Hello to all..

..The Amateur Radio SKYWARN team and NWS Taunton forecasters wish all Amateur Radio Operators and SKYWARN Spotters a very Happy Thanksgiving and are extremely thankful for all the support received during the historic 2011 severe weather season..
..Strong Storm System to Adversely affect travel across the Northeast United States Wednesday on the busiest travel day of the year due to expected high traffic volume typical of the day before Thanksgiving and the storm impacts..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect for Franklin County Massachusetts and Cheshire and West-Central Hillsborough Counties of New Hampshire from 10 PM Tuesday Evening through 2 PM Wednesday for 1-3 inches of snow and a tenth of an inch of ice with snow amounts up to 5 inches possible especially in Northern Cheshire County New Hampshire and possibly in the higher elevations of the advisory area. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for neighboring Rockingham County New Hampshire and Coastal York County Maine from Midnight to 6 PM Wednesday for similar conditions..
..Across the remainder of Southern New England widespread rainfall of 1 to 3 inches with the heaviest rainfall occurring in the morning through early afternoon will adversely affect the morning commute and any holiday travellers during this timeframe. This rainfall may cause pockets of urban and poor drainage flooding and rapid within bank rises across area rivers. Strong winds will also be possible during and after the heavy rainfall lightens up along coastal areas of the region with sustained winds 20-30 MPH with gusts 40-45 MPH possible..
..Minor Coastal Flooding is possible on the Wednesday Morning high tide along East Coastal Massachusetts and Cape Cod and the Islands. This could cause minor street flooding of typical shore roads with onshore flow and a high astronomical high tide..
..Areas of Northern New England and Northeast New York will be getting a widespread heavy snow event with some mixed precipitation. Winter Storm Warnings and Winter Weather Advisories are in effect for much of these areas. Due to Wednesday being a busy travel day, these statements have been provided in the coordination message for those Amateur Radio Operators and SKYWARN Spotters travelling on Wednesday or to provide for people that they know are travelling on Wednesdsay. If you are going to these areas, travel would be best prior to Wednesday or later Wednesday Evening after the heaviest snow has passed and roads can be treated in these areas..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will be utilized to monitor conditions Wednesday around the region. Ops at NWS Taunton are unlikely to be utilized but that will be monitored closely..

The entire Amateur Radio SKYWARN team would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving from our team and on behalf of the NWS Taunton forecasters. We are very grateful for all the support received across all of the activations during 2011 and the particularly historic severe weather events that include the June 1st tornado outbreak, Tropical Storm/Hurricane Irene, and the Snowtober Nor’easter. The day before Thanksgiving, the busiest travel day of the year, will feature a strong storm system bringing a myriad of weather threats to the region adversely impacting travel Wednesday.

A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect from 10 PM this evening through 2 PM Wednesday Afternoon for Cheshire and West-Central Hillsborough Counties New Hampshire and Franklin County Massachusetts. In this area, widespread 1-3″ of snow with one-tenth of an inch of ice is possible. Isolated snowfall amounts of up to 5 inches are possible in Northern Cheshire County New Hampshire as well as the higher elevations of the advisory area. It is noted that the NWS Gray Maine office has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for neighboring Rockingham County NH and coastal York County Maine for similar conditions. The snow and ice in these areas is expected to changeover to rain late Wednesday Morning in these areas.

Across other parts of Southern New England, there could be a brief period of snow in higher elevations and other locations in extreme northwest parts of Massachusetts that neighbor the Winter Weather Advisory area but little accumulation is expected before a change over to rain and the rain will be heavy at times across this area and precipitation will start as rain elsewhere across Southern New England and be heavy at times. Rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches are likely over a widespread area. This rainfall will hamper the morning commute in particular but should lessen in intensity after midday. The rain could cause minor urban and poor drainage flooding in the typical areas and slow down traffic that may already be at high volume across the region. Rapid within bank river rises are possible but no river or stream flooding is expected but this will be monitored.

