Massachusetts, 2001

High Wind and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, February 10, 2001

February 10, 2001 · NWS BOX · 23 events in 23 counties and zones

Strong northwest winds caused damage in the higher terrain of central and northeast Massachusetts. Sustained winds of 35 to 45 mph, with gusts of 55 to 65 mph, were common in Worcester, Middlesex, and Essex Counties, as well as the immediate Boston metropolitan area.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 23 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
1
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
23

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.

Strong northwest winds caused damage in the higher terrain of central and northeast Massachusetts. Sustained winds of 35 to 45 mph, with gusts of 55 to 65 mph, were common in Worcester, Middlesex, and Essex Counties, as well as the immediate Boston metropolitan area. Several trees were downed by the wind in Hudson and Warren. In Tyngsboro, one woman was injured when she was struck by a falling pine tree. Throughout the rest of the state, wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph were reported. About 1,000 electric customers lost power due to the wind.

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 Feb 9, 8:45 PM EST, 4 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 9, 8:45 PM EST, 4 hours 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
845 PM EST FRI FEB 9 2001

.DISC...
WL UPDATE ZNS TO FRESHEN WORDING ON TIMING OF ONSET OF STGR WNDS...AS
WNDS ALREADY BLOWING 15-25KTS ACRS CC...ISL AND SE CSTL PLANE. THIS
IS RESULT OF WKR LO LVL INVERSION ACRS SE ZNS WITH MINIMAL SN CVR...
ALLOWING WRMR AIR TO SNEAK UP SE CSTL. INLAND THIS IS A DIFFERENT
STORY AS TEMPS REMAIN IN THE 30S...AIDED BY DP SN CVR. LATEST MSAS
POT TEMP ANALYSIS STILL SHOWS LO LVL COLD AIR WEDGE DWN
APPALACHIANS. THIS WL BE A MAIN PLAYER IN DETERMINING IF STG WNDS
ALFT TRANSLATE TO SFC EARLY SAT VCNTY OF CDFNT.

CONVECTION AND EMBEDDED SQUAL LINES ACRS OH VLLY WL BE NEEDED TO
ERODE LO LVL INVERSION ACRS FA...ESP INTERIOR SAT AM. CONVECTION IS
CURRENTLY DOING THAT ACRS OH WHERE CIN GUSTED TO 50 KTS ARND 00Z JUST
AHEAD OF FROPA. AM CONCERNED THAT LINE OF CONVECTION WL WKN LATE TNGT
AND EARLY SAT AS IT APPROACHES FA...WITH S/WV TROF WKNG CONSIDERABLY
AS IT CLIMBS UP THE MLVL RDG OVR THE NE ATTM. FM 06Z TO 12Z ALL MDLS
AGREE ON WKNG THE MAGINTUDE OF THE MAIN VORT CNTR FM L40S TO M20S AS
IT TRAVERSES INTO NRN NE EARLY SAT.

THIS YIELDS TO A WKNG UVM FIELD ON ALL MDLS AS IT APPROACHES FA...
ALNG WITH DIMINISHED QPF VALUES TO LESS THAN 0.10 OF AN INCH. THUS...
CONVECTION SHOULD WKN AS IT APPROACHES FA EARLY SAT WITH LO LVL
INVERSION HANGING TOUGH...ESP ACRS INTERIOR ZNS. THEREFORE NOT VERY
CONFIDENT HI WND WRNGS WL MATERIALIZE AHEAD AND ALNG CDFNT. ALTH
WITHOUT ANY NEW MDL GUID TO SUPPORT THIS TREND...WL BRIEF NXT SHIFT
ON THE DETAILS AND SEE IF 00Z MDL CYCLE SUPPORTS THIS REASONING.

BEST CHC OF HI WND WRNG WNDS OCCURRING WL LKLY BE ACRS SE ZNS IN STG
CAA IN WAKE OF FROPA. HERE LACK OF SN CVR WL ALLOW DEEPEST BLYR ACRS
FA...ALNG WITH SOME ADDITIONAL SPD FM DWNSLPG. ALTH EVEN HERE BUFKIT
MDL SNDGS SUGGEST MARGINAL HI WND CRITERIA...WITH BLYR HVG TO XNTD
UP TO H85 FOR 50KTS PLUS TRANSFER. THUS...STG WND ADV WOULD PROBABLY
SUFFICE HERE...ALTH ONCE AGAIN WL NOT DROP HI WND WRNG WITHOUT ANY
NEW MDL DATA.

RECORD MAXS POSSIBLE WITHIN 3 HRS OF 05Z TNGT:

   2/9         2/10
BOS 61 1990    60 1990
PVD 60 1937    58 1909
ORH 56 1925    55 1909
BDL 58 1990    55 1909

.MARINE...
STW UP AND WL CONT WITHOUT ANY NEW MDL GUID TO ANALYZE. ALTH BASED
ON REASONING ABV...STG GALE WRNG MAY BE THE CORRECT TRANSITION FOR
NXT SHIFT.

.BOX...STORM ALL WATERS EXCEPT STRONG GALE BOS HARB AND NARR BAY.
       HWW SAT MOST PRONE ZONES. MAZ 12,15,16 22,24 RI 1,6.
       WIND ADVY LATE TNGT AND SAT REMAINDER ZONES EXCEPT ONLY
       SAT FOR MA 2>4..8..9..NH 11..12

NOCERA

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, 8 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Western Franklin

When
February 10, 1:00 AM EST to 5:00 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
February 10, 1:00 AM EST to 5:00 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
February 10, 1:00 AM EST to 5:00 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 Franklin

When
February 10, 1:00 AM EST to 5:00 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
February 10, 1:00 AM EST to 5:00 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
February 10, 1:00 AM EST to 5:00 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 Plymouth / Also Part of Norfolk

When
February 10, 1:00 AM EST to 5:00 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
February 10, 1:00 AM EST to 5:00 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
February 10, 1:00 AM EST to 5:00 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, Southern Bristol

When
February 10, 1:00 AM EST to 5:00 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
February 10, 1:00 AM EST to 5:00 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, Western Hampden

When
February 10, 1:00 AM EST to 5:00 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
February 10, 1:00 AM EST to 5:00 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 Norfolk

When
February 10, 1:00 AM EST to 5:00 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
February 10, 1:00 AM EST to 5:00 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 Worcester

When
February 10, 9:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where
Northern Worcester forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.351, -71.908 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Eastern Essex

When
February 10, 9:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where
Eastern Essex forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.639, -70.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Eastern Norfolk

When
February 10, 9:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where
Eastern Norfolk forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Southeast Middlesex

When
February 10, 9:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where
Southeast Middlesex forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Southern Worcester

When
February 10, 9:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where
Southern Worcester forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.351, -71.908 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Suffolk / Also Part of Norfolk

When
February 10, 9:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where
Suffolk / Also Part of Norfolk forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.264, -71.125 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Western Essex

When
February 10, 9:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where
Western Essex forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.639, -70.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Western Middlesex

When
February 10, 9:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where
Western Middlesex forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.486, -71.392 (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.
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

More

Every storm in Massachusetts in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, February 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: 5231398, 5231399, 5231400, 5231401, 5231402, 5231403, 5231404, 5231405, 5231406, 5231407, 5231408, 5231409, 5231410, 5231411, 5231412, 5231390, 5231391, 5231392, 5231393, 5231394, 5231395, 5231396, 5231397.