Damaging Wind and High Wind in Massachusetts, January 18, 1999

Name: Damaging Wind and High Wind in Massachusetts, January 18, 1999
Start: 1999-01-18T06:30
End: 1999-01-18T22:00
Location: Massachusetts

January 18, 1999 · NWS BOX · 33 events in 23 counties and zones

Freezing rain in western Massachusetts caused severe icing of roadways, especially in the valleys of Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties. Many towns reported states of emergency.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 32 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: 33

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.

Low pressure moving northward into Canada brought a variety of weather to Massachusetts, including freezing rain, high wind, and scattered thunderstorms.Freezing rain in western Massachusetts caused severe icing of roadways, especially in the valleys of Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties. Many towns reported states of emergency. Roads were closed in many communities, including Goshen, Northfield, Colrain, Florida, Heath, Cummington, Chester, Gill, Huntington, and Russell. Thunderstorms accompanied the freezing rain during the afternoon.Strong south winds occurred ahead of an approaching cold front, mainly in the eastern part of the state, but also across the higher elevations of western and central Massachusetts. Gusts as high as 45 to 55 mph were common. A spotter in Tyngsboro reported a peak gust to 63 mph at 920 pm, which occurred just behind the cold front. A gust to 59 mph was reported from West Island on Buzzard's Bay. Other strong wind gusts included 58 mph in Taunton (spotter), 54 mph at the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, 53 mph in Worcester, 47 mph at Logan International Airport in Boston, and 46 mph in Hyannis. In Dartmouth, in Bristol County, wires were downed by the strong winds. There were many reports of downed branches, some of which caused power outages by falling on wires.Scattered thunderstorms were reported throughout most of the state, however the strong winds were not directly associated with the thunderstorms. The exception was on Martha's Vineyard, where thunderstorms produced a wind gust to 60 mph at the Martha's Vineyard Airport around 900 pm. In Oak Bluffs on the Vineyard, large tree limbs were downed and a small shed was blown down at the high school. Lightning strikes resulted in several power outages, and in central Massachusetts, lightning started an attic fire in Gardner, causing minor damage to a building.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

23 strong wind, 6 winter weather, 3 high wind, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Western Franklin

When: January 18, 6:30 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Western Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.583, -72.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Eastern Franklin

When: January 18, 6:30 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Eastern Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.583, -72.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Eastern Hampden

When: January 18, 6:30 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Eastern Hampden forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.135, -72.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Eastern Hampshire

When: January 18, 6:30 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Eastern Hampshire forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.340, -72.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Western Hampden

When: January 18, 6:30 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Western Hampden forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.135, -72.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Western Hampshire

When: January 18, 6:30 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Western Hampshire forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.340, -72.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Western Franklin

When: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Western Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.583, -72.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Barnstable

When: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 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: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 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: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 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 Franklin

When: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Eastern Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.583, -72.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Eastern Hampden

When: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Eastern Hampden forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.135, -72.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Eastern Hampshire

When: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Eastern Hampshire forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.340, -72.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Eastern Norfolk

When: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 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: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 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: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 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: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 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, Northern Worcester

When: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Northern Worcester forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.351, -71.908 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Southeast Middlesex

When: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 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: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 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: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 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: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 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: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 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: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 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 Hampden

When: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Western Hampden forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.135, -72.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Western Hampshire

When: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Western Hampshire forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.340, -72.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Western Middlesex

When: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 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, Western Norfolk

When: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 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: January 18, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 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, Northern Bristol

When: January 18, 8:16 PM EST
Where: Northern Bristol forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.757, -71.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Southern Bristol

When: January 18, 9:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Bristol forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.757, -71.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Dukes

When: January 18, 9:04 PM EST
Where: Dukes County, Marthas Vineyard Arp
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.400, -70.620

High Wind, Western Middlesex

When: January 18, 9:20 PM EST
Where: Western Middlesex forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
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.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Massachusetts in 1999 Every state in 1999 This day in weather history Warnings in Massachusetts, January 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5683720, 5683721, 5683722, 5683723, 5683724, 5683788, 5683789, 5683790, 5683791, 5683792, 5683793, 5683794, 5683795, 5683796, 5683797, 5683798, 5683799, 5683800, 5683801, 5683802, 5683803, 5683804, 5683805, 5683806, 5683807, 5683808, 5683809, 5683810, 5683811, 5683812, 5683813, 5683814, 5683815.