New York, 2002

High Wind in New York, May 3, 2002

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

The gradient between a high pressure center in the Ohio Valley, and deep low pressure over eastern Canada, produced a marginally high wind event across portions of eastern New York State during the midday hours of May 3. Trees, large limbs and power lines were blown down in Rensselaer and Fulton counties.

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.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$30,000
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.

The gradient between a high pressure center in the Ohio Valley, and deep low pressure over eastern Canada, produced a marginally high wind event across portions of eastern New York State during the midday hours of May 3. Trees, large limbs and power lines were blown down in Rensselaer and Fulton counties. A large limb fell on a car waiting at a red light in Johnstown, trapping two passengers. They were rescued by the Jaws of Life with no injuries. In addition, a porch was damaged by gusty winds in the city of Troy in Rensselaer County. Up to 7,000 customers were temporarily without power in eastern New York as a result of the wind.

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 3, 9:50 AM EST, 1 hour 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 3, 9:50 AM EST, 1 hour 10 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
1050 AM EDT FRI MAY 3 2002

.DISC...WL UPDATE ZFP TO REMOVE MRNG WORDG AND TO UPDATE FOR CURRENT
CONDITIONS.   -6/-7C H8 AIR MOVG INTO RGN THIS AFTN.  WITH LK TEMP
AT KROC THIS AM 7C LK INFLUENCE WL CONT TO INCR.  SCT -SHRA DVLPD
THIS MRNG DOWNWIND IN MOIST TRAJ.  MEANWHILE LRG NE-SW CLOUD BAND
ASSOC WITH UPR TROF HAS PUSHED INTO NY STATE REACHG HALFWAY S THRU
ADRNDCKS ALREADY. THE COMBINATION SHUD PRODUCE A GOOD DEAL OF CLOUD
CVR.  WL EXPAND  AREA WHR PCPN MENTIONED.  TEMPS ALREADY IN MID
40S...BUT GIVEN STEEP LAPSE RATES SNOW LVLS MAY BE FAIRLY LOW.  SLK
JUST 34 AT 14Z.  KBGM/KPSF REPORTED -SHSN PAST HR.  WL MENTION PSBL
-SHSN OVR HIR TRRN OF VT AND N CTSKLS BERKS.

OBSERVED 50 MPH GUSTS ERLR TDA AT AMSTERDAM....48 MPH KALB AND CAIRO
43 MPH.  WINDS HAV SLACKENED SINCE BUT SHUD INCR ERLY THIS AFTN AS
GRDNT TIGHTENS A BIT AND MIXED LYR DEEPENS.  IN PAST HR KSYR G-41
KT..KFZY  AND KVSF 36/ KUCA 35.  WL KEEP WND ADVSY GOING ALTHO WINDS
MAY BE MARGINAL.

.ALY...WIND ADVSRY TIL 22Z

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Eastern Rensselaer

When
May 3, 11:00 AM EST to 1:30 PM EST
Where
Eastern Rensselaer forecast zone
Property damage
$25,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
42.711, -73.510 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Fulton

When
May 3, 11:00 AM EST to 1:30 PM EST
Where
Fulton forecast zone
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
43.114, -74.422 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New York in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5299113, 5299114.