Tropical moisture from the remnants of hurricane Katrina, combined with an approaching cold front, produced strong winds across Eastern Massachusetts during the afternoon and evening hours of 31 August 2005. These damaging wind gusts knocked down tree branches and wires in Hingham, and also knocked down a tree on some power lines in Haverhill.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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.
Tropical moisture from the remnants of hurricane Katrina, combined with an approaching cold front, produced strong winds across Eastern Massachusetts during the afternoon and evening hours of 31 August 2005. These damaging wind gusts knocked down tree branches and wires in Hingham, and also knocked down a tree on some power lines in Haverhill. No known injuries directly resulted from these storms.
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 Aug 31, 1:31 PM EST, 33 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA 231 PM EDT WED AUG 31 2005 ...GORGEOUS DRY WX AFTER AFTER KATRINAS REMAINS DEPART EARLY THU SEE WHAT ENCROACHES FROM THE SOUTH BETWEEN THE 8TH AND 11TH... .SYNOPSIS... DESPITE THE COOL DOWN THIS LABOR DAY WEEKEND...INTERIOR SHOULD DO WELL TO WARM UP EACH AFTN WITH TEMPS AVGG AOA NORMAL NEXT 10 DAYS. && .HYDROLOGY... DESPITE THE DELUGE YDY IN SE NEW ENGLAND (EWB 7.46 60 HR RFALL)... STILL NEED MORE RAIN IN PARTS OF THE DRY AREA OF CT RI. FOR THE TIME BEING...THE NEXT 7 DAYS AFTER 10Z THURSDAY LOOK DRY. THIS FROM 00Z/31 GFS ENS. && .WIND... WIND HAS HIT 43 KT AT MQE THIS AFTN AND MARGINAL SPOTTY WIND ADVY CRITERIA MAY BE MET ELSEWHERE I95 CORRIDOR THIS AFTN. && .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT AND THURSDAY)... HAYDEN DELIVERS AFTER TAFS. WE ARE IN MODEL CATCH UP MODE. && .LONG TERM (THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY)... NO SIG WX. BASED ON NEW 12Z GFS AND ECMWF PATH OF SHORT WAVE INTROD A SMALL CHC POPS SUN AFTN. CLOSE TO HPC GUIDANCE TEMPS. && .AVIATION... LATER... && .MARINE... SCA THIS AFTN/EVE AS POSTED AND PROB CONTS IN SE OUTER WATERS INTO THU EVE DUE TO SEAS. && .BOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CT...NONE. MA...WIND ADVISORY FOR THE BLUE HILLS. NH...NONE. RI...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ANZ230>237-250-254-255. && MORNING UPDATE...FRANK SHORT TERM/AVIATION...COMING FROM HAYDEN SOON LONG TERM/SYNOPSIS/HYDROLOGY...DRAG
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA 445 AM EDT WED AUG 31 2005 CTZ002>004-MAZ002>024-026-NHZ011-012-015-RIZ001>008-011200- BARNSTABLE MA-BLOCK ISLAND RI-BRISTOL RI-CENTRAL MIDDLESEX MA- CHESHIRE NH-DUKES MA-EASTERN ESSEX MA-EASTERN FRANKLIN MA- EASTERN HAMPDEN MA-EASTERN HAMPSHIRE MA-EASTERN HILLSBOROUGH NH- EASTERN KENT RI-EASTERN NORFOLK MA-EASTERN PLYMOUTH MA-HARTFORD CT- NANTUCKET MA-NEWPORT RI-NORTHERN BRISTOL MA-NORTHERN WORCESTER MA- NORTHWEST MIDDLESEX MA-NORTHWEST PROVIDENCE RI- SOUTHEAST MIDDLESEX MA-SOUTHEAST PROVIDENCE RI-SOUTHERN BRISTOL MA- SOUTHERN PLYMOUTH MA-SOUTHERN WORCESTER MA-SUFFOLK MA-TOLLAND CT- WASHINGTON RI-WESTERN AND CENTRAL HILLSBOROUGH NH-WESTERN ESSEX MA- WESTERN FRANKLIN MA-WESTERN HAMPDEN MA-WESTERN HAMPSHIRE MA- WESTERN KENT RI-WESTERN NORFOLK MA-WESTERN PLYMOUTH MA-WINDHAM CT- 445 AM EDT WED AUG 31 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWEST NEW HAMPSHIRE... MASSACHUSETTS EXCEPT BERKSHIRE COUNTY...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST CONNECTICUT...AND RHODE ISLAND. .DAY ONE (TODAY AND TONIGHT)... SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY RAINFALL ARE POSSIBLE TODAY...AS THE REMNANTS OF KATRINA TRACK THROUGH NORTHERN NEW YORK STATE AND A COLD FRONT CROSSES SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND TONIGHT. A SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT IS ALSO BEING ISSUED TO ADDRESS THESE THREATS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THREAT...MEDIUM. