Low pressure moving out of the Ohio Valley passed south of Southern New England on the 2nd and moved out to sea on the 3rd. This storm brought heavy snow to northwest Massachusetts, heavy rain and strong winds to central and eastern Massachusetts, and coastal flooding to the coastline.
Every event with a place to put it; 25 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.
Low pressure moving out of the Ohio Valley passed south of Southern New England on the 2nd and moved out to sea on the 3rd. This storm brought heavy snow to northwest Massachusetts, heavy rain and strong winds to central and eastern Massachusetts, and coastal flooding to the coastline. Moderate to major coastal flooding took place over three tide cycles due to astronomically high tides and a persistent northeast wind. This built a storm surge of two to four feet along the Massachusetts East Coast.
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 Mar 1, 10:25 PM EST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Taunton MA
1025 PM EST Thu Mar 1 2018
.SYNOPSIS...
A powerful coastal storm will impact the region with major
coastal flooding, damaging winds, possibly heavy wet snow to
the high terrain and fresh water flooding possible across Rhode
Island and eastern Massachusetts. Drier weather returns this
weekend, but with gusty northeast winds lasting through Monday.
Another weather system races east from the Pacific Coast and
brings rain or snow to our area midweek.
&&
.NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM FRIDAY MORNING/...
1030 Pm Update...
A couple of the changes to the forecast to account for current
trends. Pressure falls continue across the Delmarva as secondary
low begins to take shape. High pressure to the north with the
developing low to the south of the region is beginning to
tighten the pressure gradient across the region. This has been
noticed in the past hour as northeast wind gusts have recently
jumped to 20-25 kts across the region. This is only the
beginning to what looks like an epic wind event.
Aside from the wind, precip is beginning to move into
Connecticut and southern RI. While rain is light at first, some
moderate rainfall across NYC and northern NJ will move into the
region over the next few hours. This rainfall will drop vsbys
down to 3-4 SM. Temperatures across the east slope of the Berks
are still in the upper 30s to low 40s as of 1000 PM. As we go
through the evening into the overnight hours, BUFKIT soundings
show that thermal profile will begin to cool as secondary low
drags cold air into the region. Thus could see a few inches of
on and off rain and wet snowfall across the east slope of the
Berks. Will continue to fine tune this portion of the forecast.
Overall the main hazards with this storm remain on track tonight
and into tomorrow. This is shaping up to be a dangerous storm
and encourage all to follow local officials advice and
statements.
&&
.SHORT TERM /6 AM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY/...
*** Damaging Hurricane Force Wind Gusts Cape Cod & Islands ***
*** Major/Severe Coastal Flooding Friday & Saturday ***
*** Heavy Wet Snow and Power Outages High Terrain ***
*** Fresh Water Flooding Possible Rhode Island & eastern MA ***
Overview ...
Ingredients coming together for an extreme weather event with
multiple hazards across SNE Fri into Sat. Deepening mid level
trough diving to mid Atlc coast will result in near 300m height
fall center which will induce cyclogenesis near the benchmark
Fri with central pressure down into 970s. Low pres quasi-
stationary Fri as it gets captures under mid level low before
drifting slowly SE Fri night into Sat. Extremely dynamic system
with DT on GFS/NAM down to 700- 800 mb which is a pure
indication of how anomalous this storm is. In fact, 850/925 mb
wind anomalies are 6+ SD above normal which is about as extreme
as it gets. Extreme anomalies in the model atmosphere often
translate to extreme events in the real atmosphere. Major to
severe coastal flooding and damaging winds will be the most
significant aspects of this storm, life threatening in some
cases, but heavy rainfall and heavy wet snowfall are also a
concern and will also be significant.
Coastal flooding threat will be described in a separate section
below.
Damaging Wind Threat...
As mentioned above, low level wind anomalies up to 6+ SD above
normal which is a strong signal for an extreme wind event,
especially for the coast. Rather impressive NE low level jet
75-85 kt sets up across eastern New Eng and the adjacent waters
with 90+ kts east of New Eng. There are still some subtle
differences where the core of strongest winds set up, but the
general theme is the jet will be focused across eastern MA
during much of Fri as it lifts north of the Islands, before
shifting south across Cape/Islands late Fri/Fri night. Winds
will be ramping up in the morning but initially mixing may be
limited could prevent strongest winds from mixing down. Mixing
depth increases afternoon and Fri night when strongest winds
will be realized with potential for peak gusts up to 70-80 mph
over Cape/Islands. Wind field is quite expansive so much of SNE
will experience strong to damaging wind gusts, especially
eastern New Eng. Gusts to 50-65 mph possible in the coastal
plain from BOS-PVD and SE MA with 40-50 mph further in the
interior. High wind warnings expanded to all of RI through NE MA
with wind advisories further west in the interior. At least
scattered power outages with numerous trees down is likely which
will be exacerbated by any accumulation of heavy wet snow.
