A moderately strong upper level disturbance ahead of a surface cold front moved across southern Quebec during the afternoon and evening hours of July 4th. These disturbances moved into a warm and unstable air mass and developed thunderstorms in southern Quebec, which moved across the Champlain Valley during the evening.
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 moderately strong upper level disturbance ahead of a surface cold front moved across southern Quebec during the afternoon and evening hours of July 4th. These disturbances moved into a warm and unstable air mass and developed thunderstorms in southern Quebec, which moved across the Champlain Valley during the evening. Some of these storms contained damaging winds, large hail and frequent lightning during holiday festivities.
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 Jul 4, 2:54 PM EST, 24 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 354 PM EDT WED JUL 4 2012 .SYNOPSIS... A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL PUSH ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH TONIGHT. PRECIPITATION WILL PERSIST INTO THURSDAY MORNING BEFORE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE AREA...AND REMAIN INTO FRIDAY. A WEAK FRONT PASSES THROUGH THE AREA SATURDAY...FOLLOWED BY HIGH PRESSURE FOR SUNDAY INTO NEXT MONDAY. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 354 PM EDT WEDNESDAY...SCT -RW/-TRW ACROSS THE CWA THIS AFTNOON. EXPECTING ACTIVITY TO CONTINUE/INCR AS EVENING PROGRESSES. THIS WILL BE DO TO FRNT OVER CENTRAL QUEBEC THAT IS SLOWLY PUSHING S AND E. TEMPS/DEWPTS OVER THE AREA STILL REMAIN HIGH ATTM WITH NO MAJOR RELIEF EXPECTED UNTIL FROPA OCCURS TNGT. WITH ANY THUNDER...THE THREAT FOR SMALL HAIL/GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL PERSIST THRU MIDNIGHT TIL FRNT THRU MOST OF CWA. ACTIVITY WILL TAPER DOWN TO -RW FROM W TO E OVERNGT/TOWARDS MORNING. EXPECTING FG TO DEVELOP TNGT AS WELL AFT MIDNGT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 354 PM EDT WEDNESDAY...COASTL LOW DEVELOPS ALONG THE NEW ENGLAND COAST THURSDAY MORNING AS REMNANTS OF FRNT STALL OFFSHORE. NORTHERLY FLOW OVER THE CWA DURING THE DAY WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING FROM THE WEST. SOME LINGERING CLDS/PRECIP FOR PORTIONS OF E VT THURSDAY MORNING...OTHERWISE REGION CLRING OUT FOR NICE DAY. STRONG UPPER RIDGE WHICH HAD BEEN OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS WILL SHIFT EAST THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. THERMAL RIDGE BRINGS 850 TEMPS NEAR +20C AND 925 TEMPS AROUND +24C. THIS COMBINED WITH WESTERLY SFC WINDS WILL ALLOW HIGHS TO REACH AROUND 90F. MDLS BRING WK FRNTL BOUNDARY DOWN ACROSS NORTHERN ZONES FRI NGT. W/ STRONG SUBSIDENCE OVER AREA WILL KEEP ANY CHANCE FOR PRECIP NEAR THE CANADIAN BORDER. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 354 PM EDT WEDNESDAY...FOR THE EXTENDED PERIOD...FRONT WHICH WAS NORTH OF CWA FOR FRI NGT WILL BEGIN TO DROP OVER THE CWA DURING THE DAY SATURDAY AS SFC RIDGE PUSHES WAY OFFSHORE. WILL CONTINUE WITH MENTION OF CHANCE FOR -RW/-TRW AS SYSTEM DOES FALL APART LATE IN DAY BFR HITTING SOUTHERN NEW ENG COAST. HIGH PRESSURE THEN IN CONTROL FOR SUNDAY INTO MONDAY WITH DRY CONDITIONS AND TEMPS NEAR NORMAL. BROAD UPPER LOW SETS UP OVER EASTERN QUEBEC FOR THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK. WK VORT MAY DROP DOWN AFFECTING THE REGION WITH SOME LGT -RW...FOLLOWED BY HIGH PRESSURE MIDWEEK. && .AVIATION /20Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY...A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY CONTINUES TO TRACK THROUGH THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING BRINGING A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS GENERALLY FROM 19-03Z. WITHIN ANY HEAVIER SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS IFR VSBY AND MVFR CIGS ARE POSSIBLE...BUT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO FORECAST SOMETHING HITTING A TERMINAL AT THIS TIME SO HAVE JUST INCLUDED VCSH FOR NOW. SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALREADY DEVELOPING ALONG THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER AND DROPPING SOUTH INTO OUR FORECAST AREA. AFTER 03Z...A GENERAL CLEARING TREND IS EXPECTED WITH IFR BR/FOG LIKELY FORMING AT KSLK/KMPV AND SOME PATCHY MVFR BR POSSIBLE ELSEWHERE. OUTLOOK 18Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY... 18Z THURSDAY THROUGH 00Z SATURDAY...MAINLY VFR UNDER HIGH PRESSURE EXCEPT EARLY MORNING IFR FOG POSSIBLE AT KSLK/KMPV. 00Z SATURDAY THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY...MAINLY VFR WITH MVFR SHOWERS POSSIBLE AS A COLD FRONT SAGS SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE REGION. 00Z SUNDAY THROUGH 00Z MONDAY...VFR UNDER HIGH PRESSURE. && .BTV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VT...NONE. NY...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...JN NEAR TERM...JN SHORT TERM...JN LONG TERM...JN AVIATION...NEILES
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 434 AM EDT WED JUL 4 2012 NYZ026>031-034-035-087-VTZ001>012-016>019-050845- 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- 434 AM EDT WED JUL 4 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHERN NEW YORK...CENTRAL VERMONT...NORTHEAST VERMONT...NORTHWEST VERMONT AND SOUTHERN VERMONT. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP MAINLY IN THE AFTERNOON. STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BECOME SEVERE, HOWEVER THEY COULD PRODUCE SMALL HAIL, GUSTY WINDS, AND TORRENTIAL RAINFALL. THE THUNDERSTORM THREAT WILL DIMINISH AND SHIFT EAST THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HANSON
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
144 PM EDT WED JUL 4 2012
NYZ028-VTZ001>003-005-006-016-017-041845-
EASTERN CHITTENDEN VT-EASTERN CLINTON NY-EASTERN FRANKLIN VT-
GRAND ISLE VT-LAMOILLE VT-ORLEANS VT-WESTERN CHITTENDEN VT-
WESTERN FRANKLIN VT-
144 PM EDT WED JUL 4 2012
...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH FRANKLIN...
NORTHEASTERN CHITTENDEN...NORTHEASTERN CLINTON...NORTHERN GRAND
ISLE...NORTHERN LAMOILLE AND WESTERN ORLEANS COUNTIES...
AT 141 PM EDT...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED FROM 10
MILES NORTHWEST OF MANSONVILLE TO PERRY MILLS...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT
35 MPH.
WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH AND SMALL HAIL UP TO DIME SIZE ARE POSSIBLE WITH
THESE STORMS.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...
SCIOTA...ROUSES POINT...HOG ISLAND POINT...EAST HIGHGATE...HOLIDAY
POINT...BUTLER ISLAND...ST. ALBANS BAY...ENOSBURG CENTER...BELVIDERE
CORNERS...LOWELL...EDEN...BARTON...
GET TO SAFETY IMMEDIATELY WHEN THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.
BOATERS ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN SHOULD SEEK SAFE HARBOR. STRONG WINDS WILL
CAUSE HIGHER WAVES AND SUDDEN WIND SHIFTS MAY OVERTURN SMALL BOATS.
LAT...LON 4501 7225 4470 7214 4454 7298 4485 7350
4500 7370 4502 7309
LOCONTOSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
240 PM EDT WED JUL 4 2012
VTZ002>004-016-041945-
EASTERN FRANKLIN VT-ESSEX VT-ORLEANS VT-WESTERN FRANKLIN VT-
240 PM EDT WED JUL 4 2012
...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHEASTERN
FRANKLIN...NORTHERN ORLEANS AND NORTHWESTERN ESSEX COUNTIES...
