Did New Bedford Harbor Really Freeze Solid? Separating Childhood Memories From Fact

Did New Bedford Harbor really freeze over every winter when we were kids? The short answer is no. Nor did it snow up to our keisters every winter, either. Well, maybe it did, since our keisters were a lot closer to the ground back then.

How often have you heard an old-timer recall that when he was a kid, the harbor would freeze solid every winter? You could walk all the way to Fairhaven. There are traces of truth in some of that.

The Martha's Vineyard Gazette reported, "In the winter of 1778, storms of such magnitude came that, according to some reports, the ocean ice was formidable enough that 'it was possible to drive with a horse and sleigh to New Bedford."

But the paper points out, "A frozen harbor is a rare sight indeed."

The Science Behind Salinity and Harbor Ice

"Standard ocean water has a 3.5 percent salinity, and can ice over at 28.4 degrees, providing the surface remains relatively still," according to the Gazette. "Thus, with its constant motion an oceanic harbor will rarely fully freeze, but we know that ours both can and do."

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Looking Back at Modern Freezes: 2015 and 2026

New Bedford Harbor does freeze, but it's not usually a solid freeze-over. The bitter cold of January and February 2026 resulted in heavy, thick icing and ice floes in parts of the harbor, but it wasn't a freeze-over.

The Winter of 2015 was a different story. It was probably one of the most miserable winters I can recall, with endless storms and temperatures reluctant to rise above freezing. The harbor did freeze over in 2015, with ice extending from the shores of New Bedford to the shores of Fairhaven.

Did New Bedford Harbor Really Freeze Over Every Winter When We Were Kids?

Historic Arctic Blasts: The Great Freeze and 1989

Other historic harbor freezes were recorded during the winter of 1917-1918, which according to the U.S. Naval Institute was known as "The Great Freeze."

The Gazette reported that during the Winter of 1934, "thick field ice built up heavily across the outer harbor and Buzzards Bay, completely gridlocking regional shipping."

The Standard-Times reported that in December 1989, a severe Arctic blast caused New Bedford Harbor to freeze over. "Local weather spotters recalled it was possible to walk across the ice from Fairhaven to the Palmers Island Lighthouse," according to the paper.