Heavy Wet Snow Threat...
This is the most difficult aspect of the storm, due to thermal
differences in the models as well as marginal BL temps. NAM is
the coldest of the guidance while GFS is warmest with ECMWF in
between but closer to the NAM. Most of the HREF suite of hi-res
guidance is also cold and close to the NAM. Given we are
dealing with a situation with cooling temps aloft and marginal
BL temps within area of strong omega, potential for dynamic
cooling of the column suggests colder scenario may play out
where heavy precip and strong omega occurs. Very difficult
snowfall forecast as marginal change in BL temps as well as
changes in intensity of precip will result in precip flipping
between rain and snow and vice versa. Elevation will certainly
play a major role in snow accum but can't rule out some accum in
the coastal plain. Ptype may be mostly snow mixed with rain at
times over higher elevations of Berkshires during Fri, but
thermals are warmer to the east suggesting more rain than snow
Worcester hills. However, the guidance is suggesting cooling in
the lower levels from mid afternoon into Fri night with
continued strong omega resulting in rain likely flipping to snow
rest of higher terrain and eventually even across the coastal
plain including BOS-PVD and SE MA after 00z when there is still
a decent slug of precip to move through. Should see a good thump
of snow in the Berkshires and possibly northern Worcester Hills
with potential for 6-12 inches, heaviest in the Berkshires
where there will be some upslope. In a worst case scenario there
is a low risk for amounts up to 20 inches in the Berkshires but
everything would have to come together with precip remaining
mostly all snow and not confident in that. Elsewhere, we think
there is potential for 3-6 inches higher terrain in northern CT
and NW RI with 1-3 inches coastal plain from BOS-PVD and CT
Valley. Most of the accum will likely be on non paved colder
surfaces as temps will be above freezing, except higher
elevations where it'll be a but colder.
Confidence in snow amounts is moderate in the Berkshires and
northern Worcester hills but low everywhere else due to ptype
uncertainty. It is possible the coastal plain sees little
snowfall. It only takes about 4 inches of heavy wet snow to
bring down tree limbs resulting in isolated power outages so
potential for significant impact in the higher elevations if
higher snowfall is realized. Watches were converted to warnings
for the Berkshires and higher elevations northern Worcester
county, but continued the watch for southern Worcester county
where confidence is lower.
Heavy Rain Threat...
Still looking at the risk for 2-4 inches of rainfall with
greatest threat over RI and southeast MA where isolated amounts
could reach 5 inches. Tremendous low level convergence is noted
at the nose of a persistent low level jet which will result in
heavy rainfall during most of Friday. Flood Watch continues with
greatest risk for flooding across RI and southeast MA.
Saturday...
Some leftover rain/snow showers possible in eastern New Eng,
otherwise clouds should give way to partial clearing by late in
the day. Still very windy, especially in the morning with strong
gradient in place and steeper low level lapse rates. Soundings
show potential for 50-65 mph gusts Cape/Islands, 40-50 mph
BOS-PVD corridor and SE MA and 25-40 mph to the west of I-95.
Winds will be diminishing in the afternoon.
&&
.LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/...
Big Picture...
Longwave pattern shows ridge east/trough west this weekend,
then flattens during the week. Shortwave pattern shows one
storm during the long-term period. This system enters the
Pacific Coast Saturday and then moves east across the nation
and reaching the East Coast midweek.
The model mass and thermal fields are similar Sunday and show a
similar setup of ridges and troughs during the week. However,
even on Monday there are significant differences in the
placement of those ridges and troughs. Thermal fields also show
differences by Monday. Thus confidence in the forecast is
moderate at best and potentially low for Wednesday.
Details...
Sunday through Tuesday...
Offshore storm continues to move out to sea while high pressure
builds south into Quebec. The pressure gradient between the two
systems will maintain a northeast flow across Southern New
England Sunday and Monday. This flow is strongest Sunday, and
diminishes Monday. Moisture profiles show dry air above 750 mb
and very moist air below 850 mb. This suggests mainly cloudy
skies, especially in Eastern Mass where the northeast flow is
off the water. There is a low chance of showers, primarily in
the onshore northeast flow over Cape Cod and Plymouth County.
Low confidence, and individual models show at most 0.01 inch at
any one time, so we will show slight chance pops in that area.
Otherwise dry weather.
Low level mixing profile reaches at least 925 mb and likely 900
mb, with temperatures at that level supporting max sfc temps in
the low 40s each day. Dew points in the 20s to around 30 should
support min sfc temps roughly 25-35.
Sunday winds in the mixed layer will be near 25 knots in
Western areas and near 40 knots Cape Cod and Islands, so we
have adjusted gusts to these levels. Monday winds in the
similar mixed layer are a little less.
