Heavy Snow — Western Franklin, Massachusetts

2001-03-30 to 2001-03-31 · Western Franklin, Massachusetts

Wider weather episode

A 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 northeast Massachusetts where around one foot of snow fell. As much as 15 inches fell in Ashburnham, 12 inches in Leyden and Shelburne, and 11 inches in Shirley. The lower elevations reported snowfall totals between 3 and 6 inches on average. In general, accumulating snows fell along and outside of the Interstate 495 corridor.Strong northeast winds buffeted the coast, averaging between 40 and 50 mph over land. Logan International Airport in Boston reported a sustained 40 mph wind around 5 pm. In Massachusetts Bay, a Boston pilot boat reported winds of 50 to 55 knots with a gust to 65 knots around 6 pm. Seas were in excess of 20 feet at that time. Heavy rain fell across much of southeast Massachusetts, where many places in Norfolk, Bristol, Plymouth, and Barnstable Counties reported rainfall totals of 3 to 5 inches. As much as 6.21 inches of rain fell in Fairhaven, 5.74 inches in New Bedford, 4.25 inches in Sandwich, and 3.65 inches in Plymouth. The heavy rain caused renewed minor flooding on some rivers in eastern Massachusetts, primarily since river flows were still high after the flooding from the past week. The most serious flooding occurred on the Paskamanset River in South Dartmouth, where several roads were closed by flood waters. The river crested at 14.31 feet at 1230 pm on the 31st (flood stage is 14 feet).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5238022. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.