Massachusetts, 2002

Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, December 5 to 6, 2002

December 5 to 6, 2002 · NWS BOX · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

A winter storm passing about 200 miles southeast of Nantucket brought heavy snow to southeast Massachusetts, including Cape Cod and the Islands. Snowfall amounts averaged around 6 inches in these areas, while farther north and west, amounts of 2 to 5 inches were common throughout the rest of the Bay State.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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
8

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.

A winter storm passing about 200 miles southeast of Nantucket brought heavy snow to southeast Massachusetts, including Cape Cod and the Islands. Snowfall amounts averaged around 6 inches in these areas, while farther north and west, amounts of 2 to 5 inches were common throughout the rest of the Bay State. No storm damage or injuries were reported.Officially, a storm total of 6.0 inches was reported at the National Weather Service office in Taunton. Other snowfall totals included 8 inches in Bourne; 7 inches in Sandwich, Falmouth, Acushnet, New Bedford, West Tisbury, Nantucket, and Marshfield; and 6 inches in Dennis, Mansfield, Brockton, and Fairhaven.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Northern Bristol

When
December 5, 1:00 PM EST to December 6, 11:00 AM EST
Where
Northern Bristol forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.757, -71.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Barnstable

When
December 5, 1:00 PM EST to December 6, 11:00 AM EST
Where
Barnstable forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.684, -70.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Dukes

When
December 5, 1:00 PM EST to December 6, 11:00 AM EST
Where
Dukes forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.389, -70.699 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Eastern Plymouth / Also Part of Norfolk

When
December 5, 1:00 PM EST to December 6, 11:00 AM 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)

Heavy Snow, Nantucket

When
December 5, 1:00 PM EST to December 6, 11:00 AM EST
Where
Nantucket forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.270, -70.022 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern Bristol

When
December 5, 1:00 PM EST to December 6, 11:00 AM EST
Where
Southern Bristol forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.757, -71.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern Plymouth

When
December 5, 1:00 PM EST to December 6, 11:00 AM EST
Where
Southern Plymouth forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.987, -70.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Western Plymouth

When
December 5, 1:00 PM EST to December 6, 11:00 AM EST
Where
Western Plymouth forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.987, -70.737 (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 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, December 2002

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5324389, 5324390, 5324391, 5324392, 5324393, 5324394, 5324470, 5324471.