Massachusetts, 1998

High Wind and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, December 1, 1998

December 1, 1998 · NWS BOX · 25 events in 23 counties and zones

Strong west to northwest winds occurred in the wake of a cold front associated with an intense low pressure system moving into Quebec. The only reported damage was just after noon in Holbrook, in Norfolk County, when strong winds blew the roof off a warehouse sending debris crashing into a neighboring body shop.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 25 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
3
Property damage
$10,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
25

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.

Strong west to northwest winds occurred in the wake of a cold front associated with an intense low pressure system moving into Quebec. The only reported damage was just after noon in Holbrook, in Norfolk County, when strong winds blew the roof off a warehouse sending debris crashing into a neighboring body shop. The four by eight section of roof fell on three people and totalled a car. The peak wind gusts were generally between 40 and 55 mph, but the strongest gusts included 63 mph in Tyngsboro and 58 mph at the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton.

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, 2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Western Franklin

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Western Franklin forecast zone
Injuries
3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.583, -72.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Barnstable

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Barnstable forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.684, -70.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Dukes

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Dukes forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.389, -70.699 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Eastern Essex

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Eastern Essex forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.639, -70.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Eastern Franklin

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Eastern Franklin forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.583, -72.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Eastern Hampden

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Eastern Hampden forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.135, -72.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Eastern Hampshire

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Eastern Hampshire forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.340, -72.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Eastern Norfolk

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Eastern Norfolk forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Eastern Plymouth

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Eastern Plymouth forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.079, -70.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Nantucket

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Nantucket forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.270, -70.022 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Northern Bristol

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Northern Bristol forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.757, -71.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Northern Worcester

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Northern Worcester forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.351, -71.908 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Southeast Middlesex

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Southeast Middlesex forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Southern Bristol

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Southern Bristol forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.757, -71.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Southern Plymouth

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Southern Plymouth forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.987, -70.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Southern Worcester

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Southern Worcester forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.351, -71.908 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Suffolk

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Suffolk forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.264, -71.125 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Western Essex

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Western Essex forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.639, -70.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Western Hampden

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Western Hampden forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.135, -72.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Western Hampshire

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Western Hampshire forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.340, -72.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Western Middlesex

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Western Middlesex forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Western Norfolk

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Western Norfolk forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Western Plymouth

When
December 1, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Western Plymouth forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.987, -70.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Western Middlesex

When
December 1, 9:36 AM EST
Where
Western Middlesex forecast zone
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Western Norfolk

When
December 1, 9:38 AM EST
Where
Western Norfolk forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.171, -71.184 (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

More

Every storm in Massachusetts in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, December 1998

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: 5677785, 5677786, 5677787, 5677788, 5677789, 5677790, 5677791, 5677792, 5677793, 5677794, 5677795, 5677796, 5677797, 5677798, 5677799, 5677800, 5677801, 5677802, 5677803, 5677804, 5677805, 5677806, 5677807, 5677808, 5677809.