Massachusetts, 2001

Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, December 8 to 9, 2001

December 8 to 9, 2001 · NWS BOX · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

The season's first winter storm brought 6 to 9 inches of snow to most of western, north central, and interior eastern Massachusetts. The highest totals, around 9 inches, were reported from Franklin County into northern Worcester and Middlesex Counties.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 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
11

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.

The season's first winter storm brought 6 to 9 inches of snow to most of western, north central, and interior eastern Massachusetts. The highest totals, around 9 inches, were reported from Franklin County into northern Worcester and Middlesex Counties. Snowfall totals decreased dramatically along the coast, to less than 4 inches. Since the storm occurred from Saturday night into Sunday morning, its overall impact was minimal with only a few minor accidents reported.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Boston/Norton, MA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 8, 9:05 PM EST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 8, 9:05 PM EST, 1 hour 55 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
905 PM EST SAT DEC 8 2001

PREV FCST STILL LOOKS TO BE NRLY ON TRACK...AND AT THIS TIME
ANTICIPATE ONLY MINOR TWEAKING.  SINCE PCPN JUST SPRDG INTO RGN
NOW...MAY NEED TO MAKE QUICK LAST MINUTE UPDATES TO ACCT FOR LTST
DVLPMNTS.

ITS TAKEN A WHILE FOR PCPN TO RCH GRND DUE TO VRY DRY AIR LO LVLS...
BUT XPCT PCPN ALL AREAS BY 04Z.  A CPL FACTORS INFLUENCING PTYPE.
VRY LO WET BULB TEMPS ALLOWING S- TO START EVEN IN FMH AND PVD
VCNTY...BUT XPCT ENUF WAA AND REL WRM ONSHORE FLOW FOR RA TO MIX
WITH SN BOS-PVD LN AND BCMG MNLY RA ALG AND S OF PYM-OQU LN OVRNGT.

STILL LOOKING FOR 12 HR QPF OF ARND 1/3 TO 1/2 INCH MOST AREAS.
NOTE SWOMCD DISC REGARDING VERT MOTION MAX...AND NOTE COOLING CLD
TOPS NE PA AT 01Z.  XPCT PRD MDT SN 03Z-08Z NRN CT AND WRN MA AND
05Z-10Z ALG AND N OF MASS PIKE IN CNTL AND INTR MA.  BELIEVE 3 TO 5
INCHES SNOW ACCUM WITH ISOLD 6 INCHES HIER ELEV RSNBL ALL SNOW AREAS.
SGNFCNT ELEVATION VRBLTY PSBL NRN CT...NRN RI AND BOS SW SUBURBS.

MAIN PRBLM AREA CUD BE PYM-TAN AREA...IF STAYS ALL SN LONGER THAN
XPCT.

.BOX...WXA NH 11/12 MA 2>16 CT 2>4 RI 1>4.
       SCA ALL WTRS OVRNGT AND EARLY SUN.

THOMPSON

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Western Franklin

When
December 8, 11:00 PM EST to December 9, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Western Franklin forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.583, -72.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Eastern Franklin

When
December 8, 11:00 PM EST to December 9, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Eastern Franklin forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.583, -72.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Eastern Hampshire

When
December 8, 11:00 PM EST to December 9, 8:00 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, Northern Worcester

When
December 8, 11:00 PM EST to December 9, 8:00 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, Southeast Middlesex

When
December 8, 11:00 PM EST to December 9, 8:00 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 Worcester

When
December 8, 11:00 PM EST to December 9, 8:00 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, Western Essex

When
December 8, 11:00 PM EST to December 9, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Western Essex forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.639, -70.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Western Hampden

When
December 8, 11:00 PM EST to December 9, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Western Hampden forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.135, -72.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Western Hampshire

When
December 8, 11:00 PM EST to December 9, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Western Hampshire forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.340, -72.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Western Middlesex

When
December 8, 11:00 PM EST to December 9, 8:00 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
December 8, 11:00 PM EST to December 9, 8:00 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)

What these are

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

More

Every storm in Massachusetts in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, December 2001

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: 5274580, 5274581, 5274582, 5274583, 5274584, 5274585, 5274586, 5274587, 5274588, 5274589, 5274590.