Flooding and Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, March 5 to 6, 2001

A major winter storm impacted the Bay State with near blizzard conditions, high winds, and coastal flooding. The slow-moving storm, which tracked south of New England, dumped over two feet of snow across the interior, knocked out power to about 80,000 customers, and shut down businesses and schools for several days. There were also many reports of downed trees and wires during the height of the storm, along with reports of lightning and thunder. Hundreds of flights at Logan International Airport were canceled, as were flights at other nearby airports. In magnitude, it was the worst storm to affect the state since 1992, and a state of emergency was in effect for three days. After the storm, the weight of the heavy wet snow caused several roof collapses throughout the state, most notably at a church in Westford. No injuries were reported. Damage from this storm was estimated to be in the tens of millions of dollars.The highest snowfall totals were reported from the east slopes of the Berkshires across Worcester County and into northeast Massachusetts, where amounts of 15 to 30 inches were common. Greater Boston received between 12 and 22 inches of snow, but Logan International Airport received 9.8 inches from this storm. Amounts in southeast Massachusetts ranged from 2 to 4 inches along the immediate coast to as much as a foot farther inland. Other official totals include 23 inches at the Blue Hills Observatory in Milton, 22 inches at Worcester Airport, and 9.5 inches at the National Weather Service in Taunton.Powerful northeast winds affected much of east coastal and southeast Massachusetts. Speeds of 50 to 60 mph were widely observed and caused damage to trees and power lines, especially on Cape Cod and the islands. Some unofficial gusts reported by spotters include 64 mph in Wareham, 61 mph in Fairhaven, and 60 mph at Nauset Beach in Orleans. At Chatham Municipal Airport, winds gusted to 63 mph.High tides during the storm ran 2 to 3 feet above normal, resulting in widespread coastal flooding along the entire east facing coastline, including Cape Cod and the islands. The strong surf slammed sea walls and flooded beachfront homes and roadways, and damaged a part of the sea wall in Winthrop. In Marblehead, Ocean Avenue and Front Street were flooded, as was Nahant Road in Nahant. In Winthrop, Winthrop Shore Drive, Shirley Avenue, and Moore and Charles Streets were flooded. Flood waters also impacted the Jamaicaway in Boston and Quincy Shore Drive in Quincy. In Hull, flooding affected Gun Rock, Atlantic, and Nantasket Avenues while in Scituate, flooding affected Turner and Jericho Roads as well as 5th, 6th, and 7th Avenues. In its wake, the flooding left behind piles of seaweed, pieces of deck and lawn furniture, and even lobsters and fish.