Hail, Albany
- When
- August 14, 3:15 PM EST
- Where
- Albany County, Albany
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.650, -73.767
Hail and Damaging Winds in New York, August 14, 2002
An upper level disturbance triggered scattered thunderstorms across eastern New York during the afternoon of August 14. The airmass was exceptionally hot and humid, allowing some of the storms to pulse to severe levels.
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
- 10
- Property damage
- $1.0 million
- Crop damage
- $50,000
- Events
- 9
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.
An upper level disturbance triggered scattered thunderstorms across eastern New York during the afternoon of August 14. The airmass was exceptionally hot and humid, allowing some of the storms to pulse to severe levels. Severe thunderstorms especially pounded Albany County, despositing quarter size hail in the city of Albany during the afternoon hours. Winds from the storm blew a 40 by 40 foot tent, used by city vendors, into one of the pools at the Empire State Plaza, resulting in nine injured people. Three of them had to be hospitalized. Winds from the storms brought down trees and powerlines in the town of Colonie. A microburst, with winds estimated as high as 80 mph, hit the town of Guilderland, namely the Fort Hunter and Guilderland Center sections. Many trees were destroyed in these areas. One tree fell on a car, trapping the driver and resulting in minor injuries. This microburst not only downed a huge swath of trees, but many of the trees fell down on, or even into, buildings, producing at least minor damage to as many as 50 structures. A two story residence was nearly cut in half when a pine tree fell on it. A farmhouse was damaged when a stand of trees was blown onto it. Part of the roof at the Town's Highway Department was torn off as well as the Guilderland High School. Trees were toppled onto the New York State Thruway, temporarily closing the road between exit 25 and exit 26. A portion of a cornfield was flattened. The town Supervisor of Guilderland declared a state of emergency for that town. Guilderland also filed for Federal Aid. Winds from other thunderstorms brought down trees and wires in the town of Niskayuna in Schenectady County, Ballston Spa in Saratoga County and Canan in Columbia County. Between 15,000 and 20,000 residents were temporarily without power in the Greater Capital District as a result of the storms.
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 Aug 14, 2:52 AM EST, 12 hours 23 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 14, 2:52 AM EST, 12 hours 23 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
330 AM EDT WED 14 2002
.DISC...
HOT RIDGE WITH H850 PLUS 20 INSURES HOTTEST DAY OF THE
SUMMER. ALB RECORD 97 WITH EXPECTED MAX +/-1 OF SAME.
TEMPS/TDS JUST REACH 105 HEAT ADVISORY THRESHOLD FOR
CAPITAL DISTRICT / HUDSON VALLEY / PARTS LITCHFIELD CTY.
THUNDER RISK SIMILAR TO YESTERDAY. ISOLATED TO SLIGHT
CHANCE. BEST BET (20 PCT) GOES TO MOUNTAIN AREAS WITH
SOME OROGRAPHIC CONTRIBUTION TO OTHERWISE CONDITIONALLY
UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE. LITTLE ELSE WORKING TO IGNITE TSRA.
SLOW FRONT THURSDAY MAY KEEP MUCH OF CWA DRY...WITH BETTER
CHANCE PCPN THURSDAY NIGHT.
.HYDROLOGICAL STATUS...NO PROBLEMS EXPECTED.
SHORT TERM ISOLATED CONVECTION MAY CAUSE LOCAL
DRIANAGE PROBLEMS...BUT RIVERS AND STREAMS TO STAY
WELL BELOW NORMAL FLOW.
.ALY...NYZ 049-050-052-053-059-060-064-065-066-CTZ001
HEAT ADVISORY TODAY.
WILEYIn the hours before
Special weather statement, Aug 14, 1:25 PM EST, 1 hour 50 minutes before
NYZ063-064-141900- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY 225 PM EDT WED AUG 14 2002 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN ULSTER COUNTY... AT 225 PM EDT DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS 4 MILES WEST OF HARDENBURG...OR 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF MONTICELLO... MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. THESE THUNDERSTORMS...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING...WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH...POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL...AND HEAVY RAIN...WILL BE NEAR... HARDENBURG AT 230 PM EDT... ULSTER HEIGHTS AND SUNDOWN AT 245 PM EDT... SHANDAKEN AND PEEKAMOOSE AT 255 PM EDT... PHOENICIA AND WEST SHOKAN AT 300 PM EDT...
