High Wind — Eastern Norfolk, Massachusetts

2020-12-25 · Eastern Norfolk, Massachusetts

Event narrative

At 951 AM EST, the ASOS at the Blue Hill Observatory (KMQE) in Milton at an elevation of approximately 660 feet recorded a wind gust to 68 mph. It had also recorded gusts to 67 mph at 859 AM EST, 66 mph at 813 AM EST, and 61 mph at 751 AM EST. Earlier still, in Milton at 523 AM EST, a tree was down on Neponset Parkway near Brush Hill Road. In Braintree at 831 AM EST, a tree was down on Pearl Street.

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 928702. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.