Strong Wind in Massachusetts
Every strong wind event the National Weather Service has filed in Massachusetts, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.
The most significant on the map
The most significant strong wind episodes in Massachusetts.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 2,133
- Deaths
- 8
- Injuries
- 34
- Damage
- $6.1 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Blizzard and Coastal Flood in Massachusetts, March 26, 2014A large ocean storm intensified very quickly off the east coast of the United States. This storm brought extremely strong winds (gusting to over 80 mph) and heavy snow to the Cape and Islands.
- Blizzard and Coastal Flood in Massachusetts, January 26 to 28, 2015An historic winter storm brought heavy snow to southern New England with blizzard conditions to much of Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts, beginning during the day on Monday, January 26 and lasting into the early morning hours of Tuesday, January 27.
- High Wind and Winter Weather in Massachusetts, April 3, 2016An intensifying clipper low pressure system passed north of southern New England, bringing an arctic cold front through the area. This resulted in snow across much of the region and strong, damaging winds near the coast.
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, February 17, 2006A strong cold front swept across southern New England from late Friday morning through the afternoon hours of 17 February 2006, producing high winds across most of Massachusetts.
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, January 18, 2006An intensifying low pressure system moved across the Great Lakes and into Quebec, producing strong damaging winds across Massachusetts on 18 January 2006. These strong winds were accompanied with heavy rain showers.
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, October 16 to 17, 2019A powerful coastal storm developed along the NJ coast then moved|northeast across southern New England Wednesday night into Thursday. |This will brought periods of very heavy rain and strong to damaging |winds to the region.
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, March 2, 2017Low pressure moving up the St Lawrence Valley swept a cold front through Massachusetts early the morning of March 2. Behind the cold front, strong west-northwest winds brought colder air to the state.
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, February 3, 2023A major Arctic cold front blasted through southern New England on the morning of March 3rd. It was followed by a few rounds of strong and locally damaging wind gusts. Temperatures plunged to 10 to 20 below zero on the morning of March 4th.
- Heavy Snow and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, April 1, 1997A low pressure system which formed off the New Jersey coast during the early morning hours of March 31st intensified rapidly as it moved to a position 60 miles south of Newport, Rhode Island.
- Flooding and Coastal Flood in Massachusetts, October 29 to 30, 2012Sandy, a hybrid storm with both tropical and extra-tropical characteristics, brought high winds and coastal flooding to southern New England.
- Flooding and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, February 24 to 25, 2016Low pressure tracked north through New York bringing a warm front through southern New England. Unseasonably deep moisture accompanied this front.
- Strong Wind in Massachusetts, November 26, 1998An intensifying low pressure system moved northeast across southern New England on Thanksgiving Day. Most of central and eastern Massachusetts was affected by strong winds.
- Strong Wind in Massachusetts, March 26, 2021A strong cold front moved across Massachusetts during the evening hours, causing isolated wind damage.
- Heavy Snow and High Wind in Massachusetts, December 7 to 8, 1996A low pressure system centered over Georgia at 7 AM on December 7th moved rapidly northeast across North Carolina.
- Flood and Coastal Flood in Massachusetts, December 18, 2023A strong storm system moved up the Atlantic coast Sunday night into Monday, merging with a short wave trough exiting the northern Great Plains and taking the surface low west of southern New England.
- Coastal Flood and Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, October 29 to 30, 2011A rare and historic October Nor'easter brought very heavy snow to portions of southern New England on Saturday October 29. Low pressure tracked northeast from the North Carolina coast Saturday morning, rapidly strengthening as it passed well south of Nantucket Saturday evening.
- Strong Wind in Massachusetts, July 20, 1996Somewhat strong winds, gusting over 40 mph at times, blew down a large tree, which fell directly on a 4-year-old girl, killing her. The girl was playing outside her home in Haverhill. The falling tree also damaged the house and smashed a truck parked in the driveway.
- Tornado and Hail in Massachusetts, October 7, 2020A squall line formed in New York State then raced eastward in the late afternoon and early evening, gathering strength as it raced across Massachusetts, northeast Connecticut, and northern Rhode Island.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Massachusetts, March 30 to 31, 2001A storm system brought heavy snow to portions of interior Massachusetts, heavy rain and strong winds closer to the coast, and renewed flooding on some rivers and streams in eastern Massachusetts.Snowfall accumulations were confined to the higher terrain of western, central, and…
- Coastal Flood and High Wind in Massachusetts, October 26 to 27, 2021A low pressure nor'easter underwent bombogenesis as it developed east of Nantucket on the 26th. It then moved west toward Nantucket Sound, before heading eastward again back out to sea on the 27th. Winds gusted to 60-90+ mph.
- Coastal Flood and Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, March 7 to 9, 2013This storm brought heavy snow and significant coastal flooding to the forecast area. This was an unusual synoptic set-up, with low pressure lingering off the coast of southern New England for several days.
- Flood and High Wind in Massachusetts, December 9, 2005A low pressure system centered near the Delaware coast intensified rapidly as it tracked quickly northeast across southern New England, producing near-blizzard conditions across Massachusetts around mid afternoon.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Massachusetts, October 22 to 23, 2014Low pressure moving up the east coast brought a soaking rain and strong winds to much of southern New England. The strongest winds were along the east coast of Massachusetts where many trees were still fully leaved.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Massachusetts, March 8 to 13, 1998A powerful storm system moving very slowly from the Ohio Valley to the eastern Great Lakes caused strong winds and heavy rainfall to Massachusetts, resulting in urban street flooding, basement flooding, small stream flooding, and main stem river flooding.
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, February 25 to 26, 2019A storm moving north through the Great Lakes redeveloped along the Mid Atlantic coast on the 24th, then moved up the coast past Southern New England. This coastal storm brought damaging west-northwest winds to Massachusetts as it moved off through the Maritimes on the 25th.
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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 2026-09-24.