Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in New York, June 25, 2002

Name: Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in New York, June 25, 2002
Start: 2002-06-25T21:30
End: 2002-06-25T23:00
Location: New York

June 25, 2002 · NWS ALY · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

Scattered nocturnal thunderstorms developed along a warm front during the late evening of June 25 across eastern New York. One cell became briefly severe as it moved into Greene County.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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: $30,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

Scattered nocturnal thunderstorms developed along a warm front during the late evening of June 25 across eastern New York. One cell became briefly severe as it moved into Greene County. Thunderstorm winds knocked down trees and powerlines in the towns of Durham and Coxsackie. Lightning from the same storm also caused an electrical fire in the town of Hudson. The fire produced minimal property damage.

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 Jun 25, 12:35 PM EST, 8 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 25, 12:35 PM EST, 8 hours 55 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
135 PM EDT TUE JUN 25 2002

.DISC...NXT 72 HRS WL SEE SVRL WX SYSTMS MV ACRS RGN...THEN BERMUDA
HI TAKES CONTROL FOR DAYS.

.SHORT TERM...SFC WMFNT STILL ABT BUF-DELAWARE. HWVR ASSOC CLDS ARE
MNLY MID LVL...AND STARTED THE MORNG OVR FCA..HAVE SINCE DISAPATED
OR MVD OFF TO THE E. WITH WAA AT H850...AS WELL AS GEN DRIER AIR
MIDLVLS UPSTREAM...WX SHOULD RMN FAIR..PRETTY MUCH THRU TNGT. MDLS
SUG A DRY SLOT MVNG INTO FCA OVRNGHT. THINK THE MDLS HAVE WAY
OVERDONE THE MOISTR GIVEN THE CURRENT MDL RH AND LOC OF CLDS AND
PCPN. OR THE MOISTER IS JUST HI DUE TO ALMS 70F TD MVNG INTO RGN. SO
WL BE FAIR MST OF THE TIME THRU TNGT EXCPT OUTSIDE CHC -SHRA/TSRA.

.LONG TERM...AGAIN MDLS ALL SHW FCA CLRLY IN WM SECTR WED. H1000-500
THKNS OVR RGN INC TO 573-576. A WK TROF MVS THRU FCA DRNG LT AFTN
WHILE MN CD FNT RMNS WELL NW OF FCA. TD INCREASES TO NR 70 ACRS
FCA. FINALLY ON THRU MID LV TROF SHFTS E...AND CDFNT SAGS SE ACRS
FCA BY EVNG.

MDLS SUG AT PLENTY OF MOISTR...BUT THINK ITS PROBLY A OVRDONE
PARTICULALRLY W/REGARD TO AMNTS OF CLOUDINESS.  WL SEE HZY CONDS
WITH CLDS MIXED WITH SUN THRU THU. THE MN ISSUE IS WHAT AND WHEN
WILL CONVECTION BE FOCUSED ON. WITH LITTLE UPPER LVL DYNAMICS ARND
WED...SFC TROF SEEMS TO BE MN SHOW IN TOWN FOR WED...ALONG WITH
USUAL TERRAIN ISSUES...DESTABLIZATION FM HTNG AND INCRSG TD. IT
LOOKS MR LIKE A PULSE KINDA DAY. THURDAY ITS CLEARLY THE FRNT ITSELF
THAT WILL ORGANIZE AND FOCUS THE EVENT.  EVN THOUGH THE POPS ARE
LKLY...IT WILL PROBLY ONLY RAIN A FEW HRS...AS MX TMPS ARE IN
80S...GUIDANCE HINTS AT BREAK IN THE CLDS...WHICH ARE A REQUIREMENT
IF YOUR GONNA SEE 80S. WITH A FRONT AND SOME UPR LVL SPRT FM PASSING
MID LVL TROF ...EVENT THU WL BE MORE ORGANIZED OF THE 2 DAYS.

FRI UPR TROF AND FRNTL SYSM DEPART SEETING STAGE FOR HI PRES TO
BUILD E FRM GRT LAKS AND LWR TMPS AND HUMIDITY INTO SAT. OVER THE
WEEKEND SFC HI MERGES W/BERMUDA HI OFSHORE AS H500 RDG BLDS INTO THE
EASTERN 2/3RDS OF NA. CORE OF HOT AIR (576+) THNKNS RACES ACRS S
CANADA AND PUSHES INTO FCA FM NW SAT...AND CONTS THRU MUCH OF WEEK.
RGN WL BE IN HAZY AND VERY WARM AND HUMID MUCH OF THE WEEK.

HYDRO STATUS...NO PROBLEMS EXPECTED THRU TNGHT. WED AND THUR CLD
BRING SOM VRY HVY DOWNPOURS WITH LOCALIZED PRBLMS AS QPF MAY EXCEED
2 INCHES IN A FEW AREAS.

.ALY...NONE.

SNYDER

The radar

The Albany radar (KENX), 23 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:29 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Greene

When: June 25, 9:30 PM EST
Where: Greene County, Durham
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.400, -74.183

Thunderstorm Wind, Greene

When: June 25, 9:30 PM EST
Where: Greene County, Coxsackie
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.350, -73.800

Lightning, Columbia

When: June 25, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Columbia County, Hudson
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 42.250, -73.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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.
Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in New York in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, 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: 5305284, 5305345, 5305346.