White Christmas on Cape Cod and the Islands as extremely rare snow band sweeps through

While most of Massachusetts woke Sunday morning to a cold but snowless Christmas Day, Marthas Vineyard, Nantucket and parts of Cape Cod enjoyed the effects of an extremely rare band of snow that deposited more than 6 inches of accumulation in some areas of the islands.

The National Weather Service received reports of 7.5 inches of snow in the Martha Vineyard town of Edgartown by around 8 p.m. Saturday night, the highest measurement of new snow in the state over the weekend. Elsewhere on the island, the weather service saw multiple reports of more than 5 inches of snow.Read more: Massachusetts weather: Rare, significant snow band hits Marthas Vineyard

The storm left between 3 and 4 inches of snow on Nantucket and slightly less on Cape Cod and Massachusetts southern coast, the weather service reported. The agency said about 3 to 4 inches of snow fell in Hyannis and 1 to 2 inches fell in Chatham.

The Christmas Eve snow was the product of an extremely rare and significant snow band that descended on Marthas Vineyard on Saturday morning riding a wave of arctic air that drifted south into the region Friday night, weather service meteorologists said.

There was little snow elsewhere in Massachusetts, save for a dusting in parts of the Berkshires. Most areas of the state saw a clear, dry and bitterly cold Saturday, which is expected to continue into Sunday.Read more: Massachusetts weather: 18,000-plus without power as strong winds continue

Weather service forecasters said Sunday morning that the snow had largely ended its siege of Marthas Vineyard. Sundays forecast called for only a few snow flurries to continue into the day.

Another cold day is ahead but it won't be as quite as cold/windy as it was yesterday.

Our gift to you: Check out our "Christmas Fun Facts." You're welcome to use these to steer holiday conversations away from politics, sports, or other topics. Enjoy! #ctwx #mawx #riwx pic.twitter.com/rALueqVwCM— NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) December 25, 2022

Gusty winds are expected to continue into Sunday, dropping already cold temperatures even lower. With temperatures under freezing in much of the state, the weather service expects gusts to notch 20 to 30 miles per hour on Sunday and be stronger near the coast. Wind chills could be in the single digits in the morning and rise to the teens by afternoon.

Wondering when the wind will finally end? Here's a timeline of wind gusts and wind chill temperatures through Monday. ? pic.twitter.com/4lg8qUHHOl— NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) December 23, 2022