A strong cold front moved through a moderately unstable air mass across northern New York during the late afternoon and early evening hours of August 18th. A line of strong to severe thunderstorms accompanied this cold front, especially in St.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS BTV wrote it up.
A strong cold front moved through a moderately unstable air mass across northern New York during the late afternoon and early evening hours of August 18th. A line of strong to severe thunderstorms accompanied this cold front, especially in St. Lawrence county with several reports of damaging winds. Other damaging wind reports associated with these storms occurred in Franklin and Clinton counties.
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 Aug 18, 3:05 PM EST, 1 hour 46 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 405 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2008 .SYNOPSIS... A STRONG FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL PUSH SOUTH THROUGH THE NORTH COUNTRY INTO THE EVENING HOURS. THIS WILL BRING PRECIPITATION TO THE REGION DURING THIS TIME. HIGH PRESSURE THEN BUILDS OVER THE AREA DURING THE DAY TUESDAY...RIGHT INTO THE END OF THE WEEK. A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL APPROACH THE REGION BY THE WEEKEND FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF PRECIPITATION. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 405 PM EDT MONDAY...REGION UNDER SVR THUNDERSTORM WATCH ATTM AS STRONG FRNTL BOUNDARY SLOWLY TRUDGES SOUTHWARD. TEMPS ACROSS THE REGION INTO THE 70S/80S WITH TD/S INTO THE 60S. UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL SUPPORT POTENTIAL SEVERE TS WITH WIND AND HAIL. MDLS HAVE SHOWN SLOW MVMNT W/ FRNT WHICH PUTS ACTIVITY AFT EVENING COMMUTE...ALTHOUGH SCT TS POPPING UP AHEAD OF SYSTEM. EXPECTING THIS TO PUSH THRU THE CWA OVERNGT. && .SHORT TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 405 PM EDT MONDAY...FRNTL BOUNDARY WILL BE SOUTH OF THE CWA BY TUESDAY MORN. NORTHERLY FLOW AHEAD OF APPROACHING SFC RIDGE WILL KEEP LL CLD COVER OVER MUCH OF THE CWA THRU THE MORNING HRS. WILL BEGIN TO THIN OUT DURING THE AFTNOON AND FINALLY CLR BY THE EVENING. THIS WILL SET UP THE CWA FOR A NICE RADIATIONAL COOLING NIGHT. MDL GUIDANCE TEMPS PUT PORTIONS OF THE DACKS INTO THE 30S...WHICH WOULD GIVE THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME SCT FROST. 850 TEMP 0F 2-4C OVER THE DACKS W/ CLR SKIES WOULD SUPPORT THIS...SO NEXT SHIFT WILL HAVE TO DECIDE IF A FROST ADVISORY IS WARRANTED. HIGH PRESSURE CRESTS OVERHD ON WED FOR ANOTHER NICE DRY DAY OVER THE AREA. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... AS OF 240 PM EDT MONDAY...HIGH PRESSURE CENTER MOVES OVER REGION ON THURSDAY...AND SHIFTS SLOWLY EAST INTO THE GULF OF MAINE BY SATURDAY. GRADUAL MODERATION IN TEMPS EXPECTED THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY AS AIRMASS MODIFIES AND RETURN SOUTHERLY FLOW DEVELOPS BY NEXT WEEKEND. AN INCREASE IN MOISTURE EXPECTED BY SUNDAY IN ADVANCE OF UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT DROPPING SOUTHEAST FROM THE GREAT LAKES REGION. BEST CHANCE FOR SEEING SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH THIS FEATURE LOOKS TO BE SUNDAY AFTERNOON INTO EARLY MONDAY. && .AVIATION /20Z MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY...ATMOSPHERE DESTABILIZING ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA AT THIS TIME IN ADVANCE OF STRONG COLD FRONT...WHICH WILL DROP SOUTH ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT. EXPECT SOME SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP ACROSS VERMONT AND NORTHERN NEW YORK THIS AFTERNOON AND HAVE INCLUDED A MENTION OF CB AND VCTS TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS. MORE ORGANIZED LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING AHEAD OF AFORMENTIONED CDFNT OVER SOUTHERN CANADA ATTM. EXPECT THIS ACTIVITY TO AFFECT FORECAST AREA MAINLY BTWN 00Z-06Z TUES. A PERIOD OF IFR CONDITIONS AND PERHAPS SOME STRONG WIND GUSTS AND HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. THE COLD FRONT SHOULD BE ALONG THE CANADIAN BORDER BY 00Z...AND SOUTH OF THE REGION BY 08Z TUES. BRISK SW WINDS DEVELOPING ACROS THE AREA TODAY IN ADVANCE OF THE FRONT (15 GUSTING 25 KTS). WINDS WILL DIMINISH AFTER 00Z AND SHIFT INTO NW OVRNGHT WITH PASSAGE OF FRONT. POST FRONTAL LLVL MSTR LINGERS ACRS MUCH OF THE AREA LATE TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING. ANY SHWRS WILL END...BUT SOME AREAS OF MVFR/IFR CIGS WILL PERSIST TILL ABOUT 14Z TUES...AFTER WHICH TIME THERE WILL BE A DECREASE IN CLOUD COVER. 18Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD SOUTHEAST FROM THE GREAT LAKES TUESDAY AND BE OVER VERMONT AND NORTHERN NEW YORK THROUGH FRIDAY...MOVING OFF THE EAST COAST SATURDAY. MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD. SOME AREAS OF RADIATION FOG ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE PERIOD IN THE SHELTERED VALLEYS...MAINLY BTWN 06Z-12Z EACH DAY...INCLUDING TAF SITES KMPV/KLSK. && .BTV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VT...NONE. NY...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...JN NEAR TERM...JN SHORT TERM...JN LONG TERM...RJS AVIATION...RJS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 350 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2008 NYZ026>031-034-035-087-VTZ001>012-016>019-192000- NORTHERN ST. LAWRENCE-NORTHERN FRANKLIN-EASTERN CLINTON- SOUTHEASTERN ST. LAWRENCE-SOUTHERN FRANKLIN-WESTERN CLINTON- WESTERN ESSEX-EASTERN ESSEX-SOUTHWESTERN ST. LAWRENCE-GRAND ISLE- WESTERN FRANKLIN-ORLEANS-ESSEX-WESTERN CHITTENDEN-LAMOILLE-CALEDONIA- WASHINGTON-WESTERN ADDISON-ORANGE-WESTERN RUTLAND-WINDSOR- EASTERN FRANKLIN-EASTERN CHITTENDEN-EASTERN ADDISON-EASTERN RUTLAND- 350 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2008 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 838 IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHERN NEW YORK...CENTRAL VERMONT...NORTHEAST VERMONT...NORTHWEST VERMONT AND SOUTHERN VERMONT. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 348 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2008 NYZ026>031-034-035-087-VTZ001>012-016>019-190200- NORTHERN ST. LAWRENCE-NORTHERN FRANKLIN-EASTERN CLINTON- SOUTHEASTERN ST. LAWRENCE-SOUTHERN FRANKLIN-WESTERN CLINTON- WESTERN ESSEX-EASTERN ESSEX-SOUTHWESTERN ST. LAWRENCE-GRAND ISLE- WESTERN FRANKLIN-ORLEANS-ESSEX-WESTERN CHITTENDEN-LAMOILLE- CALEDONIA-WASHINGTON-WESTERN ADDISON-ORANGE-WESTERN RUTLAND- WINDSOR-EASTERN FRANKLIN-EASTERN CHITTENDEN-EASTERN ADDISON- EASTERN RUTLAND- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MASSENA...MALONE...PLATTSBURGH... STAR LAKE...SARANAC LAKE...TUPPER LAKE...DANNEMORA... LAKE PLACID...PORT HENRY...TICONDEROGA...OGDENSBURG...POTSDAM... GOUVERNEUR...ALBURGH...SOUTH HERO...ST. ALBANS...NEWPORT... ISLAND POND...BURLINGTON...JOHNSON...STOWE...ST. JOHNSBURY... MONTPELIER...MIDDLEBURY...VERGENNES...BRADFORD...RANDOLPH... RUTLAND...SPRINGFIELD...WHITE RIVER JUNCTION...ENOSBURG FALLS... RICHFORD...UNDERHILL...BRISTOL...RIPTON...EAST WALLINGFORD... KILLINGTON 348 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2008 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING... THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR NORTHERN NEW YORK AND VERMONT THROUGH 1000 PM TONIGHT. THE COMBINATION OF DAYTIME HEATING AND A STRONG COLD FRONT APPROACHING THE AREA HAVE CAUSED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP OVER SOUTHEAST CANADA WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL NEW YORK. THE LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN CANADA WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN NEW YORK BETWEEN 500 AND 800 PM AND ACROSS VERMONT BETWEEN 700 AND 1000 PM. THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...AND HEAVY RAIN. PERSONS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS...AND STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...AND LOCAL MEDIA FOR THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 414 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2008 NYZ027-028-030-031-034-035-VTZ001-002-182115- NORTHERN FRANKLIN-EASTERN CLINTON-SOUTHERN FRANKLIN- WESTERN CLINTON-WESTERN ESSEX-EASTERN ESSEX-GRAND ISLE- WESTERN FRANKLIN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MALONE...PLATTSBURGH...SARANAC LAKE... TUPPER LAKE...DANNEMORA...LAKE PLACID...PORT HENRY... TICONDEROGA...ALBURGH...SOUTH HERO...ST. ALBANS 414 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2008 ...SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATES SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE STARTING TO DEVELOP ACROSS NORTHEASTERN NEW YORK AND EXTREME NORTHWESTERN VERMONT...INCLUDING NORTHERN LAKE CHAMPLAIN. THIS TREND IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THIS LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS...SMALL HAIL...