High Wind and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, March 6, 1997

High winds with gusts reaching 50 to 77 mph from the west and northwest occurred across Massachusetts in the wake of a strong low pressure system that passed through New England and into the Gulf of Maine. Wind speeds increased dramatically around mid-morning. Part of a roof was blown off a building in the Dorchester section of Boston. A windmill used to generate electricity at Hull High School in Hull was seriously damaged when all three arms crashed to the ground at 2:25 PM. Luckily, school had been dismissed. Numerous trees, tree limbs, and power lines were blown down, resulting in power outages affecting up to 25,000 electric customers, but most had power restored within 12 hours. An empty tractor-trailer truck was blown over while traveling on a road in Westfield. A number of houses and autos sustained damage from falling trees and tree limbs. No injuries were reported.A peak wind gust to 77 mph at Blue Hill Observatory in Milton was the highest wind gust recorded there since January, 1996, when a peak gust of 91 mph was recorded. That gust was erroneously reported as a much lower value in the Storm Data publication for that month. Other peak wind gusts included: Worcester, 72 mph; Nantucket, 69 mph; Hyannis, 64 mph; New Bedford, 63 mph; Falmouth, 61 mph; Brewster, 60 mph; Winthrop, 58 mph; and Boston Logan International Airport, 55 mph. Peak wind gusts of 45 to 55 mph generally were reported throughout the rest of the state, including 50 mph in downtown Springfield.