Weak high pressure ridge builds over the region Tuesday and
maintains the dry weather and similar temperatures.
Wednesday-Thursday...
As noted above, there is a consensus that a Pacific shortwave
will cross the country, redeveloping off the East Coast either
Tuesday night or Wednesday. The coastal storm then sweeps east
and northeast, passing offshore of Southern New England. Models
agree on the event, but disagree on the timing of the storm
passage as well as the distance offshore that it passes. Model
QPF fields show the highest values along our south coast or
offshore. Temperature profiles show mostly snow, but sfc temps
show potential for rain or a rain/snow mix.
We will indicate chance pops starting Wednesday and diminishing
west to east Thursday. Highest values will be along the South
Coast. The forecast will show potential for both rain and snow
at this time.
&&
.AVIATION /03Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
Forecaster Confidence Levels...
Low - less than 30 percent.
Moderate - 30 to 60 percent.
High - greater than 60 percent.
Short Term /through Saturday/...
Tonight...VFR dropping to IFR through the night. Rain will
overspread the region but some sleet/snow is possible across the
high terrain of the Berks and ORH hills.
NE winds will increase up to 15-30 kt around or after 06Z.
Gusts up to 35 kt possible across coastal terminals toward
daybreak. LLWS likely up to 50-70 kt at 2000 ft after 09Z.
Reduced visibility in rain, mixed with snow at times inland, and
patchy fog.
Friday...Mainly IFR. Strong winds with gusts to 55-60 kt
Worcester Hills and east, including S RI. RA, mixing with SN
across inland areas after 18Z.
Friday Night...Mixed IFR/MVFR. Strong winds with gusts to 55 kt
Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts. RA along the coast with
mixed RA/SN inland, then changing to SN during the night.
Saturday...MVFR cigs improve to VFR by the afternoon. Lingering
5 mile vsbys in rain and patches of 2 mile vsbys in snow early.
Conditions linger at 2000 foot ceilings and 5 mile vsbys in rain
on Cape Cod and Islands. Over the remainder of Southern New
England conditions will improve to VFR.
KBOS Terminal...High confidence in TAFs.
KBDL Terminal...High confidence in TAFs.
Outlook /Saturday Night through Tuesday/...
Saturday Night: Mainly VFR, with local IFR possible. Strong
winds with gusts to 40 kt.
Sunday: Mainly VFR. Strong winds with gusts to 45 kt, strongest
over Cape Cod and Islands.
Sunday Night: VFR. Strong winds with local gusts to 40 kt,
mainly on Cape Cod and Islands.
Monday through Monday Night: Mainly VFR. Windy with gusts to 35
kt.
Tuesday: Mainly VFR. Breezy.
&&
.MARINE...
Forecaster Confidence Levels...
Low - less than 30 percent.
Moderate - 30 to 60 percent.
High - greater than 60 percent.
Short Term /through Saturday/...High confidence.
Tonight...
Low pressure forming off the mid Atlc coast moves south of the
waters overnight, headed toward the 40N/70W benchmark. NE winds
over the waters will increase to gale force across the waters
after 1 AM/06Z. Visibility lowers in rain and fog mostly after
midnight. Seas will build up to 6-10 ft overnight.
Friday through Saturday...
Extremely dangerous marine conditions expected Friday through
Saturday with much of the period characterized by storm force
winds and seas across ocean exposed waters over 20 feet. There
is a period Friday afternoon and Friday night when we anticipate
hurricane force wind gusts and seas 25 to 35 feet across the
ocean exposed eastern coastal waters. Seas may actually approach
40 feet Friday evening just east of Cape Cod.
Outlook /Saturday Night through Tuesday/...
Confidence...High.
Northeast winds and seas will gradually subside Sunday through
Tuesday. Gales will continue through the weekend. We will
probably still have seas high enough to warrant Small Craft
Advisories even into Tuesday.
&&
.HYDROLOGY...
While coastal flooding is one of the main threats with this
system, we will also have to keep a close eye on the river
flooding aspect. Many streams are flowing above to well above
normal for this time of year, due to mild weather which melted
any snow pack and a steady feed of rain events during the month
of February.
A Flood Watch continues for north central to northeast CT, all
of RI, and eastern MA from Friday morning into Saturday morning.
This upcoming storm is expected to bring 1.5 to 4 inches of QPF,
with the highest amounts across RI and eastern MA. The rain is
expected to mix with or change over to snow, so some QPF will
be frozen. The rain that does fall will likely result in areas
of minor stream and river flooding with in the Flood Watch area,
with pockets of moderate flooding possible. A River Flood
Warning has already been issued for the Pawtuxet River at
Cranston with moderate flooding forecast. Significant urban and
poor drainage flooding is also possible within the Flood Watch
area. Minor urban and poor drainage flooding is still possible
across interior MA, although a potential changeover to snow
should limit the extent of flooding.
