Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, February 16 to 17, 1996

Name: Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, February 16 to 17, 1996
Start: 1996-02-16T13:00
End: 1996-02-17T13:00
Location: Massachusetts

February 16 to 17, 1996 · NWS BOX · 21 events in 21 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 21 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 21

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 rapidly intensifying storm system moved northeast from off the Virginia Capes passing southeast of Cape Cod and brought still another in a long series of major snowstorms this winter season. Snowfall totals ranged from only 3 to 5 inches away from the coast in Essex County and the south portion of Worcester County to 7 to 9 inches in the Boston area. The maximum amount of snowfall was 14 inches reported from Ashburnham in the extreme northern portion of Worcester County. On Cape Cod there were totals of 5 to 10 inches and Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard had 5 to 7 inches. Other totals included: North Amherst, 12 inches; Worthington, 11.6 inches; Orange, 11 inches; Hyannis and Falmouth, 10 inches; Easton, 9.8 inches; Hingham, 9.3 inches; Manchester-by-the-Sea, 8.8 inches; New Bedford, 8 inches; Boston's Logan International Airport, 7.1 inches; Shrewsbury, 5.3 inches. This storm brought the total seasonal snowfall at Boston to 83.5 inches.Snow began and quickly became heavy Friday afternoon. Roads were quickly jammed with commuters that were slowed to a crawl trying to head home for the three-day holiday weekend. Road conditions soon became very poor by 4 PM. By 6 PM, Logan International Airport only had one runway open and numerous flights were delayed or cancelled. Gale force northeast to north winds caused 10 to 15 foot seas offshore and minor coastal flooding closed William T. Morrisey Boulevard just to the south of Boston at the time of high tide. In addition, tidal washover occurred on coastal roads in Scituate and other towns to the south of Boston.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

21 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Western Franklin

When: February 16, 1:00 PM EST to February 17, 1:00 PM EST
Where: Western Franklin forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.583, -72.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Eastern Franklin

When: February 16, 1:00 PM EST to February 17, 1:00 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: February 16, 1:00 PM EST to February 17, 1:00 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: February 16, 1:00 PM EST to February 17, 1:00 PM EST
Where: Western Middlesex forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Eastern Essex

When: February 16, 1:00 PM EST to February 17, 1:00 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: February 16, 1:00 PM EST to February 17, 1:00 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: February 16, 1:00 PM EST to February 17, 1:00 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: February 16, 1:00 PM EST to February 17, 1:00 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: February 16, 1:00 PM EST to February 17, 1:00 PM EST
Where: Eastern Hampden forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.135, -72.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Western Norfolk

When: February 16, 1:00 PM EST to February 17, 1:00 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: February 16, 1:00 PM EST to February 17, 1:00 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: February 16, 1:00 PM EST to February 17, 1:00 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: February 16, 1:00 PM EST to February 17, 1:00 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: February 16, 1:00 PM EST to February 17, 1:00 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: February 16, 1:00 PM EST to February 17, 1:00 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: February 16, 1:00 PM EST to February 17, 1:00 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: February 16, 1:00 PM EST to February 17, 1:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Bristol forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.757, -71.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern Plymouth

When: February 16, 1:00 PM EST to February 17, 1:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Plymouth forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.987, -70.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Barnstable

When: February 16, 1:00 PM EST to February 17, 1:00 PM EST
Where: Barnstable forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.684, -70.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Dukes

When: February 16, 1:00 PM EST to February 17, 1:00 PM EST
Where: Dukes forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.389, -70.699 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Nantucket

When: February 16, 1:00 PM EST to February 17, 1:00 PM EST
Where: Nantucket forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.270, -70.022 (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

Every storm in Massachusetts in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Massachusetts, February 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5552203, 5552204, 5552205, 5552206, 5552207, 5552208, 5552209, 5552210, 5552211, 5552212, 5552213, 5552214, 5552215, 5552216, 5552217, 5552218, 5552219, 5552220, 5552221, 5552222, 5552223.