Massachusetts, 2003

Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, January 23 to 24, 2003

January 23 to 24, 2003 · NWS BOX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

An ocean storm passing southeast of Georges Bank created a persistent northeast wind over Cape Codand Nantucket, resulting in bands of ocean effect snow squalls. Accumulations ranged from 2 to 7 inches, with the greatest amounts on the outer Cape.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
1

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.

An ocean storm passing southeast of Georges Bank created a persistent northeast wind over Cape Codand Nantucket, resulting in bands of ocean effect snow squalls. Accumulations ranged from 2 to 7 inches, with the greatest amounts on the outer Cape. Travel became difficult on Cape Cod, as the combination of falling snow and gusty winds created near whiteout conditions at times.Some specific snowfall totals, as reported by trained spotters, include 7 inches in Wellfleet and East Harwich; 6 inches in Eastham and Chatham; 5 inches in Barnstable; 4 inches in Dennis, Orleans, Brewster, and on Nantucket; 3 inches in Osterville and Mashpee; and 2 inches in Marstons Mills and Sandwich.

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 Jan 23, 3:45 PM EST, 6 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 23, 3:45 PM EST, 6 hours 15 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 23, 6:55 AM EST, 15 hours 5 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Barnstable

When
January 23, 10:00 PM EST to January 24, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Barnstable forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.684, -70.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ocean Effect Snow Squalls

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 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, January 2003

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5339980.