Blizzard 2022: Over two feet of snow, 81mph gusts; arctic air settles

We have an official word from the National Weather Service! We had 6 official sites that registered blizzard conditions across eastern Massachusetts and 4 across Rhode Island.

The official definition of a blizzard coming from the National Weather Service in Boston explains that snow falling or blowing reduces visibility to less than ¼ mile and frequent gusts must measure at least 35 mph. All this must happen for at least 3 consecutive hours.

The snow started falling late Friday night across the New England area, intensifying on Sunday. Residents tried to shovel some of the snowdrifts out from their driveway and walkways before new bands arrived.

The highest gusts were recorded in Yarmouth, Massachusetts in the Cape Cod area shortly after noon on Saturday, while other areas across eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island measured gusts between 45 and 76 mph.

Until 6 p.m. on Saturday, the highest snowfall total was recorded in Pembroke, Ma., with 26 inches. Bridgewater, Massachusetts of 24 inches. Norton, Ma., reached 24.5 inches, and Easton, Ma., got 22 inches.

More snow is expected to fall through the early evening hours and taper off slowly. Total snowfall amounts could still increase across some locations.

By Sunday, the sunshine will be back, but the frigid temperatures will stay put. By sunrise, Boston’s temperatures will be around 5 degrees, but the winds will make them feel as if they were 12 degrees below zero. The afternoon will reach a high temperature of 21 degrees, and although the wind will gradually diminish the snow on the ground will keep the temperatures feeling as if they were around 11 degrees F.