Strong winds will accompany the rainfall and occur after the heaviest rainfall has passed along coastal areas. Sustained winds of 20-30 MPH with gusts to 40 to 45 MPH will be possible. These strong winds from a northeast direction may result in minor coastal flooding at the time of high tide across East Coastal Massachusetts. This could result in the vulnerable shore roads being flooded for an hour or two either side of the Wednesday Morning high tide. This is expected to be a minor coastal flood event across East Coastal Massachusetts.

Areas of Northern New England and Northeast New York will be getting a widespread heavy snow event with some mixed precipitation. Winter Storm Warnings and Winter Weather Advisories are in effect for much of these areas. Due to Wednesday being a busy travel day, these statements have been provided in the coordination message for those Amateur Radio Operators and SKYWARN Spotters travelling on Wednesday or to provide for people that they know are travelling on Wednesdsay. If you are going to these areas, travel would be best prior to Wednesday or later Wednesday Evening after the heaviest snow has passed and roads can be treated in these areas.

SKYWARN Self-Activation will be utilized to monitor conditions Wednesday around the region. Ops at NWS Taunton are unlikely to be utilized but that will be monitored closely. This will likely be the last complete coordination message on this storm event as we moved to SKYWARN Self-Activation Operations mode. If time allows, a shortened coordination message may be sent to update the situation due to Wednesday being one of the busiest travel days of the year. Below is the NWS Taunton Winter Weather Advisory Statement and Hazardous Weather Outlook as well as statements from surrounding offices on storm impact in Northeast New York and the remainder of New England:

NWS Taunton Massachusetts Winter Weather Advisory:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus41.KBOX.html

NWS Taunton Massachusetts Hazardous Weather Outlook:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.flus41.KBOX.html

NWS Gray Maine Winter Storm Warning/Winter Weather Advisory Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/me/latest.wwus41.KGYX.html

NWS Caribou Maine Winter Storm Warning/Winter Weather Advisory Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/me/latest.wwus41.KCAR.html

NWS Burlington Vermont Winter Storm Warning/Winter Weather Advisory Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/vt/latest.wwus41.KBTV.html

NWS Albany New York Winter Storm Warning/Winter Weather Advisory Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/vt/latest.wwus41.KALY.html

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://beta.wx1box.org

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Hello to all..

..The Amateur Radio SKYWARN team and NWS Taunton forecasters wish all Amateur Radio Operators and SKYWARN Spotters a very Happy Thanksgiving and are extremely thankful for all the support received during the historic 2011 severe weather season..
..The busiest travel day of the year will be impacted by a strong storm system affecting much of Southern New England with heavy rain on Wednesday Morning through early afternoon letting up as we get into the mid-afternoon to evening hours. Rainfall of 1-3″ may cause minor urban and poor drainage flooding in the most flood prone areas. Some wet snow may mix in especially over Southern New Hampshire as the precipitation starts but the precipitation is then expected to changeover to rain. This storm could slow already long commute times due to heavy holiday traffic..
..Minor Coastal Flooding is possible at the time of the Thursday Morning high tide across portions of East Coastal Massachusetts. Strong Winds will be possible on Wednesday into Thursday across the region..
..If you are travelling into Northern New England, a heavy wet snow storm is expected to significantly impact travel and potentially causing pockets of tree and wire damage in portions of these regions. Winter Storm Warnings are in effect for much of Maine and Northern and Central New Hampshire for Wednesday for 6-12″ of snow with isolated higher amounts. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Rockingham County NH and Coastal York County Maine for Wednesday and for Vermont and Northeast New York for a wintry mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain and rain. If you’re travelling into these areas on Wednesday, a significant amount of extra time will be required and if travel can be made earlier than Wednesday, that would be best..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will be utilized to monitor conditions Wednesday across the region and as required Thanksgiving Day for heavy rainfall, strong winds and minor coastal flooding..
..Further details will be posted in another coordination message by 9 PM. Below is the NWS Taunton Hazardous Weather Outlook as well as Winter Storm Products from neighboring weather offices for folks travelling on Wednesday..

