Special Report: Ten Years of Weather

It was February of this year, we woke up to a tranquil New England morning, a low pressure system in the Ohio Valley was strengthening and heading our way. It brought record breaking snowfall up and down the eastern seaboard.

Logan Airport recorded 27.5 in. of snow, however, the way the snow was measured is still in question. As of now, this snowstorm produced the greatest single snowfall ever recorded at Logan.

"I think everybody's had enough snow."

"It's not too bad. It's good driving a 4 by 4."

Problems were minimized due to the lessons learned in part from a powerful Spring storm that became known as the "April Fools Blizzard of '97". Although dubbed the "April Fools Blizzard", many people forget that it actually began on March 31st.

By 6 a.m. on April 1st, the city awoke to over a foot of fresh snow and it was still coming down hard. Enough snow fell to shut-down major interstates including portions of Rte. 128, I-95 and several other roads around the state.

"We're dealing with some very difficult situations. Cars are left in the middle of the street, tree limbs are down."

There were hundreds of car accidents and thousands of homes that lost power. Logan Airport was shut down and Massachusetts declared a state of emergency. Power crews from as far away as Canada came to help clean up the mess caused by up to 3 ft. of heavy wet snow that fell during this surprise storm.

Another winter blow, January of '98. Northern New England was frozen in time as it was blanketed with layer after layer of ice. Trees fell, power lines crumbled and people were stranded in their homes for days without heat. Electric crews from Boston headed up to Maine to help restore power.

"One lady that I spoke to this morning thought that we were going to have power up in 48 hours and I told her to quit dreaming."

At least 14 people died and hundreds of others injured in this icy mess.

"This is the worst storm in the history of the state of Maine as far as there are records."

The heavy rain didn't let up after the winter though, it continued through June. Rainfall for June of '98 was 400 percent above average, flooding roads, businesses and homes. One storm alone dropped 8 in. of rain in just three days. Ten thousand people lost power and normally dry areas were submerged in up to 5 ft. of water.

"It's supposed to be once every hundred years... But I guess we're all set for a while now."

Commuters faced major traffic headaches. What should have been a fifteen minute ride into Boston became a two-hour nightmare.

What's New England weather without a hot and sticky summer? The summer of 2002 was no exception. Boston saw a record 26 days of 90 degree readings or above. Stifling heat, drenching humidity and air conditioners on full blast characterized much of the summer.

The hot weather came in waves, often three or four sweltering days at a time. Climaxing with a nine-day heat wave including one day that registered over 100 degrees.

"It is a hot summer... It has been the hottest... But I'm not used to this year, you know."