A healthy and cold mid-atmospheric disturbance moved across northern Vermont during the afternoon and evening of May 4th and resulted in scattered thunderstorms. 88 inch diameter) and wind gust to 55 mph.
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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 healthy and cold mid-atmospheric disturbance moved across northern Vermont during the afternoon and evening of May 4th and resulted in scattered thunderstorms. A few isolated thunderstorms produced hail up to nickel size (0.88 inch diameter) and wind gust to 55 mph.
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 May 4, 9:02 AM EST, 3 hours 8 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 1002 AM EDT TUE MAY 4 2010 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT IS APPROACHING FROM THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES. THIS WILL BRING SHOWERS AND A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TO THE NORTH COUNTRY FROM WEST TO EAST...MAINLY IN THE AFTERNOON. THEN A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION THURSDAY MORNING WITH ADDITIONAL RAIN SHOWERS. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... AS OF 1002 AM EDT TUESDAY...NO PLANNED UPDATE TO GOING FORECAST ATTM. CLD COVER INCR FROM APPROACHING FRNTL BOUNDARY. SHOWERS W/ DEVELOPING LINE OF TRW OVER W NY MAKING PUSH EAST AND SHOULD AFFECT THE NORTH COUNTRY BY MIDDAY. SOME GUSTS NEAR 25 MPH NEAR DEVELOPING BOUNDARY OVER W NY SO NO CHANGE NEEDED. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...ANOTHER COLD FRONT IS MOVING INTO THE NORTH COUNTRY FROM THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES. DESPITE OUR MOSTLY CLEAR START TO THIS EARLY MORNING...SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP OVER MOST OF THE NORTH COUNTRY BEGINNING IN THE LATE MORNING AND CONTINUING THROUGH MUCH OF THE AFTERNOON. THIS COLD FRONT IS ASSOCIATED WITH A POTENT UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE AND POOL OF COLD AIR ALOFT... WITH 500 MB TEMPS AROUND -23 TO -25 C. OVER THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON. SOUNDINGS SHOW STEEP LAPSE RATES THUS GOOD POTENTIAL FOR CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT. WHILE SHOWERS WILL BE WIDESPREAD...THUNDERSTORM THE INTENSITY SHOULD BE LIMITED...AS OUR DRYER AIRMASS TODAY SHOULD LIMIT OPTIMAL INSTABILITY. TODAYS PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE GUSTY WINDS WITH GUSTS OF 35 OR 40 MPH POSSIBLE WITH SOME OF THE STRONGER CELLS THAT DEVELOP. AND DUE TO OUR COLD AIR ALOFT AND WET BULB ZERO DOWN TO 6KFT... THERE IS A THREAT FOR SOME SMALL HAIL. RAINFALL COULD BE BRIEFLY AND LOCALLY HEAVY...THOUGH SHOWERS SHOULD MOVE THROUGH QUICKLY WITH STRONG WINDS AND A PROGRESSIVE FLOW ALOFT. SHOWERS WILL BECOME MUCH MORE WIDESPREAD BEHIND THE FRONT AS WE HEAD INTO THE EVENING HOURS. TEMPS TODAY WILL AGAIN BE ABOVE SEASONAL VALUES...GENERALLY IN THE MID 60S TO LOWER 70S. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY/... AS OF 320 AM EDT TUESDAY...SHOWERS SHOULD RAPIDLY MOVE EAST OF THE REGION WITH BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS BY EVENING AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS BACK OVER THE REGION. MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES WILL BE ON TAP FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE NIGHT. MOSTLY CLEAR CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH MUCH OF WEDNESDAY. WITH MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES TEMPS WILL WARM INTO UPPER 60S TO MID AND EVEN UPPER 70S IN WARMER VALLEY LOCATIONS. BUT...IN WESTERN NEW YORK CLOUDS WILL BE IN THE INCREASE IN THE AFTERNOON AS YET ANOTHER COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE REGION. SHOWERS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE WEDNESDAY NIGHT FROM WEST TO EAST AS A LARGE SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. MUCH COOLER AIRMASS WILL BE ON THE BACK SIDE OF THIS SYSTEM...WITH TEMPS THURSDAY ONLY WARMING INTO THE LOWER TO MID 60S. THIS LOOKS TO BE A FAIRLY SLOW MOVING SYSTEM AS THE RIDGE AMPLIFIES IN ITS ADVANCE. SHOWERS WILL COME TO AN END GENERALLY LATE THURSDAY MORNING EARLY AFTERNOON TIME FRAME...WITH A FEW SHOWERS LINGERING ALONG THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER...ESPECIALLY IN NE VT THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... AS OF 430 AM EDT TUESDAY...THE ROLLER COASTER RIDE OF TROFS/RIDGES AND THE ASSOCIATED COLD/WARM WX WL CONT