Strong Wind — Southern Worcester, Massachusetts

2020-12-25 · Southern Worcester, Massachusetts

Event narrative

Winds generally were gusting to around 50 mph. In Dudley at 333 AM EST, a large tree branch was down on Dresser Hill Road. In Upton at 530 AM EST, a tree was down on Glenview Street. In Southbridge at 604 AM EST, a tree was down on Main Street. In Northborough at 737 AM EST, a tree was down on Franklin Circle. In Webster at 940 AM EST, a tree was down on South Shore Road. In Milford at 10 AM EST, a large tree was down on Dogwood Lane by Wildwood Drive.

Wider weather episode

An anomalously deep, full-latitude mid-level trough over the Mississippi Valley caused a strong frontal system to move up the Appalachians. It brought strong to damaging winds, heavy rain with minor flooding, and well above normal temperatures to southern New England early on Christmas Day. Winds generally gusted to 40 to 60 mph, except 65 to 70 mph along the southeast Massachusetts coast. South winds were blowing more than 100 mph only 2000 feet above the ground in eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, but despite temperatures in the lower 60s there, a surface inversion was strong enough to prevent these very damaging winds from reaching the surface. Two to four inches of rain fell across the region, with the highest totals from central Rhode Island northwestward across northern Connecticut and portions of western and central Massachusetts.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 928652. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.