Blizzard conditions reached in several towns in RI and Mass

January 29, 2022 6:16 pm

Tim Studebaker,

By: Tim Studebaker

Facebook: @TStudebakerABC6

Twitter: @TStudebakerABC6

Email: tstudebaker@abc6.com

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – It’s official! Saturday’s snow storm can now be called a blizzard.

In order to be called a blizzard, a storm must satisfy the following conditions for at least three consecutive hours:

Falling or blowing snow
Visibility reduced to 1/4 mile
Winds of 35 mph or higher

The National Weather Service in Boston confirmed that those blizzard conditions were reached in the following cities:

Rhode Island: Providence, Westerly, Newport, Block Island

Massachusetts: Boston, Worcester, Beverly, Hyannis, Marshfield, Martha’s Vineyard

It’s worth noting that in several other locations, a blizzard cannot be confirmed because the equipment in those locations stopped reporting data during the storm.

Here is the full text from the National Weather Service:

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOSTON/NORTON MA
541 PM EST SAT JAN 29 2022

…JANUARY 29TH BLIZZARD IN MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE ISLAND…

BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WERE REACHED AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS ACROSS
RHODE ISLAND AND EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 29,
2022. LIGHT SNOW BEGAN LATE AT NIGHT ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 28.
SNOWFALL TOTALS OF 1 TO 2 FEET WERE COMMON ACROSS THE REGION. WIND
GUSTS REACHED HURRICANE FORCE ON CAPE ANN, CAPE COD, AND
NANTUCKET DURING THE STORM.

THE DEFINITION OF A BLIZZARD IS THAT FALLING AND/OR BLOWING SNOW
REDUCES VISIBILITY TO BELOW 1/4 MILE ALONG WITH WINDS THAT
FREQUENTLY GUST TO 35 MPH OR MORE. THESE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS MUST
BE THE PREDOMINANT REPORTED CONDITION FOR AT LEAST 3 CONSECUTIVE
HOURS.

WHEN REVIEWING WHETHER A PARTICULAR OBSERVATION LOCATION HAD
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS, WE CONSIDERED VISIBILITIES EQUAL TO 1/4 MILE
BECAUSE THAT IS QUITE LOW FOR AN AUTOMATED SENSOR TO BE ABLE TO
DETECT IN SNOW OR BLOWING SNOW.

AS OF 530 PM ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, SOME SNOW WAS STILL
OCCURRING ACROSS THE REGION, SO WE WILL ISSUE A MORE COMPLETE
REPORT, LISTING DURATIONS OF BLIZZARD CONDITIONS, EARLY NEXT WEEK.
HOWEVER, IN THE MEANTIME, WE CAN CONFIRM THAT THE FOLLOWING
LOCATIONS DID MEET BLIZZARD CRITERIA TODAY…

IN RHODE ISLAND…

PROVIDENCE (KPVD)
WESTERLY (KWST)
NEWPORT (KUUU)
BLOCK ISLAND (KBID)

IN MASSACHUSETTS…

BOSTON (KBOS)
WORCESTER (KORH)
BEVERLY (KBVY)
HYANNIS (KHYA)
MARSHFIELD (KGHG)
MARTHA’S VINEYARD (KMVY)

STATIONS AT CHATHAM (KCQX), FALMOUTH (KFMH), PROVINCETOWN (KPVC),
AND SMITHFIELD (KSFZ) WERE UNABLE TO BE DETERMINED BECAUSE THEY
STOPPED REPORTING WIND, VISIBILITY, OR ALL DATA.

FOR THE LATEST UPDATES…PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBPAGE AT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BOSTON

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