December 17,1988 snowstorm

The 1988/1989 winter was somewhat of a dud, at least as far as Nantucket is concerned. On the 15th, an area of Low pressure developed in the midwest, and moved eastward. By the 17th, it was near New England, and began to bring precipitation to the area. Snow began on Nantucket after 2 pm. It began as a light snow at first, but after 3 PM, it got heavier in intensity. It slackened off considerably after dark, but it still snowed nonetheless. The town had no trouble with snow removal. The storm was forecast to move offshore well to the south of Nantucket, which it did, and by the early morning hours of the 18th, the storm was gone.

Overall about 4″ fell on Nantucket, the Cape fared a little better, but not by much. The snow was a light, fluffy composure, not good for snow building, but good for sledding. Chicken Hill recorded a little more than the official total.  It was a good saturday for kids, and a headache for adults. There was another event on Monday, and that would leave snow on the ground, but that would be gone by Tuesday.

Small view of the storm centered near Nantucket

The storm at its peak.

Stats:

Accumulation: 4″  Forecast: 1″

Wind: 30 mph Unofficial: 28 mph

Damage: None