Strong Wind, Southern Plymouth
- When
- February 18, 12:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Southern Plymouth forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.987, -70.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind in Massachusetts, February 18, 1997
Strong southwest winds frequently gusting to 35 to 45 mph were reported from Cape Cod and the Islands and also around the coast of Buzzards Bay. A peak gust to 56 mph was reported at Otis Air Force Base in Falmouth.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
- 4
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.
Strong southwest winds frequently gusting to 35 to 45 mph were reported from Cape Cod and the Islands and also around the coast of Buzzards Bay. A peak gust to 56 mph was reported at Otis Air Force Base in Falmouth. Some other peak gusts reported by spotters included: Brewster, 50 mph; South Orleans, 46 mph; Dennis and Chatham, 45 mph; Mattapoisett, 42 mph; and Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard, 35 mph.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong Wind, Barnstable
- When
- February 18, 12:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Barnstable forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.684, -70.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Dukes
- When
- February 18, 12:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Dukes forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.389, -70.699 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Nantucket
- When
- February 18, 12:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Nantucket forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.270, -70.022 (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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flooding in Iowa, February 18 to 24, 1997
- Flooding in Nebraska, February 18 to 28, 1997
- Flood in Wisconsin, February 18 to 28, 1997
- Flood in Wisconsin, February 18 to 23, 1997
- Flooding in Iowa, February 18 to 28, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Oregon, February 18 to 19, 1997
- Flash Flood in Wisconsin, February 18 to 21, 1997
More
Every storm in Massachusetts in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, February 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: 5592128, 5592129, 5592130, 5592131.