High Wind and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, November 27, 1997

Name: High Wind and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, November 27, 1997
Start: 1997-11-27T05:00
End: 1997-11-27T17:00
Location: Massachusetts

November 27, 1997 · NWS BOX · 26 events in 23 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 26 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 26

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.

An intensifying low pressure system moved eastward across northern New England into the Gulf of Maine and caused strong northwest winds over most of the state on Thanksgiving Day. High winds were reported at several places in the eastern part of the state. A peak gust to 71 mph was recorded atop Blue Hill in Milton, while Falmouth Airport on Cape Cod has a gust to 69 mph. In Middlesex County, a spotter in Littleton reported a gust to 67 mph. Wind gusts to 40 to 55 mph were common across the rest of the state. Some gusts included: Goshen, 53 mph; Worcester, 52 mph; Martha's Vineyard, 49 mph; Chatham, 48 mph; Nantucket, 47 mph; and Boston, 46 mph. In Gloucester, the strong winds knocked a chimney off a house and some copper flashing off a downtown building. No injuries were reported. The strong winds knocked down tree limbs and wires and resulted in power outages affecting more than 4,000 electric customers across the state.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

23 strong wind, 3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Western Franklin

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Western Franklin forecast zone
Property damage: $220
Coordinates: 42.583, -72.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Barnstable

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Barnstable forecast zone
Property damage: $220
Coordinates: 41.684, -70.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Dukes

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Dukes forecast zone
Property damage: $220
Coordinates: 41.389, -70.699 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Eastern Essex

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Eastern Essex forecast zone
Property damage: $220
Coordinates: 42.639, -70.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Eastern Franklin

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Eastern Franklin forecast zone
Property damage: $220
Coordinates: 42.583, -72.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Eastern Hampden

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Eastern Hampden forecast zone
Property damage: $220
Coordinates: 42.135, -72.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Eastern Hampshire

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Eastern Hampshire forecast zone
Property damage: $220
Coordinates: 42.340, -72.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Eastern Norfolk

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Eastern Norfolk forecast zone
Property damage: $220
Coordinates: 42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Eastern Plymouth

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Eastern Plymouth forecast zone
Property damage: $220
Coordinates: 42.079, -70.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Nantucket

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Nantucket forecast zone
Property damage: $220
Coordinates: 41.270, -70.022 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Northern Bristol

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Northern Bristol forecast zone
Property damage: $220
Coordinates: 41.757, -71.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Northern Worcester

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Northern Worcester forecast zone
Property damage: $220
Coordinates: 42.351, -71.908 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Southeast Middlesex

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Southeast Middlesex forecast zone
Property damage: $220
Coordinates: 42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Southern Bristol

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Bristol forecast zone
Property damage: $210
Coordinates: 41.757, -71.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Southern Plymouth

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Plymouth forecast zone
Property damage: $210
Coordinates: 41.987, -70.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Southern Worcester

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Worcester forecast zone
Property damage: $210
Coordinates: 42.351, -71.908 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Suffolk

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Suffolk forecast zone
Property damage: $210
Coordinates: 42.264, -71.125 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Western Essex

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Western Essex forecast zone
Property damage: $210
Coordinates: 42.639, -70.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Western Hampden

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Western Hampden forecast zone
Property damage: $210
Coordinates: 42.135, -72.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Western Hampshire

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Western Hampshire forecast zone
Property damage: $210
Coordinates: 42.340, -72.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Western Middlesex

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Western Middlesex forecast zone
Property damage: $210
Coordinates: 42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Western Norfolk

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Western Norfolk forecast zone
Property damage: $210
Coordinates: 42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Western Plymouth

When: November 27, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Western Plymouth forecast zone
Property damage: $210
Coordinates: 41.987, -70.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Eastern Norfolk

When: November 27, 10:53 AM EST
Where: Eastern Norfolk forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates: 42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Barnstable

When: November 27, 10:55 AM EST
Where: Barnstable forecast zone
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph)
Coordinates: 41.684, -70.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Western Middlesex

When: November 27, 2:30 PM EST
Where: Western Middlesex forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph)
Coordinates: 42.486, -71.392 (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.
High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Massachusetts in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5625435, 5625436, 5625437, 5625438, 5625439, 5625440, 5625441, 5625442, 5625443, 5625444, 5625445, 5625446, 5625447, 5625448, 5625449, 5625450, 5625451, 5625452, 5625453, 5625454, 5625455, 5625456, 5625457, 5625458, 5625459, 5625460.