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE CONNECTICUT RIVER VALLEY AROUND 2 PM BEFORE HEADING INTO THE MANCHESTER...BOSTON AND PROVIDENCE AREAS AROUND 5 PM. WIND DAMAGE IS THE MAIN THREAT...BUT THERE IS ALSO THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ISOLATED TORNADO. THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BRING THE DANGER OF FREQUENT LIGHTNING. THE GREATEST RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER IS NORTH AND WEST OF I-95... ESPECIALLY NEAR THE CONNECTICUT RIVER VALLEY. THE THREAT IS MUCH LOWER ALONG THE SOUTH COAST...CAPE COD AND THE ISLANDS. THIS EXPECTATION IS BASED UPON LIMITED SUNSHINE OCCURRING TODAY. THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WOULD INCREASE ALONG AND OUTSIDE THE I-95 CORRIDOR SHOULD MORE SUNSHINE OCCUR. FLASH FLOOD THREAT...LOW. ALTHOUGH HEAVY RAINFALL IS EXPECTED IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALIZED AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR...SMALLER RIVERS AND STREAMS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN WITHIN THEIR BANKS. MINOR URBAN AND POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING IS MORE PROBABLE AT THIS TIME. THE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING WOULD INCREASE IF THUNDERSTORMS REPEATEDLY MOVE THROUGH THE SAME LOCATIONS. RAINFALL TOTALS OF ABOUT 5 INCHES OR MORE WOULD BE NEEDED TO BEGIN FLASH FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN (THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY)... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR SEVERE WEATHER...ESPECIALLY BETWEEN 2 PM AND 8 PM. SPOTTERS SHOULD ALSO REPORT RAINFALL TOTALS OF 2 INCHES OR MORE. JWD
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA 1151 AM EDT WED AUG 31 2005 CTZ002>004-MAZ002>022-026-NHZ011-012-015-RIZ001>007-312200- BARNSTABLE MA-BRISTOL RI-CENTRAL MIDDLESEX MA-CHESHIRE NH- EASTERN ESSEX MA-EASTERN FRANKLIN MA-EASTERN HAMPDEN MA- EASTERN HAMPSHIRE MA-EASTERN HILLSBOROUGH NH-EASTERN KENT RI- EASTERN NORFOLK MA-EASTERN PLYMOUTH MA-HARTFORD CT-NEWPORT RI- NORTHERN BRISTOL MA-NORTHERN WORCESTER MA-NORTHWEST MIDDLESEX MA- NORTHWEST PROVIDENCE RI-SOUTHEAST MIDDLESEX MA- SOUTHEAST PROVIDENCE RI-SOUTHERN BRISTOL MA-SOUTHERN PLYMOUTH MA- SOUTHERN WORCESTER MA-SUFFOLK MA-TOLLAND CT-WASHINGTON RI- WESTERN AND CENTRAL HILLSBOROUGH NH-WESTERN ESSEX MA- WESTERN FRANKLIN MA-WESTERN HAMPDEN MA-WESTERN HAMPSHIRE MA- WESTERN KENT RI-WESTERN NORFOLK MA-WESTERN PLYMOUTH MA-WINDHAM CT- 1151 AM EDT WED AUG 31 2005 ...THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING... A RATHER TROPICAL AIRMASS REMAINS IN PLACE ACROSS SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. IN RESPONSE TO ALL THIS MOISTURE...LOW CLOUDS AND SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS COVERED MUCH OF THE REGION. SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL DEPEND ON IF WE CAN SEE A FEW PEAKS OF SUNSHINE THIS AFTERNOON. IF THIS OCCURS...TEMPERATURES WILL SOAR INTO THE 80S CREATING AN UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE. WINDS IN THE UPPER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE ARE QUITE STRONG. THEREFORE...IF WE BECOME UNSTABLE ENOUGH THE THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP MAY QUICKLY BECOME SEVERE AND PRODUCE DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. IN ADDITION...THERE IS ENOUGH WIND SHEAR THAT AN ISOLATED TORNADO OR TWO IS POSSIBLE. ANY SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS THAT MOVE REPEATEDLY OVER THE SAME AREA WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORRENTIAL RAINFALL AND LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING...ESPECIALLY IN URBAN CENTERS AND AREAS OF POOR DRAINAGE. HOWEVER...WITH ALL THE LOW CLOUDS AND SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS AROUND SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT A GUARANTEE. THIS WILL DEPEND ON HOW MUCH SUNSHINE WE SEE THIS AFTERNOON WHICH STILL REMAINS UNCERTAIN. THE BEST CHANCE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANY SEVERE WEATHER WILL OCCUR BETWEEN 3 PM AND 11 PM. FRANK
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Massachusetts in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, August 2005
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: 5469444, 5469443.