Heavy Snow — Western Hampden, Massachusetts

2016-12-29 · Western Hampden, Massachusetts

Event narrative

Close to six inches of snow... 5.5 inches...was reported in Chester, MA in the slopes of the Berkshires. Lesser amounts were reported farther east in western Hampden County.

Wider weather episode

Low pressure moved from Long Island across southeastern Massachusetts on the 29th and then rapidly deepened as it moved northeastward into the Gulf of Maine overnight on the 30th. Precipitation was mainly rain along the Boston-Providence corridor. However 3 to 6 inches of snow was common in western and central Massachusetts, with 5 to 7 inches in the slopes of the Berkshires and up to 8 to 11 inches in the higher terrain of northern Worcester County.

As the storm intensified, thundersnow occurred in Boston on the evening of the 29th. Strong winds occurred behind the storm during the overnight hours, causing scattered tree and power line damage, with gusts mainly in the 30-50 mph range.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 670653. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.