Winter Storm in New York, May 18, 2002

Name: Winter Storm in New York, May 18, 2002
Start: 2002-05-18T07:00
End: 2002-05-18T12:00
Location: New York

May 18, 2002 · NWS ALY · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

An area of low pressure developed over the Mid Atlantic region early on the 18th. This storm tracked northeast, off into the Atlantic Ocean.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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: 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 ALY wrote it up.

An area of low pressure developed over the Mid Atlantic region early on the 18th. This storm tracked northeast, off into the Atlantic Ocean. The air north of the storm was marginally cold enough to turn rain into a wet heavy snow across much of eastern New York during the morning hours. Significant snowfall amounts took place across the elevated sections of Greene and Schoharie Counties. Eight inches was reported at Prattsville, Greene County while Summit in Schoharie County received 6.5 inches. The 2.2 inches that fell at Albany International Aiport was officially the latest measurable snowfall ever recorded in the season and the second greatest snowfall for the entire month of May.

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 May 18, 5:25 AM EST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 18, 5:25 AM EST, 1 hour 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
625 AM EDT SAT MAY 18 2002

DISC...NSW FALLING AT HIR ELEVATIONS...SPCLY W OF HUDSON VLY.
REPORT OF 1/2 IN SCHOHARIE CTY.  BACK EDGE OF ENHANCED CLOUDINESS
WAS MOVG RAPIDLY EWD ACRS NY.  THE HVYST PCPN WL TAPER OFF FAIRLY
QUICKLY BUT LGTR PCPN STILL INTO W PA EXTRM E OH.  WHEN PCPN LETS UP
SNW LVLS MAY INCR.  SVRL INCHES MENTIONED ERLY IN HIR ELEV OF
BERKS/CATSKILLS.  WL FINE TUNE ZNS WITH UPDATE BY ABT 1045 Z.

PREV AFD...

SFC LOW MOVG FM MID APLCHNS TO NJ CST WL BRING SHOT OF +RA TO
PTNS OF CWA...MAINLY THIS MRNG.  MODELS SPINNING UP DECENT SFC LOW
(996 MB ETA) WITH VRY STG (65-70 KT ETA/60 KT AVN) H8 JET S LONG
ISLAND (AVN FRTHR S) FCST TO FEED IT.  OVERALL AVN IS SLGTLY
WKR...AND SLGTLY FASTER.  BEST LL CNVRG EDGES INTO S PTN OF CWA.
00Z RAOB ANAL SHWS 40 KT AT KOHX.  STG BAROCLINIC ZN WITH H8 TS +13
WAL TO -6 AT WMW WITH TDS IN 12C RNG IN WARM SCTR.  140 KT+ UPR JET
CROSSG AREA TDA.  DVRG ANAL INDICATES RR QUAD OF JET PROVIDG GOOD
UPR SUPPPORT ERLY IN DAY...BUT SUPPORT WEAKENS WITH TIME.  03Z 3HR
PCPN EXCEEDG .5 IN ACRS WV.  AT 06Z  UO .76 IN S PA.  OUR SRN 3 CTYS
ON NRN FRINGE OF AREAS WHR BEST LL CNVRG/UPR FORCG.  ETA QPF  NR 1.5
IN ON S PTN OF CWA.  GEM/AVN SIMILAR.  1.5 IN PORBLY REPRESENTS UPR
EXTRM IN FAR S.  NRN EDGE TENDED TO DRY UP DRG THE EVE BUT HAS
SPREAD STEADILY N IN PAST 2 HR.  03Z RUC/ETA INDICATE A LOT OF DVM
ACRS AREA AT 03Z.  UVM BURSTS N 06-09Z SO MODELS.  THERE LKLY WL BE
A SHARP NWD EDGE OF PCPN.   H10-H8 THICKNESS FALLING TO NR 1300 M
THIS MRNG IN N...H8-H7 FALL TO 1510-1530 N OF KALB.   ETA  MODEL
SOUNDGS SUPPORT  LOW SNO LVLS THIS MRNG...BASICALLY TO SEA LVL AT
KALB.  ETA SFC TS HAV SHOWN A DEFINITE COLD BIAS IN RECDENT EVENTS
AND THIS LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER.   WHILE EVAP COOLG WL PROVIDE A GOOD
DROP IN T ...SFC OBS DO NOT SUPPORT COOLG TO ETA LVLS.  WL INCLUDE
PSBL SN MIX OVR HIR ELEV OF N.

HARDLY IDEAL CONDS TNGT FOR COLD TEMPS IN MAY BUT UNSEASONABLE AMS
WITH H8 TEMPS -5/-7C.  SOME GRADIENT RMNS THRUT NGT. CLOUDS WL TEND
TO BRK AS THE NGT GOES ON THO SOME LL MOISTR RMNS.  TEMPS IN MID 30S
REASONABLE.  THAT WL REQUIRE A FROST ADVSY IN ALL ZNS XCP NY032-033
(WHICH WONT BEGIN BANNERS UNTIL 25 MAY).  SUN NGT MAY BE EVEN COLDR
AS GRDNT SLACKENS.  MOISTR INCRG OUT OF NW CUD PROVIDE SOME CLOUD
CVR PROTECTION...BUT ADVSY/WRNG AGAIN POSSIBLE.

WITH UPR TROF TO MOV THRU WE WL PROBLY DEAL WITH SHRA (FLRYS?) AT
SOME POINT SUN-TUE...ALTHO MUCH OF THE TIME THE WX WL BE DRY.  WL
KEEP SUN DRY BUT LV CHC POPS IN MON/TUE WITH UPR TROF IN VCNTY.

.HYDROLOGIC STATUS...UPR MHWK SLOLY RCDG. QPF THERE ON ORDER OF .5
IN WL CAUSE RVR TO RMN HI.  HVYST RA SE SXNS.  FFG FOR 12Z HR ON THE
ORDER OF 2.5-3 IN...SO MAX OF 1.-1.5 IN SHUDNT CAUSE PROBLEMS.

.ALY...FROST ADVSRY TNGT ALL ZNS XCP NY32/33

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 18, 6:43 AM EST, 17 minutes before

NEW YORK STATEWIDE POLICE INFORMATION NETWORK
TROOP K
0742AM     SAT MAY 18 2002
#1 0000001 000
KCLA WLSR
00618    FILE 28   S P CLAVERACK  NY1100100                  MAY 18-02
TO       DESTINATION: APTS

ROAD CLOSURE      ROAD CLOSURE     ROAD CLOSURE

ST 9 BETWEEN WEST KERLEY CORNERS ROADAND PITCHER LANE RED HOOK
WILL BE CLOSE DUE TO AUTO COLLISION

AUTH & SENT   M ZIEMENDORF       7-40AM
OPER - ZIEMENDORF,MARIETTA A          0741

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Western Greene

When: May 18, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where: Western Greene forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.277, -74.123 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Schoharie

When: May 18, 8:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where: Schoharie forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.588, -74.442 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5299111, 5299112.