Damaging Winds in New Hampshire, June 26, 2002

Name: Damaging Winds in New Hampshire, June 26, 2002
Start: 2002-06-26T15:55
End: 2002-06-26T16:00
Location: New Hampshire

June 26, 2002 · NWS GYX · 2 events in 1 county or zone

Severe thunderstorms knocked over trees which downed power lines in the towns of Littleton and Bethlehem in Grafton County.

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: 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 GYX wrote it up.

Severe thunderstorms knocked over trees which downed power lines in the towns of Littleton and Bethlehem in Grafton County.

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 Jun 26, 1:55 PM EST, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 26, 1:55 PM EST, 2 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED TO ADD SVR TSTM WATCH #477
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
255 PM EDT WED JUN 26 2002

QUICK UPDATED FOR NEW WATCH AREA IN NRN AND CENTRAL ME...REST SAME.

CRNT TREND...ORGANIZED CONVECTION ACRS THE ST LWRC RVR VLY WL
CONT TO MOV E & INTO OUR MTNS OVR THE NXT SVRL HRS.  LOW/MID LVL FLO
IS TRANSITIONING FROM WNW TO WSW OVR OUR FA ATTM.  THEREFORE...WX OR
NOT THS CONVECTION CAN MK THE TURN INTO MOR UNSTABLE AIR IS STILL IN
QUESTION.  ANOTHER QUES IS WX OR NOT THS CONVECTION CAN LV A BNDRY
FOR ANY CONVECTION DURG THE EVE HRS.

HYDRO...THS ENHANCED PCPN IS HDG TOWARDS AN AREA WHICH RECEIVED RNFL
LAST NGT.  WL NEED TO MONITOR RNFL IN THE MTNS/FOOTHILLS & CONT TO
COMPARE THS TO FFG VALUES.   PCPTL WATER VALUES ON THE INCR.  HVY
PCPN PSBL IN A SHORT AMNT OF TIME THS EVE.  THS WUD CAUSE LCLZD
INCREASES IN SML RVRS & STREAMS.

ISOLD STG CONVECTION THRU THS EVE...GREATEST INSTABILITY SITUATED
OVR CNTRL/SRN NH & SWRNMST ME...IN LN W/ AREA OF PREV SPS OUTLOOK.
TDS CONT TO SLOLY INCR INTO THE UPR 60S...W/ A FEW LOW 90S TEMPS IN
THE CON AREA.  BEST CAPES/LOWEST LIS SITUATED IN THS RGN.  WL KP
GUSTY WNDS/PSBL HAIL IN THESE ZNS.  CONVECTION WUD MST LKLY BE IN
THE FORM OF ORGANIZED LN SEGMENTS.

WL FCST LKLY POPS SRN ZNS TNGT...W/ AN 80% CATAG POP IN THE MTNS.
THS PCPN WL MST LKLY BE CONFINED TO THE EVE HRS...HWVR A STRAY SHRA
ARND/SHORTLY AFT MDNGT A PSBLTY.  INCREASING TDS WL ALLOW FOR PTCHY
FOG...& A STICKY NGT ACRS THE RGN.

MOR DIURNALLY DRIVEN SHRA/TSRA THU AFTN...W/ SML CHC OF PCPN ALL DAY
FRI AS SYS SLO TO PUSH OFFSHORE.  PTCHY BR DURG THE OVRNGT PD...W/
HAZY CONDS DURG THE DAYLIGHT HRS.  SLO DRYING TO OCCUR LT FRI.

MARINE...LOTS OF LOW LVL MOISTR WL BRING PDS OF BR/HZ.  SEAS GRDLY
BUIDLING INTO SML CRFT RNG LT TNGT.

XTND...MOR RIDGING ALFT...HOT WX NXT WK?

FCSTID = 10

.GYX...
ME...SCA FOR SEAS.
NH...SCA FOR SEAS
     SVR TSTM WATCH IN EFFECT TIL 900 PM FOR ALL COS IN NH.
     SVR TSTM WATCH IN EFFECT TIL 1000 PM MEZ007>009-012>014-020-021.
EJS

The radar

The Burlington radar (KCXX), 113 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:53 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Grafton

When: June 26, 3:55 PM EST
Where: Grafton County, Littleton
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.317, -71.767

Thunderstorm Wind, Grafton

When: June 26, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Grafton County, Bethlehem
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.283, -71.683

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in New Hampshire in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in New Hampshire, June 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: 5305475, 5305476.