Hail, Litchfield
- When
- May 31, 2:58 PM EST
- Where
- Litchfield County, Goshen
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.833, -73.233
Hail and Damaging Winds in Connecticut, May 31, 2002
During Friday afternoon and early evening of May 31, a strong cold front clashed with a very unstable air mass across northwestern Connecticut. In addition, there were strong divergent winds aloft.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $37,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 13
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.
During Friday afternoon and early evening of May 31, a strong cold front clashed with a very unstable air mass across northwestern Connecticut. In addition, there were strong divergent winds aloft. All of these parameters set the stage for severe weather in Litchfield County. Most of the reports included large hail. Dime-size hail was reported at Goshen, Bakersville, Cornwall and in a later storm, at Morris. A few minutes after the report of dime-size hail in Bakersville, one inch hail was reported. One inch hail, along with some wind damage to trees and power lines, took place in the city of Torrington. Two inch diamter hail fell at Thomaston. Trees were blown down in the town of Canaan. The storms knocked out power to about 37,000 Connecticut Light and Power customers, 3,300 of those in the town of Litchfield.
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 31, 2:54 PM EST, 4 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 31, 2:54 PM EST, 4 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY 355 PM AM EDT FRI MAY 31 2002 WORKZONES AVAILABLE. ZONES OUT THE DOOR BY 4. .DISC...ITS DEJA-VOUS...FROM 4 YEARS AGO THOUGH WE WILL MAY NOT ISSUE WELL OVER 40 WARNINGS LIKE THAT DAY...WE HAVE ALREADY ISSUE 19 WARNINGS...WITH MANY OF THEM VERIFYING WITH WIND AND HAIL. (SEE THE LATEST ALBLSRALY FOR ALL THE DETAILS). THERE MIGHT BE A SECOND ROUND OF SVR AS ANOTHER SERIES OF LINES ARE STILL FIRING UP AHEAD OF THE REAL FRONT WHICH IS ONLY NOW ENTERING WRN NY STATE. WILL OBVIOUSLY INCLUDE AN EARLY UPDATE TO INCLUDE ONGOING WX. MODELS ALL INDICATE THAT THE ACTIVITY SHOULD BE OVER BY 8PM...JUST AS THE TONIGHT PERIOD REALLY GETS GOING. THE FRONT SHOULD BE CROSSING THE REGION BY THEN...WITH ALL THE ENERGY AND LIFT EXITING THE REGION TO THE SE. EXPECT A QUIET NIGHT WITH CLEARING AND LOWERING HUMIDITY AS THE WIND SHIFTS INTO THE W AND PICKS UP. THE WEEKEND WILL FEATURE DRIER WX (FOR A CHANGE). HOWEVER...ANOTHER COLD FRONT...FROM THE STILL MOSTLY FROZEN WATERS OF THE HUDSON BAY REGION WILL SLIP SOUTH BY LATE IN THE DAY/EVENING HOURS ON SAT. THE MESO-ETA GIVES A CAPE UP TO NEARLY 500 J/KG N OF KALB BY THE AFTERNOON...AND AT LEAST 300 ELSEWHERE. DIVERGENCE WITH THE RFQ OF THE UPPER JETLET WILL SKIM ACROSS OUR NRN SXNS BY LATE IN THE DAY. HAVE DECIDED TO INCLUDE A CHC TSRA/SHRA LATE IN THE NORTHERN ZONES BUT WILL KEEP THEM OUT FROM KALB SWD. (THE DIFFERENCE IN POPS BETWEEN THE MAV AND FWC ARE NEARLY 50...WITH THE MAVS HIGH). BELIEVE ANY STORMS THAT DO DEVELOP FROM THE CD ON SOUTHWARD WILL BE ISOLATED IN THE 20 PERCENT RANGE...AND NOT WORTH MENTIONING ATTM. WILL CONFINE A CHC OF SHRAS/TSRA FOR THE EVENING HOURS ONLY ON SAT AS THE ATMOSPHERE STABILIZES LATER ON. NO LIFT LEFT...AND SOME DRYING...SO WILL FORECAST DRY FOR OVERNIGHT. H8 TEMPS PROGGED TO DROP TO ABOUT 3C BY SUNDAY PM...QUITE UNSEASONABLY COOL FOR THE TIME OF YEAR. AM CONCERN THERE WILL LOTS OF SC (AND POSSIBLE MOUNTAIN SHOWERS) FOR SUNDAY...BUT WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP DRY WITH A PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY SKY. UA FLOW LOOKS SOMEWHAT ZONAL AS WE HEAD INTO NEXT WEEK. THE FLOW ACTUALLY REMAINS WNW ENOUGH TO POSSIBLY KEEP NEXT SHORT WAVE TO THE SOUTH...BUT WILL KEEP CHC FROM ABOUT KALB SOUTH SINCE THERE IS STILL SOME UNCERTAINTY. UNCERTAINTY IS DEFINITELY THERE CONCERNING THE FOLLOWING SHORT WAVE FOR LATER TUE/WED...BUT AGAIN WILL CONFINE S...WHILE THE THIRD ONE COULD BRING PCPN EVERYWHERE LATER IN THE WEEK. NO HEAT WAVES ARE IN THE OFFING...TEMPS WILL RETURN TO SLIGHTLY BELOW SEASONABLE LEVELS DURING THIS TIME FRAME. .HYDROLOGICAL STATUS...KENX RADAR SHOWS STORM TOTALS TO BE MAX OUT ABOUT 2 INCHES ACROSS THE MOHAWK VALLEY WITH LESSER AMOUNTS ELSEWHERE. TOTALS MIGHT BE SOMEWHAT HAIL CONTAMINATED. EITHER WAY...STORMS HAVE BEEN MOVING QUICKLY (UP TO 50 MPH) AND RAINFALL THUS FAR HAS NOT BEEN THE MAIN PROBLEM. WILL HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE SECOND BATCH WHICH MIGHT DELIVERY UP TO AN INCH OR 2 MORE RAINFALL BUT ANY ANY FLOODING THAT MIGHT OCCUR WITH THE NEXT LINE WOULD BE EXTREMELY LOCALIZED AND NOT WARRANTED A FFA AT THIS TIME. .ALY...SVR THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR ALL ZONES UNTIL 7 OR 8 EDT.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 31, 11:27 AM EST, 3 hours 31 minutes before
