Strong Wind, Western Middlesex
- When
- December 30, 12:00 PM EST to 11:00 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)
High Wind and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, December 30, 1998
A period of strong northwest winds occurred in eastern and southeastern Massachusetts in the wake of an intensifying storm system northeast of Cape Cod, which brought down arctic air into southern New England along with bitterly cold wind chills. Many areas reported gusts of 40 to 50 mph, with a peak gust of 60 mph at the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 17 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
- 17
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 period of strong northwest winds occurred in eastern and southeastern Massachusetts in the wake of an intensifying storm system northeast of Cape Cod, which brought down arctic air into southern New England along with bitterly cold wind chills. Many areas reported gusts of 40 to 50 mph, with a peak gust of 60 mph at the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton. Some of the other higher gusts included 53 mph at Provincetown, 51 mph at Rockport and Nantucket, 50 mph at Sharon, 49 mph at Sharon, 48 mph at Orleans, 47 mph at Winthrop, and 46 mph at Pocasset. There were no reports of damage.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
16 strong wind, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong Wind, Barnstable
- When
- December 30, 12:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Barnstable forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 41.684, -70.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Dukes
- When
- December 30, 12:00 PM EST to 11:00 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 30, 12:00 PM EST to 11:00 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 Norfolk
- When
- December 30, 12:00 PM EST to 11:00 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 30, 12:00 PM EST to 11:00 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 30, 12:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Nantucket forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 41.270, -70.022 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Northern Bristol
- When
- December 30, 12:00 PM EST to 11:00 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, Southeast Middlesex
- When
- December 30, 12:00 PM EST to 11:00 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 30, 12:00 PM EST to 11:00 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 30, 12:00 PM EST to 11:00 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 30, 12:00 PM EST to 11:00 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 30, 12:00 PM EST to 11:00 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 30, 12:00 PM EST to 11:00 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 Norfolk
- When
- December 30, 12:00 PM EST to 11:00 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 30, 12:00 PM EST to 11:00 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 Norfolk
- When
- December 30, 5:48 PM EST
- Where
- Western Norfolk forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 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
- Cold in Michigan, December 30, 1998
- Cold in Maine, December 30 to 31, 1998
- Winter Storm in Iowa, December 30, 1998
- Strong Wind in New Jersey, December 30, 1998
- Strong Wind in Pennsylvania, December 30, 1998
- Winter Storm in Illinois, December 30, 1998
- Cold in Vermont, December 30 to 31, 1998
- Cold in New Hampshire, December 30 to 31, 1998
- Cold in New York, December 30 to 31, 1998
- Winter Weather in Illinois, December 30, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Iowa, December 30, 1998
- Winter Weather in Indiana, December 30, 1998
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: 5677834, 5677835, 5677836, 5677837, 5677838, 5677839, 5677840, 5677841, 5677842, 5677843, 5677844, 5677845, 5677846, 5677847, 5677848, 5677849, 5677850.