Heavy Snow, Northern Worcester
- When
- February 25, 12:00 AM EST to February 26, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Northern Worcester forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.351, -71.908 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow and High Wind in Massachusetts, February 25 to 26, 1999
A powerful nor'easter, which passed about 200 miles southeast of Cape Cod, brought heavy snow and strong winds to the eastern third of the state. The hardest hit areas were in southeast Massachusetts, including Cape Cod, where as much as two feet of snow was reported.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 21 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
- 21
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 powerful nor'easter, which passed about 200 miles southeast of Cape Cod, brought heavy snow and strong winds to the eastern third of the state. The hardest hit areas were in southeast Massachusetts, including Cape Cod, where as much as two feet of snow was reported. A peak wind gust of 67 mph was reported from Nantucket. The heavy snow and strong winds toppled trees and utility poles on the Capeand Islands, where more than 16,000 electric customers lost power by early morning on the 26th. The storm forced the cancellation of half of the scheduled 700 flights from Logan International Airport in Boston. Rush hour traffic was snarled on the main routes out of the Boston area as well.There was one fatality in Norton, in Bristol County, which was not directly attributed to the storm. A 9-year old boy wandered from his home and became disoriented during the heavy snow. He died as a result of exposure to the snow and cold, but had a pre-existing medical condition which led to the fatality.Some of the higher snowfall totals from this storm included 24 inches in Harwich, 22 inches in Marstons Mills, and 20 inches in West Dennis, all on Cape Cod. Other totals on the Cape ranged from 12 to 19 inches, with the exception of 8 inches in Provincetown. Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard reported totals ranging from 17 to 19 inches. The National Weather Service Office in Taunton reported 10.9 inches, Worcester reported 10.5 inches, and Logan International Airport reported 6.5 inches of snow. The least amount of snow fell in western Massachusetts, where between 2 and 7 inches were reported in Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
17 heavy snow, 3 strong wind, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Barnstable
- When
- February 25, 12:00 AM EST to February 26, 3:00 AM 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
- February 25, 12:00 AM EST to February 26, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Dukes forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.389, -70.699 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Eastern Hampden
- When
- February 25, 12:00 AM EST to February 26, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Eastern Hampden forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.135, -72.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Eastern Hampshire
- When
- February 25, 12:00 AM EST to February 26, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Eastern Hampshire forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.340, -72.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Eastern Norfolk
- When
- February 25, 12:00 AM EST to February 26, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Eastern Norfolk forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Eastern Plymouth / Also Part of Norfolk
- When
- February 25, 12:00 AM EST to February 26, 3:00 AM 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, Nantucket
- When
- February 25, 12:00 AM EST to February 26, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Nantucket forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.270, -70.022 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Northern Bristol
- When
- February 25, 12:00 AM EST to February 26, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Northern Bristol forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 41.757, -71.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Southeast Middlesex
- When
- February 25, 12:00 AM EST to February 26, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Southeast Middlesex forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Southern Bristol
- When
- February 25, 12:00 AM EST to February 26, 3:00 AM 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
- February 25, 12:00 AM EST to February 26, 3:00 AM 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, Southern Worcester
- When
- February 25, 12:00 AM EST to February 26, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Southern Worcester forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.351, -71.908 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Suffolk / Also Part of Norfolk
- When
- February 25, 12:00 AM EST to February 26, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Suffolk / Also Part of Norfolk forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 42.264, -71.125 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Western Middlesex
- When
- February 25, 12:00 AM EST to February 26, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Western Middlesex forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Western Norfolk
- When
- February 25, 12:00 AM EST to February 26, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Western Norfolk forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Western Plymouth
- When
- February 25, 12:00 AM EST to February 26, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Western Plymouth forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.987, -70.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Barnstable
- When
- February 25, 6:00 AM EST to February 26, 12:00 AM 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
- February 25, 6:00 AM EST to February 26, 12:00 AM 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, Nantucket
- When
- February 25, 6:00 AM EST to February 26, 12:00 AM EST
- Where
- Nantucket forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.270, -70.022 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Nantucket
- When
- February 25, 4:00 PM EST
- Where
- Nantucket forecast zone
- Measured
- 58 kt (67 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.270, -70.022 (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.
- 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
- High Surf in Hawaii, February 25 to 26, 1999
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Maine, February 25 to 26, 1999
- Winter Weather in New York, February 25 to 26, 1999
- Heavy Snow in Rhode Island, February 25 to 26, 1999
- Winter Weather in West Virginia, February 25, 1999
- Heavy Snow in New York, February 25 to 26, 1999
- Heavy Snow in Connecticut, February 25 to 26, 1999
- Heavy Snow in Connecticut, February 25 to 26, 1999
- Winter Weather in Virginia, February 25, 1999
- High Surf in California, February 25 to 26, 1999
- Heavy Snow in California, February 25, 1999
- Heavy Snow in Montana, February 25 to 26, 1999
More
Every storm in Massachusetts in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, February 1999
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5686118, 5686119, 5686120, 5686121, 5686122, 5686123, 5686124, 5686125, 5686126, 5686127, 5686128, 5686129, 5686130, 5686131, 5686132, 5686133, 5686134, 5686135, 5686136, 5686137, 5686138.