NYZ033-311700- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY 1227 PM EDT FRI MAY 31 2002 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN HAMILTON COUNTY... AT 1227 PM EDT DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 21 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SPECULATOR...MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH. THIS THUNDERSTORM...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING...WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH...AND HEAVY RAIN...WILL BE NEAR... LAKE PLEASANT AT 1235 PM EDT... WELLS AT 1240 PM EDT... HOPE AT 1245 PM EDT...
Special weather statement, May 31, 11:49 AM EST, 3 hours 9 minutes before
NYZ033-039-311715- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY 1249 PM EDT FRI MAY 31 2002 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN HAMILTON AND FULTON COUNTIES... AT 1249 PM EDT DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER ARIETTA...OR 16 MILES NORTHWEST OF GLOVERSVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. THIS THUNDERSTORM...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING...WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH...AND HEAVY RAIN...WILL BE NEAR... UPPER BENSON AT 105 PM EDT... HOPE AND WELLS AT 110 PM EDT... NORTHVILLE AT 115 PM EDT...
Special weather statement, May 31, 12:45 PM EST, 2 hours 13 minutes before
NYZ063-064-311830- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY 145 PM EDT FRI MAY 31 2002 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN ULSTER COUNTY... AT 143 PM EDT DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF ULSTERVILLE...OR 3 MILES SOUTH OF ELLENVILLE... MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. THIS THUNDERSTORM...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING...WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH...POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL...AND HEAVY RAIN...WILL BE NEAR... KERHONKSON AT 155 PM EDT... WALLKILL AT 200 PM EDT... MOHONK LAKE AT 205 PM EDT... MODENA AT 210 PM EDT... NEW PALTZ AND CLINTONDALE AT 215 PM EDT... TILLSON AND ROSENDALE AT 220 PM EDT... BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL PRODUCE RAINFALL IN EXCESS OF A QUARTER INCH. OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IN NORTHERN ULSTER COUNTY. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM EDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR EASTERN NEW YORK. WASULA/CEMPA
Special weather statement, May 31, 1:32 PM EST, 1 hour 26 minutes before
MAZ001-NYZ060-061-311915- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY 232 PM EDT FRI MAY 31 2002 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN BERKSHIRE AND COLUMBIA COUNTIES... AT 230 PM EDT DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES NORTHWEST OF ANCRAM...OR 12 MILES SOUTH OF HUDSON...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH. THIS THUNDERSTORM...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING...WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH...POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL...AND HEAVY RAIN...WILL BE NEAR... COPAKE AT 240 PM EDT... SOUTH EGREMONT AND SHEFFIELD AT 250 PM EDT... GREAT BARRINGTON AND HOUSATONIC AT 255 PM EDT... MONTEREY AT 300 PM EDT... SANDISFIELD AT 305 PM EDT... OTIS AT 310 PM EDT... RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL VARY FROM ONE TENTH TO ONE THIRD OF AN INCH FROM THIS THUNDERSTORM. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM EDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR EASTERN NEW YORK. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS AND SOUTHERN VERMONT. WASULA/CEMPA
Special weather statement, May 31, 2:15 PM EST, 43 minutes before
CTZ001-MAZ001-NYZ032-033-038>043-047>054-058>061-063>066-VTZ013-014- 010230- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY 315 PM EDT FRI MAY 31 2002 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THIS EVENING... A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH EASTERN NEW YORK AND ADJACENT WESTERN NEW ENGLAND THROUGH THIS EVENING. IN ADVANCE OF THIS FRONT...MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR IS IN PLACE...FUELING SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE REGION. A SERIES OF LINES OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED THROUGH NEW YORK STATE AND VERMONT THIS AFTERNOON. THESE STORMS HAVE PRODUCED STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HAIL AND CAUSED NUMEROUS TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN THROUGHOUT EASTERN NEW YORK. ANOTHER LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IN ADVANCE OF THE COLD FRONT AND BRING MORE SEVERE WEATHER TO NORTHERN NEW YORK AND VERMONT. A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS JUST WEST OF THE NORTHERN ADIRONDACKS AND MOHAWK VALLEY WILL CONTINUE INCREASE IN INTENSITY AND MOVE ACROSS NEW YORK...SOUTHERN VERMONT...THE BERKSHIRES AND LITCHFIELD COUNTY BETWEEN 300 PM AND 800 PM. THESE STORMS WILL CONTAIN STRONG GUSTY WINDS...DOWNPOURS AND LARGE HAIL. THE STORMS WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL EVENTUALLY DISSIPATE LATE THIS EVENING AS A COLD FRONT MOVES OUT OF THE REGION. DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...AND TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS WILL BE THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT THROUGH THIS EVENING. STAY ALERT FOR THE LATEST UPDATES FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ...AND PREPARE NOW FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE WEATHER. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR ANY MEDIA OUTLET THAT PROVIDES YOU WITH THE LATEST PRODUCTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM EDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR EASTERN NEW YORK. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS AND SOUTHERN VERMONT. VTK