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED WITH ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE AREA UNTIL 10 PM. PLEASE STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS ON THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION. MB
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 436 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2008 NYZ026-027-029-087-182230- NORTHERN FRANKLIN-NORTHERN ST. LAWRENCE-SOUTHWESTERN ST. LAWRENCE-SOUTHEASTERN ST. LAWRENCE- INCLUDING...CANTON...MASSENA...OGDENSBURG AND POTSDAM 436 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2008 AT 430 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA... FROM JUST NORTHWEST OF MONTREAL...EXTENDING SOUTHWEST TO OTTAWA TO PETERBOROUGH...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH. THESE STORMS WILL MOVE INTO THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF SAINT LAWRENCE COUNTY BY 6 PM...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF MASSENA...OGDENSBURG...AND GOUVERNEUR. STRONG GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS OF 35 MPH OR HIGHER MAY ACCOMPANY THE THUNDERSTORMS AS THEY PASS. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...PLEASE SEEK SAFE SHELTER. JMG
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 521 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2008 NYZ034-035-VTZ009-011-018-019-182215- EASTERN ADDISON-WESTERN ADDISON-EASTERN RUTLAND-WESTERN RUTLAND-EASTERN ESSEX-WESTERN ESSEX- INCLUDING...MIDDLEBURY 521 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2008 AT 518 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM OVER CROWN POINT IN ESSEX COUNTY NEW YORK...MOVING EAST AT 28 MPH. THE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR CORNWALL...WHITING BY 540 PM...NEAR SALISBURY...EAST MIDDLEBURY BY 550 PM...NEAR RIPTON BY 600 PM AND NEAR HANCOCK BY 620 PM. SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS IN EXCESS OF 35 MPH...AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. SEEK SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES. MB
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 544 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2008 VTZ001>003-016-182245- GRAND ISLE-WESTERN FRANKLIN-EASTERN FRANKLIN-ORLEANS- INCLUDING...NEWPORT...ST. ALBANS AND SWANTON 544 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2008 AT 536 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER ST. ALBANS...MOVING EAST AT 41 MPH. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR ENOSBURG FALLS...LAKE CARMI STATE PARK BY 600 PM...NEAR MONTGOMERY...MONTGOMERY CENTER BY 610 PM...NEAR JAY BY 620 PM...NEAR NORTH TROY...TROY BY 630 PM...NEAR NEWPORT CENTER AND NEWPORT BY 640 PM. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS NORTHWESTERN VERMONT THIS EVENING. SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS IN EXCESS OF 35 MPH...AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. MB
The Ft Drum radar (KTYX), 124 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:49 UTC.
7 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Reports of several trees and power lines down in the Waddington vicinity.
Several trees and power lines down in the Lisbon vicinity.
Several reports of trees and power lines down in the Norfolk region.
Several reports of trees and power lines down by thunderstorm winds in Potsdam.
Large tree down across power lines along Route 30 near Duane Center along with several large tree limbs in the vicinity.
Several trees downed by thunderstorm winds in Peru.
Several trees downed on power lines along Ryan road in Saranac.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New York in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, August 2008
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: 131316, 131317, 131318, 131319, 131320, 131321, 131322.