Storm Watching Is the Winter Sport of Cape Ann
Nor'easters come through the peninsula four or five times a winter. Here is where to watch them, and why you should.
By Dotti Maguire
Cape Ann juts into the Atlantic like a fist, and winter storms hit it square. If you grew up here, you know the routine. The wind picks up the night before. The air feels electric. The boats in the harbor start swinging on their moorings. By morning, the ocean is a gray-green wall of weather and everyone who can is out on the coast, watching.
It is the best winter spectacle in the Northeast that nobody talks about.
The Best Viewing Spots
Front Beach, Rockport. A cove that faces directly north-east, which means it takes nor'easter weather head-on. Park on Beach Street and walk down. The spray from the breakers can reach the road during a big storm. Stand behind a parked car if the wind is serious.
Eastern Point Lighthouse, Gloucester. Technically on a private road, but public access to the lighthouse grounds and breakwater is allowed during the day. The breakwater itself becomes a long, narrow observation deck for the seas rolling in. We do not recommend walking out onto it during an active storm. The waves come over the top.
Halibut Point, Rockport. The granite headlands we already like in summer become theatrical in a storm. The scale of the ocean becomes legible here in a way it never is on a calm day. Park, walk to the overlook, and stand there until your hands are cold.
Magnolia Shore, Magnolia. Underrated. The rocky coast along Shore Road between Kettle Cove and the Magnolia Woods takes the full weather. Fewer people know about it.
When to Go
The peak of the storm is often less interesting than the hours right after. The peak winds are dangerous and the visibility is poor. But the period when the storm is pulling out and the swells are still running is when the ocean is doing its most dramatic work and you can actually see it.
Check the NOAA marine forecast for Cape Ann and look for wave heights over 10 feet with a long period (12 seconds or more). Those are the swells that break spectacularly on the ledge.
A Practical Note
Wear traction boots. Bring a towel for your camera lens. Park far enough back that you are not going to get a rock through the windshield. The Gloucester Daily Times has a photo page of storm damage every year, and every year there is at least one car someone drove too close.
The town roads go to emergency-only closure during a declared event. If you are in a rental house and the storm is coming, plan to stay in. Our staff texts you the neighborhood-specific forecast and the storm protocols before any named event.
After the Weather
When the wind drops and the swells are still running, go get something warm to eat with a view of the water. The Gloucester House has a fireplace in the main dining room and looks straight out at the inner harbor. The Rhumb Line on Fort Point runs a wood stove and a jukebox and does better bar food than the view suggests. Lone Gull Coffeehouse in East Gloucester is open earlier than either and has the kind of corner booth that is worth the drive on its own.
Reply to your confirmation email and we will tell you which of those is open that night.
Storm watching is work. It deserves a reward.