Strong Wind, Western Middlesex
- When
- March 21, 6:00 AM EST to March 22, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Western Middlesex forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow and High Wind in Massachusetts, March 21 to 22, 1998
A strong very early Spring nor'easter was caused by a low pressure system which moved to the north-northeast from the Virginia coast on March 21st, passing to the southeast of Cape Cod on March 22nd. This storm brought a mixture of snow, sleet, and rain, as well as strong northeast winds.
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 strong very early Spring nor'easter was caused by a low pressure system which moved to the north-northeast from the Virginia coast on March 21st, passing to the southeast of Cape Cod on March 22nd. This storm brought a mixture of snow, sleet, and rain, as well as strong northeast winds. The maximum snowfall reported was 6.1 inches in Worthington in Hampshire County in western Massachusetts. Snowfall totals of 3 to 5 inches occurred elsewhere, except in Plymouth and Bristol Counties, where amounts were on the order of an inch or two. Cape Cod and the Islands had rain. Strong northeast winds gusting to 40 to 55 mph affected east and southeast coastal Massachusetts for about 24 hours from the morning of March 21st through the morning of March 22nd. Some peak wind gusts included: Blue Hill Observatory, Milton, 60 mph; Winthrop, 51 mph; Falmouth, 48 mph; Martha's Vineyard, 46 mph; Chatham and Provincetown, 41 mph; and Nantucket, 39 mph. Offshore, the Buzzards Bay buoy reported a peak wind of 55 mph. Twenty-foot seas were reported offshore and the high seas frustrated efforts by the Coast Guard to tow a disabled fishing vessel off Provincetown. However, all turned out well as the vessel was able to ride out the high seas.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
15 strong wind, 1 high wind, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong Wind, Barnstable
- When
- March 21, 6:00 AM EST to March 22, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Barnstable forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.684, -70.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Dukes
- When
- March 21, 6:00 AM EST to March 22, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Dukes forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.389, -70.699 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Eastern Essex
- When
- March 21, 6:00 AM EST to March 22, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Eastern Essex forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.639, -70.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Eastern Norfolk
- When
- March 21, 6:00 AM EST to March 22, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Eastern Norfolk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Eastern Plymouth / Also Part of Norfolk
- When
- March 21, 6:00 AM EST to March 22, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Eastern Plymouth / Also Part of Norfolk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.079, -70.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Nantucket
- When
- March 21, 6:00 AM EST to March 22, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Nantucket forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.270, -70.022 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Northern Bristol
- When
- March 21, 6:00 AM EST to March 22, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Northern Bristol forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.757, -71.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Southeast Middlesex
- When
- March 21, 6:00 AM EST to March 22, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Southeast Middlesex forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Southern Bristol
- When
- March 21, 6:00 AM EST to March 22, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Southern Bristol forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.757, -71.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Southern Plymouth
- When
- March 21, 6:00 AM EST to March 22, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Southern Plymouth forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.987, -70.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Suffolk / Also Part of Norfolk
- When
- March 21, 6:00 AM EST to March 22, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Suffolk / Also Part of Norfolk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.264, -71.125 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Western Essex
- When
- March 21, 6:00 AM EST to March 22, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Western Essex forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.639, -70.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Western Norfolk
- When
- March 21, 6:00 AM EST to March 22, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Western Norfolk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Western Plymouth
- When
- March 21, 6:00 AM EST to March 22, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Western Plymouth forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.987, -70.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Eastern Norfolk
- When
- March 22, 2:55 AM EST
- Where
- Eastern Norfolk forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Western Hampshire
- When
- March 22, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Western Hampshire forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.340, -72.664 (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.
- 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
- Flooding in Oregon, March 21 to 22, 1998
- Flood in Florida, March 21 to 22, 1998
- Heavy Snow in New York, March 21 to 22, 1998
- Flood in Florida, March 21 to 22, 1998
- Flood in Florida, March 21 to 22, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Vermont, March 21 to 22, 1998
- Heavy Snow in New York, March 21 to 22, 1998
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Maine, March 21 to 22, 1998
- Flash Flood and Lightning Strike in Virginia, March 21, 1998
- Winter Storm in New York, March 21 to 22, 1998
- Heavy Snow in New Hampshire, March 21 to 22, 1998
- Strong Wind in Rhode Island, March 21 to 22, 1998
More
Every storm in Massachusetts in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, March 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: 5642653, 5642654, 5642655, 5642656, 5642657, 5642658, 5642659, 5642660, 5642661, 5642662, 5642663, 5642664, 5642665, 5642666, 5642667, 5642668, 5642669.