In addition...due to the extent of storm surge expected with the
midday Friday, Friday night and Saturday high tides, saltwater
will likely elevate river levels along tidally affected rivers
and streams, and could result in flooding away from the
immediate shoreline. This could occur along some east coastal MA
as well as south coastal MA/RI rivers.
&&
.TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...
Coastal Flood Warning is now in effect for east coastal
Massachusetts.
Confidence is fairly high for three high tide cycles of moderate to
major coastal flooding and a 4th high tide cycle of minor to
moderate coastal flooding Saturday night along the Massachusetts
east coast. Beach erosion for this event is expected to be extreme.
The main uncertainty is just how fast surge and seas ramp up during
Friday morning and just how high they remain for the Friday night
and Saturday midday high tide cycles.
Our best estimate at this time is that the surge will increase to
near 3 feet about the time of the Friday late morning high tide,
near 5 feet during the Friday late afternoon/early evening low tide,
near 4 feet for the Friday night high tide, and 3 to 3.5 feet for
the Saturday midday high tide. We anticipate waves to build to near
20 feet about the time of the late Friday morning high tide, peak 30
to 35 feet (except 35 to 40 feet east of Cape Cod) for Friday
evening, 25 to 30 feet during the Friday night high tide, and 20 to
25 feet (but with 13 to 14 second periods) for the Saturday midday
high tide.
Many have asked how this event will compare to January 4. Our
thinking is that water levels will most likely approach the January
4 levels for possibly all three high tide cycles from Friday through
Saturday. A worst case scenario would have one of the tides go a
little above the January 4 record level. For Boston, anticipate all
three high tide cycles will have water levels in the vicinity of
14.5 to 15.0 feet MLLW, but a worst case scenario could bring it as
high as 15.5 feet MLLW.
For ocean exposed coastal communities along eastern Massachusetts,
waves on top of elevated water levels will likely result in damage
to shoreline structures, conceivably during all three high tide
cycles. Many neighborhoods will likely become isolated, some for
extended period of time. The water will be extremely slow to
evacuate after the late Friday morning high tide, and pockets of
coastal flooding may persist all the way to the following Friday
night high tide.
Another big issue with this event will be severe to extreme beach
erosion over multiple high tide cycles. This could seriously
compromise protective dunes and sea walls in some spots and increase
vulnerability to some areas during the course of the event.
Along the Rhode Island exposed south coast, elevated water levels
and swells may produce areas of minor coastal flooding and
potentially moderate to rather severe beach erosion. A Coastal Flood
Advisory is in effect for that area.
&&
.BOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CT...Flood Watch from 7 AM EST Friday through Saturday morning for
CTZ002>004.
Wind Advisory from 7 AM Friday to 7 AM EST Saturday for
CTZ002>004.
MA...High Wind Warning from 10 AM Friday to 10 AM EST Saturday for
MAZ013-015>024.
Flood Watch from 7 AM EST Friday through Saturday morning for
MAZ005>007-013>024.
Coastal Flood Advisory from 7 AM Friday to 11 PM EST Saturday
for MAZ020.
Coastal Flood Warning from 9 AM Friday to 3 AM EST Sunday for
MAZ007-015-016-019-022>024.
High Wind Warning from 10 AM Friday to 7 AM EST Saturday for
MAZ005>007-012-014.
Wind Advisory from 7 AM Friday to 7 AM EST Saturday for MAZ003-
004-010-011-026.
Winter Storm Watch from Friday afternoon through Saturday
morning for MAZ012.
Winter Storm Warning from 4 AM Friday to 4 AM EST Saturday for
MAZ002-008-009.
Winter Storm Warning from noon Friday to 4 AM EST Saturday for
MAZ004-026.
RI...High Wind Warning from 10 AM Friday to 10 AM EST Saturday for
RIZ002-004>008.
Flood Watch from 7 AM EST Friday through Saturday morning for
RIZ001>008.
Coastal Flood Advisory from 7 AM Friday to 11 PM EST Saturday
for RIZ002-004>008.
High Wind Warning from 10 AM Friday to 7 AM EST Saturday for
RIZ001-003.
MARINE...Hurricane Force Wind Warning from 1 PM Friday to 7 AM EST
Saturday for ANZ232-254>256.
Storm Warning from 1 PM Friday to 7 AM EST Saturday for
ANZ233>237.
Storm Warning from 7 AM Friday to 1 AM EST Saturday for ANZ230.
Hurricane Force Wind Warning from 1 PM Friday to 1 AM EST
Saturday for ANZ231-250-251.