Special weather statement, May 31, 2:18 PM EST, 40 minutes before
NYZ032-033-311945- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY 318 PM EDT FRI MAY 31 2002 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN HAMILTON AND HERKIMER COUNTIES... AT 318 PM EDT DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF INLET TO 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF HOFFMEISTER TO 3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BARNEVELD...OR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 12 MILES EAST OF OLD FORGE TO 22 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SPECULATOR TO 11 MILES NORTH OF UTICA...MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH. THESE THUNDERSTORMS...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING...WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH...POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL...AND HEAVY RAIN...WILL BE NEAR... HOFFMEISTER AT 330 PM EDT... SPECULATOR AND SABAEL AT 345 PM EDT... A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM EDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR EASTERN NEW YORK. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS AND SOUTHERN VERMONT.
The radar
The Albany radar (KENX), 108 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:57 UTC.
Event by event
10 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Litchfield
- When
- May 31, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Litchfield County, Bakersville
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.833, -73.033
Hail, Litchfield
- When
- May 31, 3:05 PM EST
- Where
- Litchfield County, Bakersville
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.833, -73.033
Hail, Litchfield
- When
- May 31, 3:10 PM EST
- Where
- Litchfield County, Torrington
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.800, -73.117
Hail, Litchfield
- When
- May 31, 3:15 PM EST
- Where
- Litchfield County, Cornwall
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.833, -73.333
Hail, Litchfield
- When
- May 31, 4:02 PM EST
- Where
- Litchfield County, Bakersville
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.833, -73.033
Hail, Litchfield
- When
- May 31, 4:35 PM EST
- Where
- Litchfield County, Torrington
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.800, -73.117
Hail, Litchfield
- When
- May 31, 4:39 PM EST
- Where
- Litchfield County, Torrington
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.800, -73.117
Thunderstorm Wind, Litchfield
- When
- May 31, 4:39 PM EST
- Where
- Litchfield County, Torrington
- Property damage
- $9,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.800, -73.117
Hail, Litchfield
- When
- May 31, 5:20 PM EST
- Where
- Litchfield County, Morris
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.683, -73.200
Thunderstorm Wind, Litchfield
- When
- May 31, 5:39 PM EST
- Where
- Litchfield County, Canaan
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.033, -73.333
Hail, Litchfield
- When
- May 31, 5:39 PM EST
- Where
- Litchfield County, Thomaston
- Measured
- 2 in hail
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.667, -73.067
Thunderstorm Wind, Litchfield
- When
- May 31, 5:40 PM EST
- Where
- Litchfield County, Bridge Water
- Property damage
- $8,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.533, -73.367
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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, May 31, 2002
- Heat in Missouri, May 31, 2002
- Tornado in New York, May 31, 2002
- Rip Current in North Carolina, May 31, 2002
- Tornadoes and Hail in New York, May 31, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, May 31, 2002
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in New Hampshire, May 31, 2002
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Maine, May 31, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Winds in California, May 31, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Winds in New York, May 31, 2002
- Hail in Iowa, May 31, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, May 31, 2002
More
Every storm in Connecticut in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Connecticut, May 2002
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: 5299051, 5299052, 5299053, 5299101, 5299102, 5299103, 5299104, 5299105, 5299106, 5299107, 5299108, 5299109, 5299110.