Hail and Damaging Winds in Maine, August 16, 2002

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Maine, August 16, 2002
Start: 2002-08-16T13:00
End: 2002-08-16T13:50
Location: Maine

August 16, 2002 · NWS GYX · 5 events in 1 county or zone

Winds from a severe thunderstorm moving through York County downed trees in Lebanon, Springvale, Sanford, and Arundel. Dime-sized hail was reported in Arundel.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 GYX wrote it up.

Winds from a severe thunderstorm moving through York County downed trees in Lebanon, Springvale, Sanford, and Arundel. Dime-sized hail was reported in Arundel.

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 Gray, ME wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 16, 8:30 AM EST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 16, 8:30 AM EST, 4 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
930 AM EDT FRI AUG 16 2002

UPDATED DISCUSSION...
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT MOVED INTO THE FORECAST
AREA OVERNIGHT CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST AND SHOULD BE MOSTLY EAST OF
THE FORECAST AREA BY NOONTIME.  VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS
CLOUDS THINNING BEHIND THE SHOWERS OVER WESTERN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND
VERMONT.  COULD SEE ENOUGH HEATING TO REDEVELOP SOME SCATTERED
CONVECTION...BUT PROBABLY NOT UNTIL LATE IN THE DAY AS REFLECTED IN
MAV MOS 6 HOUR POPS.  PREVIOUS FORECAST ON TRACK.  WILL ISSUE AN
UPDATED MAINLY TO INTRODUCE SOME LATE DAY TIMING ON THE NEXT CHANCE
OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AND HIGHLIGHT HUMID CONDITIONS FOR THIS
AFTERNOON WITH DEW POINTS IN THE LOWER 70S.  PWMWRKZFP AVAILABLE FOR
COORDINATION.  NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES FOR THE COASTAL WATERS
FORECAST UPDATE.  NO FLAGS.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
ANOTHER WARM AND MUGGY NGT WTH DEWPTS IN THE 60S...BUT LOWR 70S
UPSTRM.  A FEW LGT SHWRS ARND SRN ME MOVG NE AND ANOTHR BATCH WTH A
S/W IN NYSTATE.  BEST POPS THIS AM WTH THE S/W BUT UNSTABLE ENUF TO
KEEP A CHC GOING ALL DAY.  A CDFNT WKNS TO A TROF AS IT MOVES THRU
THE FA ON SAT BUT REMAINING WARM AND LTL IN THE WAY OF PCPN.  NEXT
DECENT THREAT OF SHWRS SUN AS A STACKED LOW IN JAMES BAY PUSHES A
WARM FNT THRU ERY IN THE DAY...FOLLOWED BY A CDFNT SYSTM SUN NGT.

FCSTID = 7

.GYX...
ME...NONE.
NH...NONE.

WHEELER

The radar

The Portland,ME radar (KGYX), 75 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:01 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, York

When: August 16, 1:00 PM EST
Where: York County, Center Lebanon
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 43.417, -70.917

Thunderstorm Wind, York

When: August 16, 1:19 PM EST
Where: York County, Springvale
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.467, -70.800

Thunderstorm Wind, York

When: August 16, 1:19 PM EST
Where: York County, Sanford
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates: 43.433, -70.783

Hail, York

When: August 16, 1:45 PM EST
Where: York County, Arundel
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates: 43.383, -70.483

Thunderstorm Wind, York

When: August 16, 1:50 PM EST
Where: York County, Arundel
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates: 43.383, -70.483

What these are

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.
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

Every storm in Maine in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Maine, August 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: 5317227, 5317228, 5317231, 5317229, 5317230.