Widespread flooding occurred on rivers and streams in eastern Massachusetts as a result of melting snow and heavy rainfall. The most severe flooding occurred in the Merrimack Valley, where flood damage was estimated at ten million dollars.
Every event with a place to put it; 12 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS BOX wrote it up.
Widespread flooding occurred on rivers and streams in eastern Massachusetts as a result of melting snow and heavy rainfall. The most severe flooding occurred in the Merrimack Valley, where flood damage was estimated at ten million dollars. Federal assistance was made available for residents of Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bristol, and Plymouth Counties.Record flooding occurred on the Aberjona River in Winchester, where the crest of 16.80 feet exceeded the crest of 16.78 feet which occurred on October 21, 1996. This was the worst flooding to strike the Merrimack Valley since the October, 1996 flood and was comparable in magnitude. In the Charles and Neponset basins, flooding was similar to the June, 1998 flood, though the severity of urban flooding was much less.The Nashua River at East Pepperell crested at 9.5 feet at 545 pm on the 24th (flood stage is 8 feet). The Concord River at Lowell crested at 8.94 feet at 115 am on the 26th (flood stage is 8 feet). The Assabet River at Maynard crested at 6.41 feet at 11am on the 23rd (flood stage is 5 feet). The Shawsheen River at Wilmington crested at 9.87 feet at 10 am on the 23rd (flood stage is 7 feet). The Sudbury River at Saxonville crested at 12.61 feet at 715 am on the 23rd (flood stage is 10 feet). The Blackstone River at Northbridge crested at 9.22 feet at 530 pm on the 22nd (flood stage is 9 feet). The Charles River at Dover crested at 6.97 feet at 11 pm on the 25th (flood stage is 5 feet). The Neponset River at Norwood crested at an estimated 10.2 feet at 11 pm on the 22nd (flood stage is 9 feet).
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 Mar 21, 9:36 PM EST, 8 hours 24 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
936 PM EST WED MAR 21 2001
PREVIOUS FCSTS ESSENTIALLY ON TRACK. MINOR UPDATE FOR ZONES FOR 1ST
PD WORDING. ALSO INCRSD OVR NGT MIN TEMPS A BIT SE PTN OF FCST AREA
WHERE STG LOW LVL ELY FLO HAS BEEN PUMPING WARMER AIR INTO THE
REGION RESULTING IN STEADY OR SLTLY RISING TEMPS.
THE WSW FOR HVY SNW AND ADVY AREAS STILL LOOK ABT RIGHT. ON MRGL
SIDE FOR VERY HVY SNW DUMP NW. SOME AREAS THAT STARTED AS SNW HV
THERE CHGG TO RAIN AS THE STG FLO AT 850 MB FM E HAS WARMED AIR ALF.
COLDEST AIR WL STAY TO NW THEN MOV S AS WND BACK TO MORE NLY THU AS
LOW CONTS MOVG NEWD E OF THE FA. TILL THAT HAPPENS THE STG ELY 850
MB FLO WL KEEP TEMPS ABV SFC JUST WARM ENUF TO STAY RAIN, EPCLY SE.
MAIN ISSUE CONTS TO BE FLOOD THREAT. PCPN HAS ALREADY OCNLY MDT-
HVY AT TIMES SPLY ACRS SRN HLF FA. WITH RAIN CONTG THRU EXPC STM
TOTAL TO EXCEED 3 INCHES AND WITH GND ALREDY VERY WET FLOODING
OF SML STREAMS APPRS LKLY.
.BOX...WINTER STORM WRNG TNGT AND THU MNLY FOR HI TERRAIN
MA002>004-008>010-NH011-012.
WINTER WX ADVY TNGT AND THU FOR HI TERRAIN
MA005-006-011-012.
WIND ADVY LATE T NGT AND THU MA022>024.
FLOOD WATCH THU
CT002>004-MA005>007-011>019-RI001>004-006.
STORM WRNG ALL WATERS XCPT GALE WRNG BOS HAR/NARR BAY.
DMHThe Boston radar (KBOX), 63 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:02 UTC.
8 flood, 4 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Sudbury River at Saxonville
Charles River at Dover
Shawsheen River at Wilmington
Assabet Rivet at Maynard
Neponset River at Norwood
Blackstone River at Northbridge
Concord River at Lowell
Nashua River at East Pepperell
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Massachusetts in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, March 2001
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: 5238016, 5238018, 5238009, 5238010, 5238015, 5238014, 5238019, 5238017, 5238008, 5238011, 5238013, 5238012.