Extreme Cold/Wind Chill — Southern Berkshire, Massachusetts

2023-02-03 to 2023-02-04 · Southern Berkshire, Massachusetts

Wider weather episode

A brief but powerful arctic airmass moved across the region on February 3-4, 2023 which brought dangerously low wind chill values to much of the region along with strong wind gusts. An arctic cold front passed across the region during the early morning hours on February 3 accompanied by a few snow showers. Thereafter, very cold air gradually advected into the region on February 3 into the morning hours on February 4.

Air temperatures gradually fell throughout the day on February 3 with readings falling to 10 to 25 degrees below zero by the early morning hours on February 4.

In addition to the cold, this arctic air mass brought strong winds to the region during the daytime hours on February 3 into the overnight hours before easing on February 4. Peak wind gusts between 35 and 55 mph were observed. A few power outages occurred as a result.

The combination of very cold air and strong winds resulted in wind chill values much lower than the air temperature. The lowest wind chills ranged from 20 to 40 degrees below zero. For many, the last time if was this cold was in February of 2016.

Warming centers opened to offer assistance to those needing to shelter from the cold. In addition, some area schools closed as a result of the cold weather.

Key impacts: power outages, school closures.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1081216. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.