White caps and seagulls dance in the wind at Wilbur Point about 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, 3/14, after Winter Storm Stella passed through Fairhaven. See page 12. Photo courtesy of ML Baron, www.westislandweather.com
By Beth David, Editor
Winter Storm Stella was a big one that wreaked havoc throughout the East Coast, including parts of Massachusetts. But it fizzled in Fairhaven. it struck hard on Tuesday morning, 3/14, and it came with high winds, but the snow accumulations just did not live up to expectations.
The snow total was 2.5” in Fairhaven, with only 2” on West Island. Then the rain came on Tuesday afternoon and washed it all way, including some snow left over from a storm on Friday.
Peak wind gust was 71 miles per hour at 2:21 p.m. on Tuesday. For comparison, hurricane force winds start at 74 mph. The highest snow total in Bristol County was Taunton, with 7.8”
In Mass., the town of Granville, in Hampton County, won the jackpot at 21.5 inches.
In other parts of the country, the storm dumped three feet of snow in some places. West Winfield, NY, reported 42 inches of snow. More than 6,000 flights got cancelled and 500 million people lost power. At least 16 people were killed in the storm, including a 10-year-old boy in New York who was trapped in a pile of snow, and a 47-year-old man who died of heart attack while shoveling snow in Pennsylvania.
The bigger story was the wind in these parts, with 19,000 National Grid customers losing power. Trees knocked over by the wind smashed through houses and fell on top of cars.
The apple trees at Perry Hill Orchard are covered in snow during the no-name storm on Friday, 3/10, which dumped more snow on the region that the mega storm Stella which hit on Tuesday, 3/14. Photo by Beth David.
New Bedford activated its emergency shelters and towed cars parked in the streets.
Fairhaven treated the storm like any other nor’easter.
The forecast calls for cold but clear weather for the next few days, but it’s still too early to know if March will go out like the proverbial lamb.
Click here to download the entire 3/16/17 issue: 03-16-17 WinterStormStella