&&
SYNOPSIS...WTB/EVT
NEAR TERM...Dunten
SHORT TERM...KJC
LONG TERM...WTB
AVIATION...WTB/EVT
MARINE...WTB/EVT/Thompson
HYDROLOGY...NMB
TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...ThompsonHazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Taunton MA 449 PM EST Thu Mar 1 2018 MAZ004-026-022200- Northern Worcester MA-Northern Middlesex MA- 449 PM EST Thu Mar 1 2018 ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM FRIDAY TO 7 AM EST SATURDAY... ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON FRIDAY TO 4 AM EST SATURDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Massachusetts and eastern Massachusetts. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Hazardous weather is not expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Wind Advisory. Winter Storm Warning. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. MAZ005-006-014-RIZ001-003-022200- Central Middlesex MA-Western Essex MA-Southeast Middlesex MA- Northwest Providence RI-Western Kent RI- 449 PM EST Thu Mar 1 2018 ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING... ...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM FRIDAY TO 7 AM EST SATURDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for eastern Massachusetts, northeastern Massachusetts and northern Rhode Island. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Hazardous weather is not expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Flood Watch. High Wind Warning. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. MAZ002-008-009-022200- Western Franklin MA-Western Hampshire MA-Western Hampden MA- 449 PM EST Thu Mar 1 2018 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM FRIDAY TO 4 AM EST SATURDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for western Massachusetts. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Winter Storm Warning. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Winter Storm Warning. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. MAZ003-010-011-022200- Eastern Franklin MA-Eastern Hampshire MA-Eastern Hampden MA- 449 PM EST Thu Mar 1 2018 ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM FRIDAY TO 7 AM EST SATURDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for western Massachusetts. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Hazardous weather is not expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Wind Advisory. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. MAZ007-022200- Eastern Essex MA- 449 PM EST Thu Mar 1 2018 ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING... ...COASTAL FLOOD WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM FRIDAY TO 3 AM EST SUNDAY... ...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM FRIDAY TO 7 AM EST SATURDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northeastern Massachusetts. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Hazardous weather is not expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Flood Watch. Coastal Flood Warning. High Wind Warning. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. CTZ002>004-022200- Hartford CT-Tolland CT-Windham CT- 449 PM EST Thu Mar 1 2018 ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM FRIDAY TO 7 AM EST SATURDAY... ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northern Connecticut. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Hazardous weather is not expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Flood Watch. Wind Advisory. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. MAZ020-RIZ002-004>008-022200- Southern Bristol MA-Southeast Providence RI-Eastern Kent RI- Bristol RI-Washington RI-Newport RI-Block Island RI- 449 PM EST Thu Mar 1 2018 ...COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM FRIDAY TO 11 PM EST SATURDAY... ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING... ...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM FRIDAY TO 10 AM EST SATURDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for southeastern Massachusetts, northern Rhode Island and southern Rhode Island. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Hazardous weather is not expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Flood Watch. Coastal Flood Advisory. High Wind Warning. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. MAZ015-016-019-022>024-022200- Suffolk MA-Eastern Norfolk MA-Eastern Plymouth MA-Barnstable MA- Dukes MA-Nantucket MA- 449 PM EST Thu Mar 1 2018 ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING... ...COASTAL FLOOD WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM FRIDAY TO 3 AM EST SUNDAY... ...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM FRIDAY TO 10 AM EST SATURDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for eastern Massachusetts and southeastern Massachusetts. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Hazardous weather is not expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Flood Watch. Coastal Flood Warning. High Wind Warning. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. MAZ013-017-018-021-022200- Western Norfolk MA-Northern Bristol MA-Western Plymouth MA- Southern Plymouth MA- 449 PM EST Thu Mar 1 2018 ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING... ...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM FRIDAY TO 10 AM EST SATURDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for eastern Massachusetts and southeastern Massachusetts. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Hazardous weather is not expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Flood Watch. High Wind Warning. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. MAZ012-022200- Southern Worcester MA- 449 PM EST Thu Mar 1 2018 ...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM FRIDAY TO 7 AM EST SATURDAY... ...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Massachusetts. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Hazardous weather is not expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. High Wind Warning. Winter Storm Watch. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. ANZ234-022200- Buzzards Bay- 449 PM EST Thu Mar 1 2018 ...STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM FRIDAY TO 7 AM EST SATURDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for Massachusetts coastal waters. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Hazardous weather is not expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Storm Warning. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. ANZ232-254>256-022200- Nantucket Sound- Coastal waters from Provincetown MA to Chatham MA to Nantucket MA out 20 nm- Coastal Waters extending out to 25 nm South of Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket- Coastal Waters from Montauk NY to Marthas Vineyard extending out to 20 nm South of Block Island- 449 PM EST Thu Mar 1 2018 ...HURRICANE FORCE WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM FRIDAY TO 7 AM EST SATURDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for Massachusetts coastal waters and Rhode Island coastal waters. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Hazardous weather is not expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Hurricane Force Wind Warning. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. ANZ231-250-251-022200- Cape Cod Bay- Coastal waters east of Ipswich Bay and the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary-Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay- 449 PM EST Thu Mar 1 2018 ...HURRICANE FORCE WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM FRIDAY TO 1 AM EST SATURDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for Massachusetts coastal waters. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Hazardous weather is not expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Hurricane Force Wind Warning. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. ANZ233-235>237-022200- Vineyard Sound-Rhode Island Sound-Narragansett Bay- Block Island Sound- 449 PM EST Thu Mar 1 2018 ...STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM FRIDAY TO 7 AM EST SATURDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for Massachusetts coastal waters and Rhode Island coastal waters. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Hazardous weather is not expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Storm Warning. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. ANZ230-022200- Boston Harbor- 449 PM EST Thu Mar 1 2018 ...STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM FRIDAY TO 1 AM EST SATURDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for Massachusetts coastal waters. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Hazardous weather is not expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Storm Warning. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. For the latest updates...please visit our webpage at www.weather.gov/boston You can follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NWSBoston You can follow us on Twitter at @NWSBoston
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
17 high wind, 7 coastal flood, 1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall from one inch to twelve inches fell on Western Hampshire County, with the twelve inch amount at Plainfield in the northwest corner of the county.
