Massachusetts, 2001

Hail in Massachusetts, May 28, 2001

May 28, 2001 · NWS ALY · 2 events in 1 county or zone

A very strong upper level disturbance combined with a surface occluded front to produce showers and thunderstorms across Berkshire County during the afternoon of Memorial Day. Unseasonably cold air aloft allowed for the formation of large hail, with one of the storms.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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
2

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 ALY wrote it up.

A very strong upper level disturbance combined with a surface occluded front to produce showers and thunderstorms across Berkshire County during the afternoon of Memorial Day. Unseasonably cold air aloft allowed for the formation of large hail, with one of the storms. Dime -size hail was reported at West Stockbridge, while nickle-size hail was reported in the town of Hinsdale.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Albany, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 28, 9:35 AM EST, 3 hours 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 28, 9:35 AM EST, 3 hours 13 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
1035 AM EDT MON MAY 28 2001

ECHO TOPS GROWING IN ASSOCN WITH CONVECTION ACRS WASHINGTON CO
NY...UP TO 32 THSD AT 1427Z. INVRSN BASED AT 25 HND FT ON 12Z KALY
SOUNDING AND ABT 1 THSD FT DP. DCRG CLD COVER OVR PTNS OF CNTRL NY
PER SATPIX...WORTHY OF UPDT TO TWEAK TEMPS UP A BIT IN WRN ZONES
AND QPF FOR SRN VT UP. ERY LOOK AT NEW ETA PLACES H8 THETA-E TROF
OVR FINGER LKS THIS MRNG INTO ERY AFTN...THEN BY 00Z ONE THETA-E
TROF AXIS EXTENDS ACRS ADRNDCKS-CNTRL PA WITH SCNDRY THETA-E TROF
AXIS INVOF CYOW-KPSM. THEREFORE PRIOR IDEA OF THUNDER OF GREATEST
INTEREST BEING DURG ERYR PTNS OF AFTN SEEMS VALID.  MCKINLEY/CSC

.ALY...NY ERN/VT EXTRM SRN/MA EXTRM WRN/CT NW...NONE.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 28, 12:23 PM EST, 25 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
123 PM EDT MON MAY 28 2001

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1248 PM    ROTTERDAM                 NY   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/28/01   SCHENECTADY                    GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL

1259 PM    NISKAYUNA                 NY   1 INCH HAIL
05/28/01   SCHENECTADY                    ONE INCH HAIL

0102 PM    NISKAYUNA                 NY   1.25 INCH HAIL
05/28/01   SCHENECTADY                    HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL

0107 PM    STOCKPORT                 NY   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/28/01   COLUMBIA                       GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL

0110 PM    REXFORD                   NY   WIND DAMAGE
05/28/01   SARATOGA                       POWER POLES DOWN

0112 PM    STUYVESANT                NY   .75 INCH HAIL
05/28/01   COLUMBIA                       DIME SIZE HAIL

0119 PM    CLIFTON PARK              NY   .75 INCH HAIL
05/28/01   SARATOGA                       DIME SIZE HAIL

The radar

The Albany radar (KENX), 66 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:48 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Berkshire

When
May 28, 12:48 PM EST
Where
Berkshire County, West Stockbridge
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.333, -73.333

Hail, Berkshire

When
May 28, 1:13 PM EST
Where
Berkshire County, Hinsdale
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.433, -73.117

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Massachusetts in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, May 2001

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: 5242689, 5242690.