Heavy Rain, Nantucket
- When
- March 17, 12:00 AM EST to 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Nantucket County, Nantucket
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.270, -70.022 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, March 17, 2000
Low pressure moving from the mid Atlantic states to just south of Nantucket brought a period of heavy rain and strong winds to southeastern Massachusetts, mainly to Cape Cod and the Islands. 50 inches in Dennis.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
- 4
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 from the mid Atlantic states to just south of Nantucket brought a period of heavy rain and strong winds to southeastern Massachusetts, mainly to Cape Cod and the Islands. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 3 inches were common, with 3.29 inches at Martha's Vineyard Airport in Vineyard Haven, 3.00 inches on Nantucket, and 2.50 inches in Dennis. On Cape Cod and Nantucket, northerly winds behind the storm averaged sustained speeds near 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. Some of the higher wind gusts reported include 51 mph in Falmouth, 49 mph in Provincetown, and 48 mph at Nantucket Memorial Airport.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 heavy rain, 2 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Rain, Dukes
- When
- March 17, 12:00 AM EST to 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Dukes County, Marthas Vineyard Arp
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.389, -70.699 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Nantucket
- When
- March 17, 12:00 PM EST to 4:00 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, Barnstable
- When
- March 17, 12:00 PM EST to 4:00 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)
What these are
- Heavy Rain
- Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
- Strong Wind
- Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
More
Every storm in Massachusetts in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, March 2000
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: 5133487, 5133488, 5131921, 5133489.