Strong Wind, Western Middlesex
- When
- September 20, 5:10 PM EST to 5:45 PM EST
- Where
- Western Middlesex forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind in Massachusetts, September 20, 1997
Thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 40 to 55 mph and there was an unconfirmed report of a funnel cloud in Peabody at 6:30 PM. The storms reached just short of severe intensity.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- 2
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.
Thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 40 to 55 mph and there was an unconfirmed report of a funnel cloud in Peabody at 6:30 PM. The storms reached just short of severe intensity. Signs were reported blown down in Natick and scattered power outages were reported in Burlington. In Salem, the strong winds blew down tree limbs and whipped up stormy seas in the harbor area. A house was struck by lightning, but no significant damage was reported.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong Wind, Eastern Essex
- When
- September 20, 5:10 PM EST to 5:45 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Essex forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.639, -70.868 (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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Hail in Colorado, September 20, 1997
- Flash Flood and Heavy Rain in New Mexico, September 20 to 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Colorado, September 20, 1997
- Hail in Colorado, September 20, 1997
- Flash Flood in Ohio, September 20, 1997
- Flash Flood in Ohio, September 20, 1997
- Flash Flood in Ohio, September 20, 1997
- Damaging Wind in New Mexico, September 20, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Connecticut, September 20, 1997
- Dense Fog in Wyoming, September 20, 1997
- High Wind in Alaska, September 20 to 23, 1997
- Hail in New Mexico, September 20, 1997
More
Every storm in Massachusetts in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, September 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: 5622415, 5622416.