Coastal Flood and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, September 22, 2020

Name: Coastal Flood and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, September 22, 2020
Start: 2020-09-22T11:00
End: 2020-09-22T17:15
Location: Massachusetts

September 22, 2020 · NWS BOX · 6 events in 4 counties and zones

Hurricane Teddy passed well to the east of Massachusetts, as it headed toward the Canadian maritime provinces. Strong winds gusted to between 40 and 47 mph in eastern Massachusetts.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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: $2,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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.

Hurricane Teddy passed well to the east of Massachusetts, as it headed toward the Canadian maritime provinces. Strong winds gusted to between 40 and 47 mph in eastern Massachusetts. Also, a storm surge of up to 2.5 feet, combined with relatively high astronomical tides, produced mainly minor coastal flooding in eastern and southeastern Massachusetts.

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 Sep 21, 5:43 PM EST, 17 hours 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 21, 5:43 PM EST, 17 hours 17 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 21, 3:22 PM EST, 19 hours 38 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 coastal flood, 2 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Barnstable

When: September 22, 11:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
Where: Barnstable forecast zone
Measured: 41 kt (47 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: Amateur Radio
Coordinates: 41.684, -70.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong winds occurred from about Noon EDT until 3 PM EDT on Cape Cod. Some peak gusts from mesonet sites included 47 mph at Chapin Beach in Dennis; 45 mph at Hatch Beach in Eastham; 45 mph at Kalmus Beach in Barnstable; and 43 mph at Chatham. The AWOS at the MA Military Reservation/Otis AFB recorded a gust to 43 mph at 255 PM EDT. The ASOS at Hyannis recorded a gust to 39 mph at 211 PM EDT. In Hyannis at 140 PM EDT, a tree was down on a driveway on Gray Lane. In Orleans at 216 PM EDT, a tree was down on Brick Hill Road near Dylan's Way.

Strong Wind, Eastern Plymouth

When: September 22, 12:00 PM EST to 1:45 PM EST
Where: Eastern Plymouth forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $500
Reported by: Amateur Radio
Coordinates: 42.079, -70.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong winds gusted to between 35 and 40 mph between 1 PM EDT and 245 PM EDT in eastern Plymouth County. At 134 PM EDT, a mesonet site in Duxbury recorded a gust to 40 mph. At 131 PM EDT, the ASOS at Plymouth Airport (KPYM) recorded a gust to 36 mph. In Norwell, at 233 PM EDT, a tree was blown down on Stetson Road.

Coastal Flood, Suffolk

When: September 22, 2:08 PM EST
Where: Suffolk forecast zone
Reported by: Amateur Radio
Coordinates: 42.264, -71.125 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

In Boston at 308 PM EDT, two southbound lanes on Morrissey Blvd. between Freeport Street and UMass-Boston were closed due to coastal flooding.

Coastal Flood, Barnstable

When: September 22, 2:24 PM EST to 5:15 PM EST
Where: Barnstable forecast zone
Reported by: Amateur Radio
Coordinates: 41.684, -70.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

In Yarmouth at 324 PM EDT, minor flooding was reported in the parking lot at Grey's Beach and at 615 PM EDT, there was two feet of coastal flooding on Shore Road. In Chatham at 430 PM EDT, there was minor street flooding in the Little Beach area along Little Beach Road up to Seagull Road and there was flooding on Old Wharf Road and Salt Pond Road at Scatteree Road. Also in Chatham at 608 PM EDT, there was 3 feet of coastal flooding on Seagull Road just south of Starfish Lane.

Coastal Flood, Eastern Essex

When: September 22, 3:17 PM EST to 4:10 PM EST
Where: Eastern Essex forecast zone
Reported by: Amateur Radio
Coordinates: 42.639, -70.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

In Lynn, minor coastal flooding was reported on Summer Street at 417 PM EDT and splashover was reported along Lynn Beach at 500 PM EDT. In Marblehead at 436 PM EDT, splashover was reported on Front Street near Fort Sewall. In Salisbury at 510 PM EDT, Beach Road (Route 1A) by the Salisbury Beach State Reservation was flooded due to coastal flooding.

Coastal Flood, Eastern Plymouth

When: September 22, 4:32 PM EST
Where: Eastern Plymouth forecast zone
Reported by: Amateur Radio
Coordinates: 42.079, -70.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

In Scituate at 532 PM EDT, minor coastal flooding was reported on Central Avenue, between Newport Avenue and Newell Street.

What these are

Strong Wind: Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.
Coastal Flood: Flooding of coastal land by the sea, from storm surge, onshore wind or high tides.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Massachusetts in 2020 Every state in 2020 This day in weather history Warnings in Massachusetts, September 2020

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: 917286, 917289, 917386, 917312, 917387, 917388.