The Dexes / Winter Storm, Blizzard & Heavy Snow / 5551348
Eventdex · Winter Storm, Blizzard & Heavy Snow
SOUTHERN WORCESTER
5551348
The record
Everything the slot carries, as measured. Series arrays are drawn above and listed here in full.
| Event typeevent_type | Heavy Snow |
|---|---|
| NOAA NCEI event IDncei_event_id | 5,551,348 |
| Episode IDepisode_id | 2,036,729 |
| Begin UTCbegin_utc | 1996-04-09T23:00:00+00:00 |
| End UTCend_utc | 1996-04-10T20:00:00+00:00 |
| Statestate | MASSACHUSETTS |
| County/zone typecz_type | Z |
| County/zone namecz_name | SOUTHERN WORCESTER |
| Deaths directdeaths_direct | 0 |
| Deaths indirectdeaths_indirect | 0 |
| Injuries directinjuries_direct | 0 |
| Injuries indirectinjuries_indirect | 0 |
| Episode narrativeepisode_narrative | A low pressure system developed along the middle Atlantic coast and intensified to 984 mb (29.06 in.) as its center passed right over Nantucket Island at 10 AM on April 10. This storm brought a record late-season snowfall to most of the state, except right along the immediate coast. New snowfall records were established, especially at inland locations and even at those locations along the coast which had some elevation. Some of the records set included the greatest April snowfall in a single storm, for a 24-hour period in April, and for a late-season storm. Seasonal snowfall totals reached all-time new record maxima of well over 100 inches. The greatest totals for this storm of 15 to 21 inches occurred across central Massachusetts from the Rhode Island/Connecticut border to the New Hampshire border. Some totals included: West Townsend, 21.0 inches; West Boylston and Shrewsbury, 17.4 inches; Grafton and Worcester, 16.0 inches. Blue Hill Observatory-Milton, elevation 635 feet, received 15.0 inches. Also, at Blue Hill, the maximum snow depth on the ground reached 18 inches, setting a record for April and for so late in the season. A general snowfall of 4 to 8 inches was observed near sea level, except within several miles of the coast, where less than 4 inches fell. However, Boston's Logan International Airport had 6 inches, pushing the seasonal total to 107.6 inches, beating the old record of 101.6 inches set just a few days earlier. There was little accumulation on Nantucket Island or outer Cape Cod, however Martha's Vineyard received 3 to 5 inches. All slightly higher terrain locations, especially above 500 feet had totals of 12 to 20 inches. Since this was a late-season event, snowfall on pavements was much less.Accumulation of heavy, wet snow on trees and power lines and gusty winds up to 30 to 40 mph resulted in many power outages. There were numerous reports of lightning in the eastern part of the state between 8 PM on the 9th and 5 AM on the 10th. A peak wind gust of 50 mph was recorded at Gloucester at 955 AM on the 10th. The Blue Hill Observatory in Milton reported a peak gust to 53 mph. A 129-year-old elm tree crashed down on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, crushing one car and severely damaging another. Up to 10,000 electric customers lost power inside Route 128 in the immediate Greater Boston area and up to 40,000 customers lost power in towns south of Boston. An arcing fallen power line in Waltham set a house on fire and prevented firefighters from putting out the flames...the family was left homeless. Some final seasonal snowfall totals after this storm included: Worthington, 152.5 inches; West Granville, 146.4 inches; West Townsend, 146.0 inches; Blue Hill Observatory-Milton, 144.4 inches (old record 136.0 inches in 1947-1948); Shrewbury, 141.3 inches; Randolph, 136.7 inches; Methuen, 135.6 inches; Worcester, 132.9 inches (old record 120.1 inches in 1992-1993); Reading, 125.5 inches; Easton, 124.0 inches; Taunton, 112.3 inches; Hingham, 112.3 inches (old record 95.1 inches in 1993-1994); Acushnet, 112.2 inches; and Boston 107.6 inches (old record 96.3 inches in 1993-1994). |
| Yearyear | 1,996 |
Provenance
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Storage: spine