Massachusetts, 2018

Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, January 16 to 17, 2018

January 16 to 17, 2018 · NWS ALY · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A low pressure system approached from the west on January 16th, allowing a gradual increase in light to moderate snowfall during the evening hours. Overnight, energy was transferred to a coastal low, which brought a period of moderate to heavy snow.

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 low pressure system approached from the west on January 16th, allowing a gradual increase in light to moderate snowfall during the evening hours. Overnight, energy was transferred to a coastal low, which brought a period of moderate to heavy snow. The snowfall continued into the early afternoon of January 17th before tapering off. Snowfall accumulation generally ranged from 7 to 11 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 Jan 16, 3:44 PM EST, 1 hour 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 16, 3:44 PM EST, 1 hour 16 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 16, 3:08 PM EST, 1 hour 52 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 16, 11:18 AM EST, 5 hours 42 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 16, 12:04 PM EST, 4 hours 56 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 16, 12:58 PM EST, 4 hours 2 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 16, 1:36 PM EST, 3 hours 24 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 16, 3:18 PM EST, 1 hour 42 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 16, 3:45 PM EST, 1 hour 15 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

2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Northern Berkshire

When
January 16, 5:00 PM EST to January 17, 3:00 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)

Heavy Snow, Southern Berkshire

When
January 16, 5:00 PM EST to January 17, 3:00 PM 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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Massachusetts in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, January 2018

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: 730521, 730522.