Heavy Snow, Western Franklin
- When
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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, March 2, 1996
A low pressure system located about 100 miles off the North Carolina coast at 7 AM moved northeast and spread snow across the entire state during the forenoon. The snow became moderate to heavy by noon and continued into the late afternoon and early evening.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 22 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
- 22
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 located about 100 miles off the North Carolina coast at 7 AM moved northeast and spread snow across the entire state during the forenoon. The snow became moderate to heavy by noon and continued into the late afternoon and early evening. When the precipitation ended, many parts of the state had received 6 to 12 inches of snow. While Boston's Logan Int'l. Airport received only 3.9 inches from this storm, locations to the north, west, and south had much more snow. The heaviest amounts of up to one foot were reported along the south coast where Bourne had 12 inches and Acushnet, North Dartmouth, and Westport received 11 inches. The cities of Fall River and New Bedford had 8 to 9 inches of snow. On Cape Cod, Marstons Mills had 10 inches; Sandwich 9.5 inches; Yarmouthport 8.5 inches; and Chatham 6 inches. Martha's Vineyard reported a total of 6.5 inches. North and northwest of Boston, Woburn reported 7.5 inches; West Peabody, Reading, and Beverly had 6 inches. In central Massachusetts, Shrewsbury reported 7.6 inches and Worcester had 6 inches. In Franklin County, Ashfield had 7 inches. Numerous skidding accidents were reported on highways across the state. There was a 30-car pile-up on Route 495 in Littleton.In Weymouth, 17 accidents were reported between noon and about 3 PM. Seventeen people received minor injuries.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
22 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Eastern Franklin
- When
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Barnstable forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.684, -70.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Dukes
- When
- March 2, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Dukes forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.389, -70.699 (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 New Jersey, March 2, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, March 2 to 3, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Maine, March 2 to 3, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Rhode Island, March 2, 1996
- Winter Weather in Maryland, March 2, 1996
- Heavy Snow in New York, March 2, 1996
- Winter Weather in Delaware, March 2, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Maryland, March 2, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Connecticut, March 2, 1996
- Heavy Snow in New Hampshire, March 2, 1996
- Heavy Snow in New Hampshire, March 2, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Ohio, March 2 to 3, 1996
More
Every storm in Massachusetts in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, March 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: 5545876, 5545877, 5545878, 5545879, 5545880, 5545881, 5545882, 5545883, 5545884, 5545885, 5545886, 5545887, 5545888, 5545889, 5545890, 5545891, 5545892, 5545893, 5545894, 5545895, 5545896, 5545897.