as it moved across northern Connecticut, where it caused wind damage and dropped large hail. The storm entered northern Rhode Island during the early morning of the 10th, and produced several brief microbursts in northern Providence County. The damage was rather isolated, but where it occurred was significant. A few large oak trees were snapped off near their tops in a subdivision behind Bryant College in Smithfield. One large pine tree was snapped at the college, and grass was flattened to the ground. All of the trees fell in a west-northwest to east-southeast direction. In Glocester, a very large and centuries-old chestnut tree was snapped off, blocking a portion of Route 102. In addition to the wind damage, the storm dropped golf ball size hail in Cumberland. The supercell then moved across southeast Massachusetts, causing additional wind damage and producing large hail. Wind speeds were estimated between 70 and 85 mph.