Massachusetts, 2009

High Wind in Massachusetts, October 24 to 25, 2009

October 24 to 25, 2009 · NWS BOX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A warm front brought rain and warm temperatures to much of Southern New England before a cold front swept through during the late evening/overnight hours bringing gusty winds but an end to the rain.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$45,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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 warm front brought rain and warm temperatures to much of Southern New England before a cold front swept through during the late evening/overnight hours bringing gusty winds but an end to the rain.

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 Oct 24, 1:14 PM EST, 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 24, 1:14 PM EST, 24 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 24, 3:12 AM EST, 10 hours 26 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

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Eastern Norfolk

When
October 24, 1:38 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where
Eastern Norfolk forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
Amateur Radio
Coordinates
42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Automated Surface Observing System at Blue Hill Observatory and Science Center in Milton, MA (KMQE) recorded sustained wind speeds to 37 mph and gusts up to 52 mph. Reports of damage include: large tree limbs down in Hingham and a tree down in Braintree.

High Wind, Southern Bristol

When
October 24, 7:22 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where
Southern Bristol forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
Amateur Radio
Coordinates
41.757, -71.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Automated Surface Observing System at New Bedford Regional Airport (KEWB) recorded sustained wind speeds up to 32 mph and gusts to 47 mph. In addition, the Narragansett Bay PORTS system at Fall River recorded sustained wind speeds to 35 mph and a wind gust to 56 mph. Reports of damage include: large branches and trees downed in New Bedford, Somerset, Westport, Fairhaven, and Dartmouth.

High Wind, Barnstable

When
October 24, 8:45 PM EST to October 25, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Barnstable forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
Amateur Radio
Coordinates
41.684, -70.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Automated Weather Observing System at the Cape Cod Coast Guard Air Station (KFMH) recorded sustained winds to 31 mph. In addition, spotters across Barnstable county reported wind gusts up to 60 mph. Reports of damage included: large branches downed in Sandwich and Falmouth and trees down in Bourne and Sandwich.

High Wind, Eastern Plymouth

When
October 24, 10:24 PM EST to October 25, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Eastern Plymouth forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
Amateur Radio
Coordinates
42.079, -70.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Automated Surface Observing System at Plymouth Municipal Airport (KPYM) recorded sustained wind speeds of 32 mph with gusts to 46 mph. In addition, spotters reported wind gusts up to 58 mph. Trees in Duxbury were downed by these winds.

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Massachusetts in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, October 2009

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: 196345, 196313, 196309, 196344.