High Wind and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, December 29 to 30, 1997

Name: High Wind and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, December 29 to 30, 1997
Start: 1997-12-29T19:00
End: 1997-12-30T15:00
Location: Massachusetts

December 29 to 30, 1997 · NWS BOX · 20 events in 16 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 20 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: $5,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 20

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.

An intense low pressure system passed to the west of New England, moving north through the Hudson Valley in New York State. This storm produced strong southeast to south-southwest winds across the region and near-record low barometric pressure for the month of December. The lowest readings were around 28.80 inches. There were several reports of high winds, with a gust to 68 mph recorded at the hurricane barrier in New Bedford and a peak gust to 62 mph recorded on Martha's Vineyard. On Cape Cod, at Chatham, wind gusts were estimated up to 65 mph at the fish pier. A gust to 55 mph was reported from Pocasset near Buzzards Bay. The Blue Hill Observatory in Milton recorded several wind gusts to 58 mph. Trees and wires were reported down in South Dartmouth and sheet metal was reported flying off a building on Pope's Island off Fairhaven. In Cambridge, a street was blocked by debris falling from buildings. Minor coastal flooding occurred in the New Bedford area. On West Island, about 8 backyards had 1 to 1.5 feet of water in them. There also was a report of 6 to 12 inches of water on a coastal road in South Dartmouth.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

16 strong wind, 4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Western Middlesex

When: December 29, 7:00 PM EST to December 30, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Western Middlesex forecast zone
Property damage: $310
Coordinates: 42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Barnstable

When: December 29, 7:00 PM EST to December 30, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Barnstable forecast zone
Property damage: $310
Coordinates: 41.684, -70.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Dukes

When: December 29, 7:00 PM EST to December 30, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Dukes forecast zone
Property damage: $310
Coordinates: 41.389, -70.699 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Eastern Essex

When: December 29, 7:00 PM EST to December 30, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Eastern Essex forecast zone
Property damage: $310
Coordinates: 42.639, -70.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Eastern Norfolk

When: December 29, 7:00 PM EST to December 30, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Eastern Norfolk forecast zone
Property damage: $310
Coordinates: 42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Eastern Plymouth / Also Part of Norfolk

When: December 29, 7:00 PM EST to December 30, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Eastern Plymouth / Also Part of Norfolk forecast zone
Property damage: $310
Coordinates: 42.079, -70.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Nantucket

When: December 29, 7:00 PM EST to December 30, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Nantucket forecast zone
Property damage: $310
Coordinates: 41.270, -70.022 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Northern Bristol

When: December 29, 7:00 PM EST to December 30, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Northern Bristol forecast zone
Property damage: $310
Coordinates: 41.757, -71.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Southeast Middlesex

When: December 29, 7:00 PM EST to December 30, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Southeast Middlesex forecast zone
Property damage: $310
Coordinates: 42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Southern Bristol

When: December 29, 7:00 PM EST to December 30, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Bristol forecast zone
Property damage: $310
Coordinates: 41.757, -71.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Southern Plymouth

When: December 29, 7:00 PM EST to December 30, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Plymouth forecast zone
Property damage: $310
Coordinates: 41.987, -70.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Southern Worcester

When: December 29, 7:00 PM EST to December 30, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Worcester forecast zone
Property damage: $310
Coordinates: 42.351, -71.908 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Suffolk / Also Part of Norfolk

When: December 29, 7:00 PM EST to December 30, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Suffolk / Also Part of Norfolk forecast zone
Property damage: $310
Coordinates: 42.264, -71.125 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Western Essex

When: December 29, 7:00 PM EST to December 30, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Western Essex forecast zone
Property damage: $310
Coordinates: 42.639, -70.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Western Norfolk

When: December 29, 7:00 PM EST to December 30, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Western Norfolk forecast zone
Property damage: $310
Coordinates: 42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Western Plymouth

When: December 29, 7:00 PM EST to December 30, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Western Plymouth forecast zone
Property damage: $310
Coordinates: 41.987, -70.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Southern Bristol

When: December 30, 9:00 AM EST
Where: Southern Bristol forecast zone
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph)
Coordinates: 41.757, -71.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Eastern Norfolk

When: December 30, 11:41 AM EST
Where: Eastern Norfolk forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Barnstable

When: December 30, 12:30 PM EST
Where: Barnstable forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates: 41.684, -70.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Dukes

When: December 30, 12:30 PM EST
Where: Dukes forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph)
Coordinates: 41.389, -70.699 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Strong Wind: Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.
High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Massachusetts in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5625780, 5625782, 5625783, 5625784, 5625785, 5625786, 5625787, 5625788, 5625789, 5625790, 5625791, 5625792, 5625793, 5625794, 5625795, 5625796, 5625781, 5625797, 5625798, 5625799.