Extreme Cold in New York, May 17 to 18, 2002

Name: Extreme Cold in New York, May 17 to 18, 2002
Start: 2002-05-17T18:00
End: 2002-05-18T12:00
Location: New York

May 17 to 18, 2002 · NWS BGM · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

A cold front went through central New York the morning of May 17th. A surface low pressure area moved east across the Tennessee Valley on the 17th to the mid Atlantic region early on the 18th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 13 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $63,000
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 BGM wrote it up.

A cold front went through central New York the morning of May 17th. A surface low pressure area moved east across the Tennessee Valley on the 17th to the mid Atlantic region early on the 18th. Precipitation in the form of rain was spread east and north ahead of the surface low on the 17th. The rain over central New York changed to wet snow from west to east starting late on the 17th. Accumulations were mostly over 1500 feet in elevation with up to 5 inches above 2000 feet in the Catskills. For the Binghamton Regional Airport it was the greatest snowfall so late in the season. 1.7 inches fell at the airport which is at about 1600 feet. The snow caused tree limbs and wires to come down. The hardest hit area for power outages was around Stamford in Delaware County. Much of this area is over 2000 feet in the Catskills.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

13 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Steuben

When: May 17, 6:00 PM EST to May 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Steuben forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.268, -77.384 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Tioga

When: May 17, 6:00 PM EST to May 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Tioga forecast zone
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.170, -76.306 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Tompkins

When: May 17, 6:00 PM EST to May 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Tompkins forecast zone
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.452, -76.474 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Broome

When: May 17, 6:00 PM EST to May 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Broome forecast zone
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.160, -75.820 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Chemung

When: May 17, 6:00 PM EST to May 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Chemung forecast zone
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.141, -76.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Chenango

When: May 17, 6:00 PM EST to May 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Chenango forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.494, -75.612 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Cortland

When: May 17, 6:00 PM EST to May 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Cortland forecast zone
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.595, -76.070 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Delaware

When: May 17, 6:00 PM EST to May 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Delaware forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.198, -74.966 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Madison

When: May 17, 6:00 PM EST to May 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Madison forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.913, -75.670 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Oneida

When: May 17, 6:00 PM EST to May 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Northern Oneida forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.242, -75.436 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Otsego

When: May 17, 6:00 PM EST to May 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Otsego forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.634, -75.033 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Schuyler

When: May 17, 6:00 PM EST to May 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Schuyler forecast zone
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.394, -76.875 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Oneida

When: May 17, 6:00 PM EST to May 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Oneida forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.242, -75.436 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill: Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.

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, 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5299590, 5299591, 5299592, 5299611, 5299612, 5299613, 5299614, 5299615, 5299616, 5299617, 5299618, 5299619, 5299620.