Hail and Damaging Winds in New York, September 3, 2002

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in New York, September 3, 2002
Start: 2002-09-03T11:13
End: 2002-09-03T16:00
Location: New York

September 3, 2002 · NWS BUF · 8 events in 7 counties and zones

A cold front brought severe thunderstorms to the region during the afternoon hours. The thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines and scattered power outages were reported.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $83,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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 BUF wrote it up.

A cold front brought severe thunderstorms to the region during the afternoon hours. The thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines and scattered power outages were reported. In Yorkshire, Cattaraugus county, a tree fell on and damaged a garage. Over the Niagara Frontier, the thunderstorms produced hail up to 3/4 inch in diameter in Grand Island and Niagara Falls.

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 Buffalo, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 3, 9:07 AM EST, 2 hours 6 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 3, 9:07 AM EST, 2 hours 6 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
1007 AM EDT TUE SEP 3 2002

WARM FRNT ATTM OVR SOUTHERN ONTARIO/WNY WILL LIFT NE DURG THE DAY
WITH NE-SW ORIENTED COLD FRNT VCNTY DTW.

AXIS OF HIGHER DEW PTS IN MID TO UPPER 60S MOVING INTO WNY ATTM WITH
LAPS ANALYSIS SHOWING CAPES OVR 1200 CURRENTLY OVR WESTERN LK
ONTARIO-IAG PENINSULA AND LIS OF -1 TO -2.

VSBL SATELLITE SHOWS N-S LINE OF TCU FORMING RPDLY BETWEEN YXU AND
YYZ BUT STILL SOME BRKS IN CLDS AS WELL. SLGT RISK OF SVR CONTINUES
ACROSS FCST AREA THIS AFTN. WILL JUST DO SOME MINOR TWEAKING IN TEMPS
IN A FEW ZNS OTRW EARLIER FCST LOOKS OK.

.BUF...NONE.

JJP

The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 28 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:14 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Niagara

When: September 3, 11:13 AM EST
Where: Niagara County, Niagara Falls
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 43.083, -79.033

Hail, Erie

When: September 3, 11:15 AM EST
Where: Erie County, Grand Island
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 43.033, -78.967

Thunderstorm Wind, Cattaraugus

When: September 3, 2:24 PM EST
Where: Cattaraugus County, Yorkshire
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.550, -78.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Wyoming

When: September 3, 2:45 PM EST
Where: Wyoming County, Pike
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 42.550, -78.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Allegany

When: September 3, 2:50 PM EST
Where: Allegany County, Rushford
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $12,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.383, -78.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Livingston

When: September 3, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Livingston County, Nunda
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.583, -77.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Wyoming

When: September 3, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Wyoming County, Portageville
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $8,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 42.567, -78.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Oswego

When: September 3, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Oswego County, Palermo
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $8,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 43.367, -76.283

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

Every storm in New York in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, September 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: 5320657, 5320588, 5320658, 5320659, 5320660, 5320662, 5320663, 5320661.