'We dodged a bullet': Cape Cod storm brings snow, outages but less erosion and flooding

Eric Williams, Cape Cod Times
·3 min read

Tuesday's storm was a fast-moving smack of wind and snow on Cape Cod that dumped about eight inches of the white stuff in some areas and caused thousands of power outages. During the afternoon height of the storm, near whiteout conditions made road travel perilous.

On the bright side, the quick pace of the storm seemed to lessen the toll of flooding and erosion around the area.

"I really think we dodged a bullet," said David DeConto, director of the Sandwich Natural Resources Department. "We got a little bit of flooding and a little bit of erosion."

On Wednesday, a newly reinforced protective dune at Town Neck Beach in Sandwich was eroded after the high tide.

Andrew and Elizabeth Cattano survey damage on Wednesday to a newly reinforced protective dune at Town Neck Beach in Sandwich. Tuesday's fast-moving storm didn't linger over multiple tide cycles, which could have exacerbated erosion and flooding damage, a town official said.
Andrew and Elizabeth Cattano survey damage on Wednesday to a newly reinforced protective dune at Town Neck Beach in Sandwich. Tuesday's fast-moving storm didn't linger over multiple tide cycles, which could have exacerbated erosion and flooding damage, a town official said.

DeConto said a little wear and tear was observed at the town's usual trouble spots, including the Town Neck Beach area, but the fast-moving storm didn't linger over multiple tide cycles, which could have exacerbated erosion and flooding damage. "We really didn't get a storm surge," said DeConto.

"It wasn't all that bad," said Ted Keon, director of the Coastal Resources Department in Chatham, who added that the storm's effects were less significant than those brought by recent bad weather.

In an email to the Cape Cod Times, Linzy French, visual information specialist at the Cape Cod National Seashore, reported that park field staff had been out and about on Wednesday morning to see what the storm had wrought.

"The Marconi Beach stairs survived and there is no major damage or erosion to report," wrote French. "Happy to escape relatively unscathed."

Snow blankets the area around Nobska Lighthouse in Woods Hole after Tuesday's storm.
Snow blankets the area around Nobska Lighthouse in Woods Hole after Tuesday's storm.

How much did it snow on Cape Cod?

While Cape Cod received a good-sized serving of snow, the largest reported snowfall (15.5 inches) occurred in the Farmington, Connecticut area. According to the National Weather Service, observers, spotters and members of the public around Barnstable County reported these preliminary snow totals from Tuesday's storm:

Forestdale: 8.3 inches  Sandwich: 8.0 inchesEast Dennis: 8.0 inchesBrewster: 7.5 inchesMarstons Mills: 7.0 inchesEast Falmouth: 6.2 inchesEastham: 6.0 inchesBarnstable: 5.8 inchesMashpee: 4.5 inchesChatham : 4.5 inchesEast Harwich: 4.0 inches

Preliminary snow totals from Tuesday's storm from the National Weather Service.
Preliminary snow totals from Tuesday's storm from the National Weather Service.

Power outage update

The storm's most significant effect on Cape Cod may have been power outages. Shortly after 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Eversource reported that more than 20,000 Cape customers were without power. By about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, that number had been whittled down to about 1,300 Cape customers without power, with more than 300 customers without power in Falmouth.

Snow-coated utility lines sag on Wednesday along Salt Marsh Road in East Sandwich as a electric line crew works to restore power to the beachfront area.
Snow-coated utility lines sag on Wednesday along Salt Marsh Road in East Sandwich as a electric line crew works to restore power to the beachfront area.

In an email to the Cape Cod Times, Eversource spokesperson Priscilla Ress wrote that the remaining outages in Eastern Massachusetts "are clustered on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard, and we are working to substantially complete storm restoration by 6 p.m. (Wednesday), with most customers restored sooner."

According to Ress, the vast majority of outages were caused by "snow and winds bringing trees and limbs down onto the electric system causing damage."

Harwich Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cyndi Williams shovels snow off the walkway in front of the visitor center Wednesday morning.
Harwich Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cyndi Williams shovels snow off the walkway in front of the visitor center Wednesday morning.

Looking ahead at the weather picture, Cape Cod could see a small amount of fluffy snow during the Thursday night/Friday morning time frame, according to the National Weather Service, with a chance of a similar event on Saturday.

Eric Williams, when not solving Curious Cape Cod mysteries, writes about a variety of ways to enjoy the Cape, the weather, wildlife and other subjects. Contact him at ewilliams@capecodonline.com. Follow him on X: @capecast.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod storm: Power outages and snow, less erosion and flooding