Heavy Snow, Western Norfolk
- When
- January 11, 5:00 AM EST to 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Norfolk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, January 11, 1997
A developing low pressure system south of Long Island spread bands of heavy snow across southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod, and the Islands. Six to nine inches of snow fell from just south of Boston to northern Rhode Island and southeastward to Cape Cod.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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
- 10
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 developing low pressure system south of Long Island spread bands of heavy snow across southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod, and the Islands. Six to nine inches of snow fell from just south of Boston to northern Rhode Island and southeastward to Cape Cod. This was a quick-hitting storm with snow accumulation rates up to 2 inches per hour. Most of the snowfall occurred during a 6-hour period. Some snowfall amounts included: Cohasset, 9.5 inches; Norwell, 9 inches; Taunton, 8.6 inches; Hingham and Blue Hill in Milton, both 8.0 inches; North Quincy, Norwood, and Stoughton, 7 inches; Attleboro, 6.5 inches; West Dennis, 6.3 inches; and Yarmouth, Acushnet, and New Bedford, 6 inches. Numerous minor traffic accidents were reported. An 18-car pile-up forced police to close Route 3 in Braintree for about 20 minutes. In another chain reaction collision, another 18-car pile-up on Route 3 in Duxbury closed the highway for 45 minutes. A 10-car collision closed a section of Interstate 95 near Dedham at 7 AM.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
10 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Barnstable
- When
- January 11, 5:00 AM EST to 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Barnstable forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.684, -70.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Dukes
- When
- January 11, 5:00 AM EST to 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Dukes forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.389, -70.699 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Eastern Norfolk
- When
- January 11, 5:00 AM EST to 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Norfolk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Eastern Plymouth / Also Part of Norfolk
- When
- January 11, 5:00 AM EST to 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Plymouth / Also Part of Norfolk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.079, -70.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Nantucket
- When
- January 11, 5:00 AM EST to 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Nantucket forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.270, -70.022 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Northern Bristol
- When
- January 11, 5:00 AM EST to 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Northern Bristol forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.757, -71.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Southern Bristol
- When
- January 11, 5:00 AM EST to 1:00 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
- January 11, 5:00 AM EST to 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Southern Plymouth forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.987, -70.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Western Plymouth
- When
- January 11, 5:00 AM EST to 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Plymouth forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.987, -70.737 (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
- Blizzard in Utah, January 11 to 14, 1997
- Avalanche in Washington, January 11, 1997
- Winter Storm in New Mexico, January 11 to 14, 1997
- Cold in New Mexico, January 11, 1997
- Cold in North Carolina, January 11, 1997
- Winter Storm in Texas, January 11 to 14, 1997
- Winter Weather in Oklahoma, January 11 to 12, 1997
- Winter Weather in New Jersey, January 11, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, January 11 to 14, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Texas, January 11 to 12, 1997
- Cold in Colorado, January 11 to 12, 1997
- Cold in Nebraska, January 11 to 12, 1997
More
Every storm in Massachusetts in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5591811, 5591812, 5591813, 5591814, 5591815, 5591816, 5591817, 5591818, 5591819, 5591820.