Massachusetts, 1997

Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, November 14, 1997

November 14, 1997 · NWS BOX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A low pressure system developed off the mid-Atlantic coast and moved over the Atlantic Ocean southeast of Cape Cod. This weather system produced the first important nor'easter of the season for much of the state.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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 low pressure system developed off the mid-Atlantic coast and moved over the Atlantic Ocean southeast of Cape Cod. This weather system produced the first important nor'easter of the season for much of the state. Snow changed to rain along the coast, especially from Boston southward and over southeastern Massachusetts, but elsewhere there was an accumulation of several inches of snow before a change to rain. Boston had 3.7 inches and Worcester had 5.0 inches. The heaviest snowfalls occurred over parts of Middlesex and Essex Counties. Newburyport, E. Woburn, and N. Woburn all reported 6 inches. The snowfall caused numerous fender-bender accidents and several tie-ups on interstate highways.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Western Middlesex

When
November 14, 6:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Western Middlesex forecast zone
Coordinates
42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Eastern Essex

When
November 14, 6:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Eastern Essex forecast zone
Coordinates
42.639, -70.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Western Essex

When
November 14, 6:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Western Essex forecast zone
Coordinates
42.639, -70.868 (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

More

Every storm in Massachusetts in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, November 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: 5625431, 5625432, 5625433.