Heavy Snow — Eastern Plymouth, Massachusetts

1996-01-07 to 1996-01-08 · Eastern Plymouth, Massachusetts

Wider weather episode

An intense East Coast low pressure system moved northeast from eastern Georgia passing along the coast of the Carolinas and then close to 40 degrees North and 70 degrees West. This storm was one of the most significant winter storms to hit southern New England in the past 20 years and was named "The Blizzard of '96" as it dumped record snowfalls from the mid-Atlantic states to southern New England. Technically, this storm only reached a true blizzard by National Weather Service criteria for a few hours in a small section of eastern Massachusetts around South Weymouth during the early morning hours on January 8th. Very heavy snowfall, which was measured in feet, was the main effect of this storm. It was the most region-wide heavy snowfall since the "Blizzard of '78." Totals ranged from 15 to 25 inches, with many totals of 20 to 25 inches in parts of Plymouth and Bristol Counties. Totals of 13 to 18 inches were reported from Cape Cod and the Islands. There was a brief change to rain on parts of the Cape. More than 20 inches were reported in parts of Hampden and Hampshire Counties of western Massachusetts with more than 30 inches in some places in the Berkshires. Snowfall from this storm totalled 18 inches at Boston and the total snow depth on the ground hit 30 inches, breaking the all-time record of 29 inches set at the end of the "Blizzard of '78."Strong to gale force northeast winds along the coast threatened to bring coastal flooding, but a wind shift to the north and parallel to the Massachusetts east coast resulted in a decreasing storm surge from around 2.7 feet to 1.9 feet at the Boston tide gauge by the time of the early afternoon high tide on January 8th. Only a few coastal roads were closed due to flooding. However, on the eastern shore of Nantucket Island, high waves and stronger than usual ocean currents eroded sand dunes and did an estimated $200,000 damage to cottages in an area that suffered damage from previous nor'easters. A building inspector on Nantucket stated that the Gulf Stream had been displaced farther to the north than usual and that greater sea surface temperature differences caused faster currents along the shore. The main impact of this storm, though, was the closure of schools, businesses, airports, and transportation systems for a long duration.The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency reported damage claims of $32 million from approximately 350 communities, mostly for the costs of snow removal (see damage figures above).The combination of this snowfall, earlier snowfalls, and subsequent rainfall events resulted in the collapse of many roofs within a week to two weeks after the storm. In Whitman, a section of a skating rink roof collapsed, injuring four women. In Foxborough, on January 12th, after several more inches of snow and then some heavy rain, a roof collapsed at one of the water department buildings. On January 13th, a woman was evacuated from her mobile home in Marlborough after the roof collapsed. More than 70 people were evacuated from a condominium in Framingham after the roof cracked and then caved in. In Franklin, a house suffered structural damage from the weight of the snow, while in Townsend a barn roof collapsed killing 8 dairy cows. Other roof collapses were reported at a church in Chelmsford, a business in Tyngsborough, and at a mall in Tewksbury. On January 14th, the roof of a two-story house collapsed in West Springfield, resulting in an estimated $150,000 damage to the structure. The roof of a garage in Northampton collapsed. The building was reported to be a total loss. In Monson, a barn roof collapsed. A number of people were injured when they fell while clearing snow from their roofs. On January 19th, the roof of a barn collapsed in Framingham, killing two horses.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5551571. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.