Name: Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Massachusetts, February 26 to 27, 2010
Start: 2010-02-26T06:00
End: 2010-02-27T19:00
Location: Massachusetts

Where it happened

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.

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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 ALY wrote it up.

A powerful storm impacted the region, the second in just a couple of days bringing heavy rainfall and a heavy wet snow to the local area. The heavy wet snow resulted in additional and continued widespread power outages across the Berkshires, downed trees and power lines, treacherous travel and road closures. In addition to the heavy precipitation, strong and gusty winds developed Thursday night into Friday morning along the east facing slopes of the Berkshires with gusts up to 50 mph.

An area of low pressure developed south of Long Island Thursday, February 25th, and rapidly deepened Thursday night as it drifted northwestward into southern New England. The low began to weaken on Friday moving little, then moved gradually eastward Friday night and Saturday.

During the day Thursday precipitation overspread the area. The rain snow line set up just to the west of the Hudson River Valley in New York State. Colder air eventually worked into the Berkshires Friday changing the precipitation to all snow. By the time the snow came to an end, snowfall totals of 1 to 2 feet were reported across the higher terrain, with lesser amounts of 5 to 8 inches generally below 1000 feet. The liquid equivalent precipitation totals from the storm were 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches.

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 Albany, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 25, 6:51 PM EST, 11 hours 9 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 25, 6:51 PM EST, 11 hours 9 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 25, 3:52 PM EST, 14 hours 8 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, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Northern Berkshire

When: February 26, 6:00 AM EST to February 27, 7:00 PM EST
Where: Northern Berkshire forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.371, -73.206 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Southern Berkshire

When: February 26, 8:00 AM EST to February 27, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Southern Berkshire forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.371, -73.206 (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.
Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Massachusetts in 2010 Every state in 2010 This day in weather history Warnings in Massachusetts, February 2010

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: 215850, 215851.