Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, January 2 to 3, 1996

Name: Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, January 2 to 3, 1996
Start: 1996-01-02T21:00
End: 1996-01-03T09:00
Location: Massachusetts

January 2 to 3, 1996 · NWS BOX · 18 events in 18 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 18 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 18

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 strong low pressure system moved from Tennessee to the Virginia coast and then northeast off the New Jersey coast passing southeast of Cape Cod. This system produced heavy snow across the state, except along the south coast in extreme southern Plymouth and Bristol Counties and over Cape Cod and the Islands. Snowfall totals ranged from 8 to 12 inches. A small area of from 12 to 16 inches was reported in the southwest suburbs of Boston in the Milton-Randolph area. Also, in south-central Worcester County there was a small area that received 12 to 14 inches. The heaviest snow occurred during the early morning hours of the 3rd and made for a difficult commute, especially in the Boston area. The two busiest highways in the state were left poorly plowed at peak travel time. Most schools and some businesses were closed on the 3rd. Some final storm totals, which include light snow that fell late on the 3rd and during the early morning hours of the 4th are as follows: Boston, 13.1 inches; North Amherst, 11.9 inches; Westborough, 11 inches; Springfield, 8 inches; Fall River, 4 inches; New Bedford, 6 inches; Plymouth, 7 inches; and Provincetown, 1 inch.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

18 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Western Franklin

When: January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM 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: January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM 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: January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM 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: January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM 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: January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM 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: January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM 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: January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM 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: January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM 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: January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM 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: January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM 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: January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM 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: January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM 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: January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM EST
Where: Southeast Middlesex forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Suffolk

When: January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM EST
Where: Suffolk forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.264, -71.125 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Eastern Norfolk

When: January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM 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: January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM 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: January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM 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: January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM EST
Where: Eastern Plymouth forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.079, -70.960 (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, January 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: 5551536, 5551537, 5551538, 5551539, 5551540, 5551541, 5551542, 5551543, 5551544, 5551545, 5551546, 5551547, 5551548, 5551549, 5551550, 5551551, 5551552, 5551553.