Winter Storm — Eastern Essex, Massachusetts

2025-02-15 to 2025-02-16 · Eastern Essex, Massachusetts

Event narrative

Generally 5 to 7 inches of snow fell followed by around 0.25 inches of ice. Some of the highest snowfall reports were 7.3 inches in Danvers and 6.5 inches in Marblehead. Winds generally gusted 50 to 60 mph which, combined with the snow and ice, led to widespread power outages. A mesonet station at Children's island gusted to 59 mph at 12:53 PM EST and the CWOP station at Newburyport gusted to 58 mph at 5:05 PM EST.

Wider weather episode

Cold air in place ahead of a low pressure system approaching from the Ohio Valley allowed snow to develop on the evening of February 15th. The main low pressure system passing to our west resulted in warmer mid level temps to overspread the region. This changed the snow to ice/rain by the early morning hours of February 16th.

A secondary coastal low helped keep shallow cold air in place across the interior and an extended period of icing. Some areas had around 0.25' of ice accretion. A rapidly intensifying low pressure lifting into the Maritimes then brought a shot of arctic air along with damaging wind gusts. Areas that were hit with ice experienced numerous power outages.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1228345. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.