High Wind and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, July 25, 1997

Tropical Storm Danny, which had been racing to the east-northeast over the Atlantic Ocean south of New England, suddenly turned northward toward southeastern Massachusetts when an upper level low pressure system formed in the New York City area during the early morning hours. The center passed approximately 15 miles southeast of Nantucket Island late in the afternoon. Tropical storm conditions with high winds and heavy rain occurred over Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket with only marginal tropical storm conditions occurring along the remainder of south coastal Massachusetts. Wind gusts as high as 70 mph from the northeast were reported, mostly on east and north facing beaches on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Islands. Wind gusts to 30 to 50 mph occurred along coastal Plymouth County and over the Cape. There were sporadic power outages as small to medium tree limbs were blown down. Five tents were blown down at a camp in Plymouth and another damaged. There was some minor damage to boats and several harbors during the afternoon as high tide approached. Several boats broke loose from their slips and moorings on Martha's Vineyard. Tides ran 1 to 2 feet above normal. Coastal flooding was minimal, with just some washover of waves onto immediate coastal roads. Minor to moderate beach erosion was reported on Nantucket Island and minor beach erosion on Martha's Vineyard. A weather spotter on Nantucket Island recorded 4.52 inches of rain. More than 3 inches fell on Martha's Vineyard, and 3.25 inches was reported from Wareham. Over most of the Cape, 2.5 to 3.5 inches of rain fell. The lowest pressure on land was 999.5 millibars, or 29.52 inches, at Nantucket at 3:53 PM. Tropical Storm Danny was only the fifth tropical cyclone this century to impact southern New England during the month of July.