Massachusetts, 1998

Flooding and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, May 9 to 16, 1998

May 9 to 16, 1998 · NWS BOX · 24 events in 22 counties and zones

A strong low pressure system to the south and southeast of Cape Cod combined with high pressure over eastern Canada to produce a four-day nor'easter. Strong northeast winds gusted to 35 to 50 mph, especially along the east coast of Massachusetts, and persisted for four days from May 9th through the 12th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 24 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
24

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 low pressure system to the south and southeast of Cape Cod combined with high pressure over eastern Canada to produce a four-day nor'easter. Strong northeast winds gusted to 35 to 50 mph, especially along the east coast of Massachusetts, and persisted for four days from May 9th through the 12th. Periods of heavy rain produced totals ranging from two to four and one-half inches over most of the eastern half of the state. The periods of heavy rain occurred from the early morning hours of May 10th into the afternoon of May 11th. By the time the rain ended by the evening on the 11th, the greatest totals reported included: Milton, 4.51 inches; Hingham, 3.91 inches; Blue Hill Observatory, Milton, 3.78 inches; and Stoughton, 3.25 inches. The monthly total for May reached 7.47 inches at Blue Hill. Other amounts generally were in the range of 2 to 3 inches over the eastern half of the state. The heavy rain was partly responsible for a roof collapse at a library in Taunton -- a damage figure was not available. The heavy rainfall eventually resulted in minor flooding along two mainstem rivers in eastern Massachusetts. The Assabet River in the Merrimack Basin reached flood stage of 5.0 feet at Maynard at 2 AM on May 12th, crested at 5.10 feet at 10 PM on the same day, then fell below flood stage at 5 AM on May 13th. The Charles River at Dover reached flood stage of 5.0 feet at 9 PM on the 12th, crested at 5.30 feet at 5 AM on the 14th, then fell below flood stage at 2 AM on May 16th. Peak wind gusts at the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, elevation 640 feet, included: May 9th, 46 mph; May 10th, 53 mph; May 11th, 51 mph; and May 12th, 50 mph. There were no reports of wind damage.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

15 strong wind, 7 heavy rain, 2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Western Middlesex

When
May 9, 6:00 AM EST to May 12, 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, Barnstable

When
May 9, 6:00 AM EST to May 12, 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
May 9, 6:00 AM EST to May 12, 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
May 9, 6:00 AM EST to May 12, 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 Norfolk

When
May 9, 6:00 AM EST to May 12, 6:00 PM EST
Where
Eastern Norfolk forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Eastern Plymouth / Also Part of Norfolk

When
May 9, 6:00 AM EST to May 12, 6:00 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)

Strong Wind, Nantucket

When
May 9, 6:00 AM EST to May 12, 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
May 9, 6:00 AM EST to May 12, 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, Southeast Middlesex

When
May 9, 6:00 AM EST to May 12, 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
May 9, 6:00 AM EST to May 12, 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
May 9, 6:00 AM EST to May 12, 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, Suffolk / Also Part of Norfolk

When
May 9, 6:00 AM EST to May 12, 6:00 PM EST
Where
Suffolk / Also Part of Norfolk 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
May 9, 6:00 AM EST to May 12, 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 Norfolk

When
May 9, 6:00 AM EST to May 12, 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
May 9, 6:00 AM EST to May 12, 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)

Heavy Rain, Worcester

When
May 9, 9:00 PM EST to May 11, 6:00 PM EST
Where
Worcester County, Countywide
Reported by
ARPT EQUIP(AWOS,ASOS)
Coordinates
42.351, -71.908 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Bristol

When
May 9, 9:00 PM EST to May 11, 6:00 PM EST
Where
Bristol County, Countywide
Reported by
ARPT EQUIP(AWOS,ASOS)
Coordinates
41.757, -71.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Essex

When
May 9, 9:00 PM EST to May 11, 6:00 PM EST
Where
Essex County, Countywide
Reported by
ARPT EQUIP(AWOS,ASOS)
Coordinates
42.639, -70.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Middlesex

When
May 9, 9:00 PM EST to May 11, 6:00 PM EST
Where
Middlesex County, Countywide
Reported by
ARPT EQUIP(AWOS,ASOS)
Coordinates
42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Norfolk

When
May 9, 9:00 PM EST to May 11, 6:00 PM EST
Where
Norfolk County, Countywide
Reported by
ARPT EQUIP(AWOS,ASOS)
Coordinates
42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Plymouth

When
May 9, 9:00 PM EST to May 11, 6:00 PM EST
Where
Plymouth County, Countywide
Reported by
ARPT EQUIP(AWOS,ASOS)
Coordinates
41.987, -70.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Suffolk

When
May 9, 9:00 PM EST to May 11, 6:00 PM EST
Where
Suffolk County, Countywide
Reported by
ARPT EQUIP(AWOS,ASOS)
Coordinates
42.356, -71.066 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Western Middlesex

When
May 12, 1:00 AM EST to May 13, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Western Middlesex forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Western Norfolk

When
May 12, 8:00 PM EST to May 16, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Western Norfolk forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
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.
Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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, May 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: 5656060, 5656061, 5656062, 5656063, 5656142, 5656143, 5656144, 5656145, 5656146, 5656147, 5656148, 5656149, 5656150, 5656151, 5656152, 5656153, 5656154, 5656155, 5656156, 5656157, 5656158, 5656159, 5656160, 5656161.