There were numerous reports of downed trees in Western Middlesex County. At 6:45 PM EST, winds at Hanscom Field in Bedford gusted to 59 mph. At 4:26 AM EST a large tree was down across Wellesley Street in Weston. At 5:25 AM EST a tree blocked Parker Road in Dracut. At 5:30 AM EST a large tree was down on I-95 southbound between exits 43 and 42. At 7:35 AM EST a tree was down on Stony Brook Road in Burlington.
At 12:31 PM EST the Automated Surface Observing System platform at Lawrence Airport reported a wind gust to 59 mph. At 5:10 AM EST a tree was blocking Maple Street in Middleton. At 5:30 AM EST a tree was blocking route 125 in North Andover. At 7:26 AM EST a tree was blocking Surry Lane at Coach Lane in Boxford. At 8:10 AM EST a tree was down on Bachelor Street at Middle Street in West Newbury.
Numerous trees and some power lines were brought down. At 4:54 AM EST a large tree was blocking Larch Row in Wenham. At 5:16 AM EST trees and wires were down on Central Street in Saugus. At 6:08 AM EST a tree was blocking Gardner Street in Peabody. At 6:15 AM EST trees and wires were down on Fayette Court in Lynn. At 6:40 AM EST, a tree was down on Conomo Point Road and Town Farm Road in Essex.At 6:46 AM EST, a tree was down on Dunlap Street in Salem. At 8:10 AM EST a tree was down on Henry Street in Saugus. At 10:41 AM EST a mesonet station at Childrens Island in Marblehead reported a wind gust of 60 mph. At 11:40 AM EST a tree was down on a house on Linwood Street in Lynn.
At 5:23 AM EST, a tree was reported down on Stafford Street in Charlton. At 6:50 AM EST a tree was reported down on South Street in Shrewsbury. At 7:05 AM EST a tree was reported down on Marshall Terrace in Dudley. At 8:25 AM EST one person was injured when a tree fell on a car on Bryn Marr Avenue in Auburn. At 9:05 AM EST a large tree was reported down on Bigelow Road in Webster, near Mill Brook. At 9:10 AM EST a tree was reported down on Bolton Street in Marlborough. At Noon, a metal light pole fell onto two parked cars on Main Street in Worcester; there were no injuries. At 6:40 PM EST, a tree fell onto a car at 69 Flagg Street with one injury resulting. At 8:20 PM multiple trees were reported down in Worcester on Paine Street, Rowena Street, Forsberg Street, and Kenebec Street.
At 5:27 AM EST a tree was reported down on a house on Pearl Street in Woburn. At 5:33 AM EST a tree was reported down on Gray Street in Arlington. At 5:54 AM EST a tree was down on Prospect Street near Highland Avenue. At 6:40 AM EST a large tree was down and blocking Plainfield Street in Newton. At 6:50 AM EST a tree was down on wires on Dover Street in Medford. At 6:57 AM EST a tree was down on wires in Stoneham on Perkins Street at North Avenue. At 7:26 AM EST a tree was down and blocking Galileo Galilei Way at Broadway in Cambridge. At 7:30 AM EST a large tree was down on wires at Adam Street and Wilshire Road in Newton. At 7:40 AM EST a tree was down on a house on Nichols Avenue in Watertown. At 7:50 AM EST a tree was down on wires on Wynn Street in Woburn. At 9:25 AM EST a large tree was down on Merriam Street near Merriam Village in Weston. At 11:58 AM EST eight utility poles were down on Arsenal Street between Irving and School Streets.
