Vermont, 2002

Damaging Winds in Vermont, April 17, 2002

April 17, 2002 · NWS BTV · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A frontal boundary along the border regions of northeast Vermont, northern New Hampshire and southern Canada focused afternoon thunderstorms to move southeast across northeast Vermont. Observers reported no damage just brief gusty winds and locally heavy rainfall with the thunderstorms.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
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 BTV wrote it up.

A frontal boundary along the border regions of northeast Vermont, northern New Hampshire and southern Canada focused afternoon thunderstorms to move southeast across northeast Vermont. Observers reported no damage just brief gusty winds and locally heavy rainfall with the thunderstorms. The heaviest storms moved across east portion of Orleans county, north half of Caledonia county and northern two thirds of Essex county.

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 Burlington, VT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 17, 9:44 AM EST, 3 hours 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 17, 9:44 AM EST, 3 hours 16 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
1044 AM EDT WED APR 17 2002

...CONTINUED UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES THIS AFTERNOON...

HAVE UPDATED ZONES TO INDC CHC AFTN TSTM IN VT...WITH CHC LATE AFTN
TSTMS NRN NY. HV HEADLINED ZONES WITH EITHER RECORD BREAKING
TEMPERATURES OR UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES FOR THIS AFTERNOON.

THIS MRNGS SFC ANALYSIS INDCS SFC BNDRY ALG OR JUST N OF VT/QUEBEC
BORDER. SATL AND RADAR IMAGERY INDCS TSTMS MOVG SE ALG BNDRY. THESE
STORMS IN RESPONSE TO WK H/5 SHRTWV MOVG ACRS N COUNTRY. 12Z H/5
ANALYSIS INDCS JET STREAK ERN CANADA...SO RIGHT/REAR QUAD MOVG ALG
NRN NEW ENG/CANADIAN BORDER.

HV NOTED DVLPG CU CLUSTERS ADIRONDACKS...SO HV INDCD CHC AFTN TSTM IN
VT AS THIS UPR LVL FEATURE MOVS E ALONG WITH THE UNUSUALLY HIGH
TEMPERATURES...CUD TRIGGER A TSTM IN VT. ALSO INCREASED TEMPS A
BIT IN CHAMPLAIN VALLEY.

OTHERWISE NO CHANGES WITH TNGTS FCST AS UPPER LVL SCENARIO IS ABOUT
THE SAME.

ZONES HV BEEN RELEASED.

.BTV...NONE.

SFH

The radar

The Burlington radar (KCXX), 85 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:00 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Caledonia

When
April 17, 1:00 PM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where
Caledonia County, Countywide
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.465, -72.102 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Essex

When
April 17, 1:00 PM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where
Essex County, Countywide
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.728, -71.736 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Orleans

When
April 17, 1:00 PM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where
Orleans County, Countywide
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.829, -72.244 (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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Vermont in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Vermont, April 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: 5292290, 5292291, 5292292.