Special weather statement, Aug 14, 1:50 PM EST, 1 hour 25 minutes before
NYZ065-066-141915- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY 250 PM EDT WED AUG 14 2002 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN DUTCHESS COUNTY... AT 250 PM EDT DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER MYERS CORNER...OR 8 MILES NORTHEAST OF BEACON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. THIS THUNDERSTORM...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING...WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 30 MPH...POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL...AND HEAVY RAIN...WILL BE NEAR... HOPEWELL JUNCTION AND RED OAKS MILL AT 255 PM EDT... ARLINGTON AT 300 PM EDT... PLEASANT VALLEY AT 310 PM EDT... MILLBROOK AT 315 PM EDT...
Special weather statement, Aug 14, 2:17 PM EST, 58 minutes before
NYZ047-051-058-141945- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY 317 PM EDT WED AUG 14 2002 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN SCHOHARIE...ALBANY AND GREENE COUNTIES... AT 317 PM EDT DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 3 MILES NORTHEAST OF GILBOA TO 2 MILES NORTHEAST OF FLEISCHMANNS...OR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 16 MILES NORTHWEST OF HUNTER TO 15 MILES WEST OF HUNTER...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. THESE THUNDERSTORMS...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING...WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 30 MPH...POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL...AND HEAVY RAIN...WILL BE NEAR... LIVINGSTONVILLE AT 325 PM EDT... RENSSELAERVILLE AND PRESTON HOLLOW AT 340 PM EDT... OAK HILL AT 345 PM EDT...
The radar
The Albany radar (KENX), 25 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:11 UTC.
Event by event
7 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Albany
- When
- August 14, 3:15 PM EST
- Where
- Albany County, Albany
- Injuries
- 9 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 42.650, -73.767
Thunderstorm Wind, Albany
- When
- August 14, 3:20 PM EST
- Where
- Albany County, Colonie
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 42.717, -73.850
Hail, Albany
- When
- August 14, 3:20 PM EST
- Where
- Albany County, Colonie
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.717, -73.850
Thunderstorm Wind, Albany
- When
- August 14, 3:25 PM EST
- Where
- Albany County, Colonie
- Measured
- 68 kt (78 mph)
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 42.717, -73.850
Thunderstorm Wind, Albany
- When
- August 14, 3:25 PM EST
- Where
- Albany County, Guilderland
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $975,000
- Crop damage
- $50,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 42.717, -73.917
Thunderstorm Wind, Schenectady
- When
- August 14, 3:35 PM EST
- Where
- Schenectady County, Niskayuna
- Property damage
- $8,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 42.783, -73.833
Thunderstorm Wind, Saratoga
- When
- August 14, 3:45 PM EST
- Where
- Saratoga County, Ballston Spa
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 43.000, -73.867
Thunderstorm Wind, Columbia
- When
- August 14, 5:06 PM EST
- Where
- Columbia County, Canaan
- Property damage
- $7,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 42.417, -73.450
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
- Damaging Winds in Ohio, August 14, 2002
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Indiana, August 14, 2002
- Lightning Strike in Florida, August 14, 2002
- Lightning Strike in Georgia, August 14, 2002
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds in Lake Erie, August 14, 2002
- Lightning Strike in Massachusetts, August 14, 2002
- Lightning Strike in Louisiana, August 14, 2002
- Lightning Strike in New York, August 14, 2002
- Hail in Minnesota, August 14, 2002
- High Wind in Alaska, August 14 to 15, 2002
- Flash Flooding in Texas, August 14, 2002
- Hail in Minnesota, August 14, 2002
More
Every storm in New York in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, 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: 5312957, 5312965, 5312958, 5312959, 5312960, 5312961, 5312964, 5312962, 5312963.