At 5:32 PM EST the Automated Surface Observing System platform at Boston's Logan International Airport measured a wind gust of 70 mph. At 7:30 AM EST a tree was down on Stratton Street in Boston.
At 5:42 PM EST the Co-operative observer in Milton measured a wind gust to 73 mph. At 4:25 AM EST a tree was reported down on Greenleaf Street in Quincy. At 6 AM EST a tree was down on a house on Weybosset Street in Weymouth. At 6:05 AM EST a tree was blocking Commercial Street in Braintree. At 11:30 AM EST the roof was blown off a house on Prospect Hill Drive.
At 5:30 AM EST a tree was reported down on Rockland Street in Easton. At 5:50 AM EST a tree was down on Gilbert Street in Mansfield. At 6:15 AM EST a tree was down on New Street near Fairview Avenue in Rehoboth. At 7:10 AM EST a tree and wires were down on King Street in Raynham. At 7:15 AM EST a tree was down on Hill Street in Norton. At 7:50 AM EST a tree was down on Washington Street near Brown Street in South Attleboro. At 8:15 AM EST a tree was blocking Chestnut Street at Brook Street in Rehoboth. At 2:15 PM EST multiple trees were down on John Scott Boulevard and South Worcester Street.
At 6:13 AM EST a tree was down in Rockland across Salem Street near Union Street. At 8:35 AM EST a tree was down on Lake Street in Plympton. At 8:56 PM EST multiple trees and wires were reported down around East Bridgewater with some trees on top of houses. At 3:30 PM EST a tree fell on a car in a driveway on Cedar Street in Plympton, killing an occupant of the car.
At 6:15 PM EST a trained spotter in Marshfield reported a wind gust of 87 mph. At 7:43 PM EST the Fire Department in Scituate reported a wind gust of 80 mph. At 6:31 PM EST the Automated Surface Observation System platform at Plymouth Municipal Airport reported a wind gust of 70 mph. Between 6 AM and Noon there were numerous reports of trees down in Plymouth, Cohassett, Scituate, Hingham,and Hull; utility poles were reported down in Cohasset and Hingham.
At 2:54 PM EST an amateur radio operator in Fall River reported a wind gust to 68 mph. At 1:25 PM EST the Automated Surface Observation System platform at New Bedford Regional Airport reported a gust to 61 mph. At 9:15 AM EST a tree was reported down on Old Providence Road in Swansea, at the Seekonk town line. At 11:55 AM EST a widows walk was blown off the peak of a roof in New Bedford with some structural damage to the roof. Also at 11:55 AM, a utility pole in Fairhaven was snapped in half, and a large tree was brought down on Middleboro Road in Freetown. At 12:18 PM EST several utility poles were reported down on Fall River Avenue in Seekonk. At 8:56 PM EST multiple trees and wires were reported down in Mount Fair Circle in Swansea.
At 6:24 PM EST an amateur radio operator in Wareham reported a wind gust to 65 mph. At 9:20 PM EST an amateur radio operator in Mattapoisett reported several trees down.
At 6:24 PM EST an amateur radio operator in Wareham reported a wind gust to 65 mph. At 9:20 PM EST an amateur radio operator in Mattapoisett reported several trees down.
At 6:41 PM EST a trained spotter in Wellfleet reported a wind gust to 97 mph. At 5:15 PM EST a trained spotter in East Falmouth reported a sustained wind of 61 mph and a gust to 92 mph. At 6:04 PM EST an amateur radio operator in Barnstable reported a wind gust to 93 mph. At 9:20 PM EST multiple utility poles were reported down in West Yarmouth. Also at that time, a large tree was down on wires in Barnstable.
At 5:54 PM EST an amateur radio operator in Oak Bluffs reported a wind gust to 88 mph. At 6:06 PM EST an amateur radio operator in Vineyard Haven reported a gust to 75 mph. At 6:40 PM EST the Automated Surface Observation System platform at Marthas Vineyard Airport reported a gust to 67 mph.
At 7:17 PM EST an amateur radio operator on Nantucket reported a wind gust to 90 mph.
At 5:28 AM EST a tree was reported down on Furnace Street blocking the road. At 5:45 AM EST trees and wires were reported down on York Street in Stoughton. At 5:50 AM EST a tree was reported down on South Street in Avon. At 6:30 AM EST trees and wires were reported down on South Franklin Street in Holbrook. Also at 6:30 AM EST a tree was down near St Bridget's Parish at Plymouth and Central Streets in Abington. At 6:36 AM EST a tree was down on a house and a car on Argyle Road near Wilmarth Road in Randolph. At 7 AM EST a tree was reported down on Webster Street in Randolph. At 7:10 AM EST a tree was reported down on a car on Elliot Street in Norwood. At 7:50 AM EST a large tree was down on wires at the Lafayette House parking lot on U.S. Route 1 in Foxborough. At 4 PM EST a large tree was reported down at Farrington Street and Independence Drive.