INTO THE UPCOMING WEEKEND...UNFORTUNATELY A DEEP LONG WAVE TROF WL BE DEVELOPING ACRS THE CWA. THIS INCREASINGLY HIGH CONFIDENT PATTERN SUPPORTS MUCH BLW NORMAL TEMPS FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...ALONG WITH GOOD CHCS FOR PRECIP...ESPECIALLY SATURDAY. OVERALL...MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH DEVELOPMENT OF DEEP MID/UPPER LVL CLOSED CYCLONIC CIRCULATION ACRS EASTERN CANADA BY THE WEEKEND...WHILE SFC LOW PRES TRACKS ACRS OUR FA LATE FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY. THIS SYSTEM WL HAVE GOOD DEEP LAYER MOISTURE...ALONG WITH STRONG DYNAMICS DUE TO DIGGING TROF...AND TIGHT THERMAL GRADIENT. THESE FACTORS WL PRODUCE A MODERATE PRECIP EVENT FOR LATE FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY WITH QPF AMOUNTS EXPECTED TO BE BTWN 0.50 AND 1.0". MEANWHILE...TEMPS ON FRIDAY WL WARM INTO THE 50S WITH INCREASING CLOUDS FROM WEST TO EAST AND RAIN ARRIVING BY FRIDAY NIGHT. SATURDAY...SFC COLD FRNT PUSHES FROM WEST TO EAST ACRS OUR CWA...AND STRONG LLVL CAA DEVELOPS. PROGGED 85H TEMPS DROP BTWN 0 AND -3C BY 00Z SUNDAY ACRS OUR CWA...AS BEST MOISTURE SHIFTS INTO EASTERN NEW ENGLAND. THE COMBINATION OF LLVL CAA...UPSLOPE FLOW AND LEFTOVER 850 TO 500 MB MOISTURE WL PRODUCE SCATTERED RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY...WITH SOME SNOW ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE ABOVE 1500FT. UNLIKE A WEEK AGO...THIS SYSTEM WL HAVE MUCH LESS MOISTURE AND TEMPS WL BE SLIGHTLY WARMER...THEREFORE ONLY LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED ABOVE 1500FT. THERMAL PROFILES BY 12Z SUNDAY...SHOW 0C LINE VERY CLOSE TO THE SFC...WITH 925MB TEMPS BTWN -2C AND -4C AND 85H TEMPS BTWN -5 AND -7C. THESE MUCH BLW NORMAL TEMPS WL SUPPORT HIGHS ONLY IN THE U30S SLK/NEK TO MID/UPPER 40S BTV/VSF ON SUNDAY. A SLOW DRYING AND WARMING TREND IS EXPECTED BY EARLY NEXT WEEK...AS DEEP MID/UPPER LVL TROF WEAKENS AND LIFTS INTO EASTERN CANADA. && .AVIATION /14Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... THROUGH 12Z WEDNESDAY...AVIATION CHALLENGE WL BE AREAL COVERAGE/INTENSITY OF SHOWERS WITH EMBEDDED STORMS TODAY ACRS OUR TAF SITES. WATER VAPOR SHOWS POTENT 5H VORT ASSOCIATED WITH DEVELOPING MID/UPPER LVL TROF ACRS THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES ATTM...WHICH WL MOVE ACRS OUR TAF SITES BTWN 15Z-21Z TODAY. CRNT RADAR SHOW BROKEN LINE OF SHOWERS APPROACHING SLV ATTM...WHICH ARE MOVING EAST AT 25 TO 30 MPH. WL MENTION BRIEF TEMPO AT MSS TO COVER THESE SHOWERS. OTHERWISE...THIS SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED COLD POOL ALOFT (5H TEMPS NEAR -20C)...ALONG WITH SOME SFC HEATING WITH TEMPS IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S AND SFC DWPTS AROUND 50F...WL CREATE ENOUGH INSTABILITY TO PRODUCE SOME CLUSTER OF SHOWERS WITH EMBEDDED STORMS. BASED ON TROF TIMING AND INSTABILITY PARAMETERS BEST POTENTIAL FOR ACTIVITY WL BE BTWN 15Z AND 21Z...THEN ACTIVITY WL QUICKLY DISSIPATE/MOVE EAST OF REGION. WL MENTION VCSH IN PREVAILING GROUP STARTING AT 15Z...WITH CB AT ALL TAF SITES. WL MENTION TEMPO GROUP OF 4SM -TSRA WITH CIGS AT 025CB FKT. SOME VERY ISOLATED/LOCALIZED GUSTY WINDS WL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE HIGH BASED SHOWERS...ESPECIALLY GIVEN GOOD LLVL MIXING ASSOCIATED WITH STEEP SFC TO 700 MB LAPSE RATES. CLRING SKIES ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT...WITH SOME PATCHY BR POSSIBLE AFT 06Z AT SLK/MPV. 12Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY... VFR CONDITIONS WEDS...DEVELOPING LINE OF SHOWERS WITH EMBEDDED STORMS BTWN 06Z THURS AND 18Z THURS ACRS OUR TAF SITES WL PRODUCE A BRIEF PERIOD OF MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS...BEFORE VFR CONDITIONS RETURN AFT 18Z THURS INTO 00Z SATURDAY. A WIDESPREAD RAIN WITH MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE LATE FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY ASSOCIATED WITH SFC LOW PRES TRACKING ACRS THE REGION. && .BTV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VT...NONE. NY...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...AMF NEAR TERM...AMF/JN SHORT TERM...AMF LONG TERM...TABER AVIATION...TABER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 320 AM EDT TUE MAY 4 2010 NYZ026>031-034-035-087-VTZ001>012-016>019-050730- 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- 320 AM EDT TUE MAY 4 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHERN NEW YORK...CENTRAL VERMONT...NORTHEAST VERMONT...NORTHWEST VERMONT AND SOUTHERN VERMONT. