Alert archive / Massachusetts / Snow Squall Warnings in 2024

Snow Squall Warning 5, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

January 14, 20244 counties in Massachusetts

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this snow squall warning at Jan 14, 2024, 3:56 PM EST for 4 counties in Massachusetts. It was in force for 49 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Jan 14, 2024, 3:56 PM EST (20:56 UTC)
Expired: Jan 14, 2024, 4:45 PM EST
In force: 49 min
Issued by: NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Essex County, MA, Middlesex County, MA, Norfolk County, MA, Worcester County, MA

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 53 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:58 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Albany, NY (KALY), launched 12:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 206 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1495 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 87 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 10 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -61 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this snow squall warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Boston/Norton, MA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this snow squall warning went out at Jan 14, 3:19 PM EST, 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 14, 3:19 PM EST, 37 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jan 14, 10:23 AM EST, 5 hours 33 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
1023 AM EST Sun Jan 14 2024

CTZ002>004-MAZ002>019-026-RIZ001>004-142200-
Hartford CT-Tolland CT-Windham CT-Western Franklin MA-
Eastern Franklin MA-Northern Worcester MA-Central Middlesex MA-
Western Essex MA-Eastern Essex MA-Western Hampshire MA-
Western Hampden MA-Eastern Hampshire MA-Eastern Hampden MA-
Southern Worcester MA-Western Norfolk MA-Southeast Middlesex MA-
Suffolk MA-Eastern Norfolk MA-Northern Bristol MA-
Western Plymouth MA-Eastern Plymouth MA-Northern Middlesex MA-
Northwest Providence RI-Southeast Providence RI-Western Kent RI-
Eastern Kent RI-
Including the cities of Hartford, Windsor Locks, Union, Vernon,
Putnam, Willimantic, Charlemont, Greenfield, Orange, Barre,
Fitchburg, Framingham, Lowell, Lawrence, Gloucester,
Chesterfield, Blandford, Amherst, Northampton, Springfield,
Milford, Worcester, Foxborough, Norwood, Cambridge, Boston,
Quincy, Taunton, Brockton, Plymouth, Ayer, Foster, Smithfield,
Providence, Coventry, West Greenwich, East Greenwich, Warwick,
and West Warwick
1023 AM EST Sun Jan 14 2024

...Snow Squalls and Strong Wind Gusts This Afternoon...

A strong cold front will bring scattered snow showers and a few
heavier snow squalls this afternoon. Highest confidence in
squalls is in the interior north and west of I-95 where localized
brief squalls could produce a quick inch or 2 of snow and very
poor visibility leading to hazardous travel conditions.
Temperatures are expected to drop quickly behind the front and
will result in untreated wet surfaces to freeze. Timing of the
squalls will be 1 to 3 pm in western MA and northern CT and 3 to 6
pm in eastern MA and Rhode Island.

Areas along and south and east of I-95, any showers should start
as rain before changing to snow, but less impact is anticipated
here due to above freezing temperatures and roads remaining mostly
wet.

In addition, brief wind gusts to 40 to 50 mph are possible this
afternoon along and just behind the front as winds shift from
southwest to west.

Special weather statement, Jan 14, 1:25 PM EST, 2 hours 31 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
125 PM EST Sun Jan 14 2024

CTZ002-MAZ002>004-008>011-141930-
Hartford CT-Western Franklin MA-Western Hampshire MA-
Western Hampden MA-Eastern Hampden MA-Northern Worcester MA-
Eastern Franklin MA-Eastern Hampshire MA-
125 PM EST Sun Jan 14 2024

...SNOW SQUALL...

HAZARDS...A snow squall accompanied by winds of up to 40 MPH which
can rapidly reduce visibility to less than one mile.

LOCATION AND MOVEMENT...At 124 PM EST, a snow squall was along a line
extending from Cheshire to near Great Barrington to near Staatsburg
and moving east at 35 MPH.

THIS SQUALL WILL BE NEAR...
  Worthington, Cummington, Plainfield, Middlefield, and Hawley
  around 135 PM EST.
  Ashfield around 140 PM EST.
  Buckland, Chester, Charlemont, Chesterfield, and Goshen around 145
  PM EST.
  Blandford and Tolland around 150 PM EST.
  Williamsburg, Huntington, Conway, and Shelburne around 155 PM EST.
  Greenfield, Deerfield, Russell, Westhampton, Granville, and
  Montgomery around 200 PM EST.
  Northampton, Montague, Southampton, and Whately around 205 PM EST.
  Westfield, Easthampton, Sunderland, Hatfield, Hartland, and Gill
  around 210 PM EST.

SAFETY INFO...
Use extra caution if you must travel into or through this squall.
Rapid changes in visibility and potentially slick roads may lead to
accidents.

Conditions can deteriorate rapidly in winter weather situations. Be
prepared for snow or ice covered roads. Slow down and allow extra
time to reach your destination.

&&

LAT...LON 4212 7306 4215 7307 4215 7303 4231 7300
      4233 7306 4238 7307 4239 7301 4263 7295
      4269 7216 4219 7252 4191 7291 4197 7289
      4197 7303 4204 7301 4204 7306 4211 7307
TIME...MOT...LOC 1824Z 268DEG 31KT 4256 7314 4219 7341 4186 7385

KP

The office that day

Everything else NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jan 14, 1:25 PM EST	Special Weather Statement	BOX	Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire	65 min
Jan 14, 2:07 PM EST	Snow Squall Warning	BOX	Franklin, Hampshire	38 min
Jan 14, 2:26 PM EST	Snow Squall Warning	BOX	Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Worcester	49 min
Jan 14, 2:30 PM EST	Snow Squall Warning	BOX	Franklin, Hampshire, Middlesex, Worcester	45 min
Jan 14, 3:14 PM EST	Snow Squall Warning	BOX	Hampshire, Middlesex, Worcester	46 min
Jan 14, 4:30 PM EST	Snow Squall Warning	BOX	Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk	45 min
Jan 14, 6:16 PM EST	Small Craft Advisory	BOX		21 hr

Nearby

Snow Squall Warnings in Massachusetts, 2024 Every snow squall warning in 2024

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.