Extensive moderate to major coastal flooding was reported along the Essex County coastline for three tide cycles on March 2nd and 3rd. Flooding occurred in Salisbury on Berry Road, First Street, Broadway, and Reservation Road. In Ipswich, flooding closed Jeffreys Neck Road, Water Street, Pine Swamp Road, and Argilla Road. In Essex Conomo Road was closed by flooding. State Route 133 was closed at Southern Avenue and Martin Street. In Gloucester flooding occurred on Essex Avenue at Western Avenue, and at the Cape Ann Marina. Nautilus Road and Washington Streets were closed. Water levels were above the footbridge at Good Harbor. In Danvers flooding entered buildings along Broad Street. In Marblehead flooding closed Front Street. Grace Oliver Beach and Fort Sewell areas closed. In Salem Bridge Street and Commercial Street covered by flooding. In Lynn flooding covered Camden, Bates, and River Streets. Western Avenue was closed at Fox Hill Bridge, and Summer Street closed at GE Field. The Nahant Causeway was closed. In Saugus flooding covered Ballard Street. In Swampscott Atlantic Avenue, Puritan Road, Humphrey Road, Woodvine Avenue and Beach Bluff were closed. Yards along Seaview Avenue are flooded.|In Nahant, Fox Hill Road, Castle Road, and Willow Road were closed.
Extensive moderate to major coastal flooding was reported. In Revere...Mills Avenue, River Avenue, Revere Beach Parkway closed. In Winthrop the Winthrop Causeway and Winthrop Shore Drive were closed. Flooding occurred near the Winthrop Yacht Club. In Boston, there was flooding on Sleeper Street in South Boston. Portions of Causeway Street, Morton Street, Bennington Street, B Street, and Atlantic Avenue were closed. In Dorchester, Morrissey Blvd was closed.
In Quincy...Quincy Shore Drive, Brackett Street, Sea Street, East Squantum Street, Shore Drive, Salt Point Road, and Norfolk Avenue were closed. In Weymouth, Fore River Avenue was flooded. River Street had two feet of water. Fore Point Road was impassable. In Braintree Howard Street and Edgehill Road were closed.
In Hull...Atlantic Avenue was flooded and barely passable. The A Street Pier was submerged. There was a complete loss of protective dunes along sections of North Nantasket Beach. In Hingham...Kilby and Rockland Streets flooded. Car trapped at Otis and North Streets. In Cohassett...Elm Street, Border Street, Summer Street, and Margin Street closed. Jerusalem Road at Bow Street was closed. Atlantic Avenue was closed. A four to five foot sand bank formed across Atlantic Avenue. In Scituate...Surfside Road was impassable, and there was severe erosion and lowering of dunes along North Humarock Beach. Damage was reported for over 200 homes in Scituate, with 25 to 50 homes destroyed. Car on Newport and Central Avenues trapped with water up to the door handles. Gannet Road was closed. In Duxbury...King Caesar Road was closed. Severe erosion and lowering of dunes along Duxbury Beach. In Kingston...Landing Road at the railroad bridge was closed.|In Plymouth...Warren Avenue near Burts Restaurant was closed. Water Street at Union Street was closed. Brewster Street at Water Street was closed. Taylor Avenue at White Horse Beach was closed.
At 11:52 AM State Route 6A in Sandwich was reported impassable in both directions at Scorton Creek. At the same time Scorton Creek flooded Marshview Circle. Twenty-four homes were condemned in Sandwich due to coastal flooding. At 11:57 AM Cove Road in Orleans and an adjacent parking lot were flooded, while Rock Harbor Road and Bridge Road were reported flooded and impassable; buildings at Nauset Beach in Orleans destroyed. In Chatham there was a collapsed seawall at Minister's Point, and there was substantial erosion and overwash along North Beach Island.
At 11 AM EST in Vineyard Haven Lagoon Pond Road, Water Street, and Beach Road were closed due to flooding. At the same time, Seaview Avenue and Beach Road in Oak Bluffs were closed due to flooding; Beach Road had a road washout adjacent to the seawall. Beach Road by the seawall was again closed due to flooding on the morning of March 3rd.
At 12:15 PM EST, Washington Street in the main settlement of Nantucket was reported flooded and impassable.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind, Western Plymouth | 2018-03-02 | 36 | Male | Under Tree | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Massachusetts in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, March 2018
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: 742347, 742375, 742381, 742390, 742931, 742938, 742939, 742947, 742952, 742954, 742957, 742958, 742960, 742961, 742962, 742964, 742965, 742932, 742995, 743002, 743012, 743021, 744230, 744232, 744233.