Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, December 24, 1998

Name: Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, December 24, 1998
Start: 1998-12-24T00:00
End: 1998-12-24T12:00
Location: Massachusetts

December 24, 1998 · NWS BOX · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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: 6

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 intensified as it moved across the offshore waters during the early morning hours. This storm system brought the heaviest snowfall to southeast coastal Massachusetts, where the snow lasted nearly 10 hours. The northern fringe of the snow reached the northern and northwest suburbs of Boston. The greatest snowfall reported was over 9 inches over the south part of the town of Plymouth. Other totals of 6 inches or more included 8 inches in downtown Plymouth, Provincetown, and Truro; 7.5 inches in Cataumet; 7 inches in Eastham, Sandwich, and Whitehorse Beach in Plymouth; 6.5 inches in Pocasset and West Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard, and also in Somerset; 6.2 inches in Carver and Fairhaven; and 6.0 inches in Bridgewater, New Bedford, and West Wareham.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Western Plymouth

When: December 24, 12:00 AM EST to 12:00 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)

Heavy Snow, Eastern Plymouth / Also Part of Norfolk

When: December 24, 12:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where: Eastern Plymouth / Also Part of Norfolk forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.079, -70.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern Bristol

When: December 24, 12:00 AM EST to 12:00 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)

Heavy Snow, Southern Plymouth

When: December 24, 12:00 AM EST to 12:00 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)

Heavy Snow, Barnstable

When: December 24, 12:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where: Barnstable forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.684, -70.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Dukes

When: December 24, 12:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where: Dukes forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.389, -70.699 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

Every storm in Massachusetts in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5677772, 5677773, 5677774, 5677775, 5677776, 5677777.