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A COLD FRONT...COMBINED WITH A DISTURBANCE IN THE JET STREAM WINDS ALOFT WILL PRODUCE LATE MORNING INTO MID AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. GIVEN THE LIMITED AMOUNT OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY...THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE SMALL HAIL AND ISOLATED WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH. IN ADDITION...BRIEF HEAVY DOWN POURS WILL BE POSSIBLE. THIS ACTIVITY WILL DECREASE IN AREAL COVERAGE AND INTENSITY BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 1056 AM EDT TUE MAY 4 2010 NYZ035-VTZ005-009-018-041545- EASTERN ADDISON VT-EASTERN ESSEX NY-WESTERN ADDISON VT- WESTERN CHITTENDEN VT- 1056 AM EDT TUE MAY 4 2010 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT ADDISON...CHITTENDEN AND ESSEX COUNTIES... AT 1048 AM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR KINGSLAND BAY STATE PARK...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH. WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING IS POSSIBLE FROM THIS STORM. DO NOT STAY IN THE OPEN NOR SEEK SHELTER UNDER TREES WHEN LIGHTNING THREATENS...MOVE INDOORS WHEN A THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES. THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR VERGENNES AROUND 1100 AM...EAST MONKTON AROUND 1110 AM...NEW HAVEN AROUND 1120 AM...BRISTOL AROUND 1130 AM... LINCOLN AROUND 1140 AM AND SOUTH LINCOLN AROUND 1150 AM. LAT...LON 4411 7292 4392 7316 4425 7347 4436 7321 NEILES
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
1141 AM EDT TUE MAY 4 2010
VTZ008-009-018-041630-
EASTERN ADDISON VT-WASHINGTON VT-WESTERN ADDISON VT-
1141 AM EDT TUE MAY 4 2010
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT ADDISON AND WASHINGTON
COUNTIES...
AT 1136 AM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR NEW HAVEN...
MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.
WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. VERY HEAVY RAIN
WILL FALL FROM THIS STORM...AND WILL CAUSE WATER TO POND ON ROADS AND
QUICKLY FILL ROADSIDE DITCHES AND SMALL STREAMS. EXPECT INTENSE
LIGHTNING FROM THIS STORM. DO NOT STAY IN THE OPEN NOR SEEK SHELTER
UNDER TREES WHEN LIGHTNING THREATENS...MOVE INDOORS WHEN A
THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES.
THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR NEW HAVEN MILLS AROUND 1150 AM...SOUTH
STARKSBORO AROUND NOON...LINCOLN AROUND 1210 PM...FAYSTON AROUND 1220
PM AND WARREN AROUND 1230 PM.
LAT...LON 4402 7337 4421 7337 4427 7297 4417 7295
4428 7290 4430 7273 4421 7274 4399 7276
4394 7280
NEILESSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 1228 PM EDT TUE MAY 4 2010 VTZ005-006-008-017-041715- EASTERN CHITTENDEN VT-LAMOILLE VT-WASHINGTON VT-WESTERN CHITTENDEN VT- 1228 PM EDT TUE MAY 4 2010 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT CHITTENDEN...LAMOILLE AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES... AT 1224 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR SHELBURNE... MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL FALL FROM THIS STORM...AND WILL CAUSE WATER TO POND ON ROADS AND QUICKLY FILL ROADSIDE DITCHES AND SMALL STREAMS. EXPECT INTENSE LIGHTNING FROM THIS STORM. DO NOT STAY IN THE OPEN NOR SEEK SHELTER UNDER TREES WHEN LIGHTNING THREATENS...MOVE INDOORS WHEN A THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES. THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR WILLISTON AROUND 1240 PM...EXIT 11 I89 AROUND 1250 PM...WEST BOLTON AROUND 100 PM...UNDERHILL CENTER AROUND 110 PM AND LITTLE RIVER STATE PARK AROUND 120 PM. LAT...LON 4434 7263 4427 7329 4449 7330 4465 7270 NEILES
The Burlington radar (KCXX), 24 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:09 UTC.
3 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Nickel to quarter size hail covered the ground to a depth of one inch.
Sloppy, soft nickel size hail fell atop of Mount Mansfield.
Nickel size hail covered the ground.
Several large branches and a tree fell and downed power lines as well as snapped a few power poles.
Twenty inch diameter tree uprooted and fell on power lines at Junction and Bartlett roads in Berlin.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Vermont in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Vermont, May 2010
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: 220665, 220664, 220666, 220668, 220671.