Heavy Snow, Western Franklin
- When
- December 23, 9:00 AM EST to 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, December 23, 1997
A low pressure system developing off the Delaware coast brought over a foot of heavy snow over a large area, including western and central Massachusetts and much of Norfolk, Middlesex, and Essex Counties in the eastern part of the state. A portion of northern Worcester County and northern Middlesex County received nearly 2 feet of snow!
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 16 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
- 16
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 developing off the Delaware coast brought over a foot of heavy snow over a large area, including western and central Massachusetts and much of Norfolk, Middlesex, and Essex Counties in the eastern part of the state. A portion of northern Worcester County and northern Middlesex County received nearly 2 feet of snow! Parts of Bristol and Suffolk Counties received 6 to 8 inches of snow. The heavy snowfall caught everyone by surprise and was also a surprise to weather forecasters. The low pressure system slowed its forward movement and intensified more than expected. What was very unusual was the extreme intensity of the snowfall, with phenomenal hourly snowfall totals reported by many observers during the morning between 9:30 AM and about Noon. A total of 8 inches fell during one hour in Ayer while 6 inches fell during an hour in both Chelmsford and Shrewsbury. Maximum storm totals occurred in northern Middlesex County, where Dracut had 23.5 inches. Other totals from that area included: Pepperell, 22.0 inches; Ayer and Townsend, 21.0 inches; and Chelmsford, 20.4 inches. In Essex County, totals ranged from 14.5 inches in Methuen to 8 inches in Gloucester and Newburyport. In Worcester County, some totals included: Clinton, 19 inches; Worcester Airport, 18 inches; Shrewsbury, 16.8 inches; Northbridge, 14..0 inches; Ashburnham, 13.5 inches; and Barre Falls, 9.0 inches. Maximum totals in Franklin County included 8 inches in Charlemont and Greenfield. In Hampden County, the maximum was 13.0 inches in East Brimfield. In Hampshire County, Amherst had 16.0 inches. Maximum totals in Norfolk County included 11.1 inches atop Blue Hill in Milton and 10 inches in Bellingham. Hundreds of autos and trucks became stuck on hilly sections of Route 495 and Route 9. More than 20,000 electric customers lost power at one time or another in Burlington, Waltham, Woburn, Somerville, Newton, and surrounding towns as heavy, wet snow brought down numerous tree limbs. About 3,400 electric customers lost power in the Merrimack Valley. Most power was restored by the end of the day. Holiday travelers were stranded at Logan International Airport in Boston, where the storm total reached 6.8 inches.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
16 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Eastern Essex
- When
- December 23, 9:00 AM EST to 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, Eastern Franklin
- When
- December 23, 9:00 AM EST to 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, Eastern Hampden
- When
- December 23, 9:00 AM EST to 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, Eastern Hampshire
- When
- December 23, 9:00 AM EST to 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 Norfolk
- When
- December 23, 9:00 AM EST to 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
- December 23, 9:00 AM EST to 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, Northern Worcester
- When
- December 23, 9:00 AM EST to 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, Southeast Middlesex
- When
- December 23, 9:00 AM EST to 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, Southern Worcester
- When
- December 23, 9:00 AM EST to 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, Suffolk / Also Part of Norfolk
- When
- December 23, 9:00 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Suffolk / Also Part of Norfolk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.264, -71.125 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Western Essex
- When
- December 23, 9:00 AM EST to 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, Western Hampden
- When
- December 23, 9:00 AM EST to 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, Western Hampshire
- When
- December 23, 9:00 AM EST to 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 Middlesex
- When
- December 23, 9:00 AM EST to 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 Norfolk
- When
- December 23, 9:00 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Norfolk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.171, -71.184 (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 Oklahoma, December 23 to 24, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, December 23, 1997
- Winter Storm in Utah, December 23 to 25, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, December 23, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, December 23, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, December 23, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Oregon, December 23, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Texas, December 23 to 24, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, December 23, 1997
- Flash Flood in Alaska, December 23 to 31, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Oklahoma, December 23 to 24, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Texas, December 23, 1997
More
Every storm in Massachusetts in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, December 1997
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: 5625764, 5625765, 5625766, 5625767, 5625768, 5625769, 5625770, 5625771, 5625772, 5625773, 5625774, 5625775, 5625776, 5625777, 5625778, 5625779.