AT 236 PM EDT...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED FROM 7
MILES NORTH OF MANSONVILLE TO FRANKLIN...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH AND SMALL HAIL UP TO DIME SIZE ARE POSSIBLE WITH
THESE STORMS. EXPECT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL CAUSE
WATER TO POND ON ROADS AND IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. THERE MAY BE RAPID
RISES ON SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...
STEVENS MILLS...RICHFORD...EAST BERKSHIRE...SOUTH RICHFORD...NORTH
TROY...NEWPORT CENTER...MONTGOMERY CENTER...EXIT 29 I91...
WESTFIELD...TICE...HOLLAND...COVENTRY...
MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY! REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU
ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. STAY IN SAFE SHELTER AT
LEAST 30 MINUTES AFTER YOU HEAR THE LAST CLAP OF THUNDER.
LAT...LON 4492 7176 4477 7251 4491 7273 4501 7303
4502 7300 4501 7221 4502 7195
LOCONTOSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
319 PM EDT WED JUL 4 2012
NYZ026-029-087-042015-
NORTHERN ST. LAWRENCE NY-SOUTHEASTERN ST. LAWRENCE NY-
SOUTHWESTERN ST. LAWRENCE NY-
319 PM EDT WED JUL 4 2012
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE THROUGH CENTRAL ST. LAWRENCE
COUNTY...
AT 318 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS NEAR CHIPMAN...MOVING
SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.
WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH AND SMALL HAIL UP TO DIME SIZE ARE POSSIBLE WITH
THIS STORM. EXPECT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL CAUSE
WATER TO POND ON ROADS AND IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. THERE MAY BE RAPID
RISES ON SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...
MADRID...NORFOLK...NORWOOD...WEST POTSDAM...POTSDAM...WEST
STOCKHOLM...HANNAWA FALLS...CONVERSE...PARISHVILLE...COLTON...SOUTH
COLTON...
MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY! REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU
ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. STAY IN SAFE SHELTER AT
LEAST 30 MINUTES AFTER YOU HEAR THE LAST CLAP OF THUNDER.
LAT...LON 4470 7464 4446 7492 4480 7535 4482 7531
4486 7528 4488 7522 4488 7518 4490 7517
4490 7514 4492 7511
NEILESPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
333 PM EDT WED JUL 04 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0315 PM TSTM WND DMG SWANTON 44.92N 73.13W
07/04/2012 FRANKLIN VT TRAINED SPOTTER
LARGE TREE LIMB DOWN ON A POWER LINE
&&
EVENT NUMBER BTV1200187
NEILESPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
334 PM EDT WED JUL 04 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0315 PM TSTM WND DMG 1 NNW SWANTON 44.93N 73.13W
07/04/2012 FRANKLIN VT TRAINED SPOTTER
SMALL TREE DOWN
&&
EVENT NUMBER BTV1200188
NEILESThe Ft Drum radar (KTYX), 112 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:18 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Multiple trees and power lines down across Lisbon.
Dollar to just under golf ball size hail reported.
Several large tree branches and smaller trees downed by thunderstorm winds.
Half dollar size diameter hail reported along with strong winds estimated at least 50 mph.
Numerous trees down and power lines throughout Ellenburg with damage to light structures at Ranch Side Park Campground.
Quarter size hail on Emmons street.
Numerous branches and a few trees down and an 40 foot amateur radio antenna downed by thunderstorm winds.
Numerous large hail, including up to 2.25 inches in diameter fell along with damaging winds. These strong winds helped push the hail into sides of homes causing significant damage to houses,vehicles and other property.
Numerous trees downed by thunderstorm winds. In addition these winds were accompanied by large hail up to 2.25 inches in diameter.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New York in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, July 2012
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: 381228, 381227, 381226, 381229, 381232, 381230, 381233, 381211, 381212.