Heavy Snow, Western Franklin
- When
- April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Franklin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.583, -72.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, April 9 to 10, 1996
) 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.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 19 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 19
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.
What happened
The episode as NWS BOX wrote it up.
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).
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
19 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Eastern Franklin
- When
- April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Franklin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.583, -72.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Northern Worcester
- When
- April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Northern Worcester forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.351, -71.908 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Western Middlesex
- When
- April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Middlesex forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Western Essex
- When
- April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Essex forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.639, -70.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Eastern Essex
- When
- April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Essex forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.639, -70.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Western Hampshire
- When
- April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Hampshire forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.340, -72.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Western Hampden
- When
- April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Hampden forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.135, -72.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Eastern Hampshire
- When
- April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Hampshire forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.340, -72.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Eastern Hampden
- When
- April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Hampden forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.135, -72.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Southern Worcester
- When
- April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Southern Worcester forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.351, -71.908 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Western Norfolk
- When
- April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Norfolk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Southeast Middlesex
- When
- April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Southeast Middlesex forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Suffolk
- When
- April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Suffolk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.264, -71.125 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Eastern Norfolk
- When
- April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Norfolk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Northern Bristol
- When
- April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Northern Bristol forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.757, -71.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Western Plymouth
- When
- April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Plymouth forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.987, -70.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Eastern Plymouth
- When
- April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Plymouth forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.079, -70.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Southern Bristol
- When
- April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Southern Bristol forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.757, -71.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heavy Snow in Maine, April 9 to 11, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Florida, April 9, 1996
- Heavy Snow in New Hampshire, April 9 to 10, 1996
- Winter Weather in New Jersey, April 9 to 10, 1996
- Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, April 9 to 10, 1996
- Heavy Snow in New Jersey, April 9 to 10, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Connecticut, April 9 to 10, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Rhode Island, April 9 to 10, 1996
- Heavy Snow in New York, April 9 to 10, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Connecticut, April 9 to 10, 1996
- Heavy Snow in New Hampshire, April 9 to 10, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Vermont, April 9 to 10, 1996
More
Every storm in Massachusetts in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, April 1996
Sources
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: 5551338, 5551339, 5551340, 5551341, 5551342, 5551343, 5551344, 5551345, 5551346, 5551347, 5551348, 5551349, 5551350, 5551351, 5551352, 5551353, 5551354, 5551355, 5551356.