No April Fool’s Storm This Year
8 a.m., March 31, 1997: Rain began falling in Boston with temperatures in the low 40s°F (5°C). A Nor’easter was rapidly developing off the coast and slowly drifting northeastward. The rain changed to all snow in Boston by noon, and by sunset an all-out blizzard had overspread much of New England. Temperatures hovered slightly below freezing, and with heavy snow and winds gusting over 50 mph, visibilities were reduced to near zero. The blizzard conditions and incredible snowfall rates of up to four inches per hour pounded Boston until the early afternoon of April Fool’s Day. Clouds and winds quickly diminished during the afternoon, and the sun set vibrantly on a white landscape. Logan recorded a whopping 25.4” of snow, making this storm the third snowiest in recorded meteorological history, displaced only by storms during the Februarys of ‘69 and ‘78 (remember those?).