NWS Taunton Massachusetts Hazardous Weather Outlook:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.flus41.KBOX.html

NWS Gray Maine Winter Storm Warning/Winter Weather Advisory Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/me/latest.wwus41.KGYX.html

NWS Caribou Maine Winter Storm Watch Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/me/latest.wwus41.KCAR.html

NWS Burlington Vermont Winter Weather Advisory Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/vt/latest.wwus41.KBTV.html

NWS Albany New York Winter Weather Advisory Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/vt/latest.wwus41.KALY.html

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://beta.wx1box.org

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Hello to all..

….The following is a final reminder and update on SKYWARN Recognition Day. We are pleased to announced that ARRL HQ Manager of Prepardness and Response, Mike Corey-NI1U and Assistant Manager of Preparedness and Response Ken Bailey-K1FUG will be joining us for SRD’2011 Saturday Afternoon around 1 PM. We welcome them to our SRD operations. Below is the original announcement with no changes..

The following is a special announcement on SKYWARN Recognition Day. This announcement also appears on the WX1BOX home page via the following link:

http://beta.wx1box.org/node/1556

Announcement text is listed below:

The National Weather Service in Taunton Amateur Radio Station, WX1BOX, will once again be active for SKYWARN Recognition Day 2011. In addition, for the fifth straight year, the National Weather Service Gray, Maine Office will also be active under call-sign, WX1GYX. The Boston Amateur Radio Club will also be active as they have been over the past several years at the NWS Blue Hill Observatory under call-sign W1BOS/MQE from 9 AM-3 PM Saturday December 3rd, 2011.

This will be the 13th year of SKYWARN Recognition Day and its
anticipated that over 100 NWS Forecast Offices will be participating once again this year. This event was featured on page 68 of the December 2011 Issue of QST Magazine and web links to information on SKYWARN Recognition Day can be seen at the following links:

http://hamradio.noaa.gov
http://www.arrl.org/news/the-13th-annual-skywarn-recognition-day-set-for-december-3

We have received several inquries on HF operations at WX1BOX for SRD. HF has been an integral part of SRD activities for WX1BOX operations since participation was started in 2004. In fact, without HF capability, we did not participate in past SRD events because HF is a very critcal part of a SRD operation and some of our more significant events such as during a Tropical Storm/Hurricane or during significant winter storm events.

In the past, when we have scheduled what band we were going to be on at a given time, it would always change due to propagation and other factors. Over the past several SRD events, we have typically operated on Friday Evening mostly on 40 and 75 Meters though with propagation improved since past SRD events, 20 Meters may also be an option on Friday Evening. On Saturday, we have typically started on 20 Meters with some 40 and 75 Meter operation toward evening. There is the possibility that we will be able to have 2 HF stations this year which may allow us multiple band operation on HF but the HF antennas are in close proximity to one another and may preclude us operating on 2 bands. We are unable to setup a temporary antenna for the event due to government restrictions.

During the event, as we move through our schedule of repeaters and are on the Echolink/IRLP systems, we will announce what HF band and frequency we are operating for people wishing to make contact on HF. We will also post this information periodically on our facebook and twitter pages and possibly post to a DXCluster as well. We hope this HF update will draw folks who would like to make contact with us on HF.

The following is a schedule of repeaters that will be
utilized along with simplex being utilized during certain timeframes on Saturday at WX1BOX. We hope Amateurs will utilize this schedule and try and work WX1BOX during these various timeframes. If you don’t hear NWS, feel free to call for WX1BOX and if the office is monitoring, a response will be given. When you make contact, give your current sky condition and temperature as required. Below is the tentative schedule of operations:

Friday December 2nd, 2011:
7:00-7:30 PM:    146.970-Paxton Repeater (PL: 114.8 Hz)
7:30-8:00 PM:    147.180-Bridgewater Repeater (PL: 67.0 Hz)
8:00-8:30 PM:    145.490-Fairhaven Repeater (PL: 67.0 Hz)
8:30-9:00 PM:    146.955-Westford Repeater (PL: 74.4 Hz)
9:00-9:30 PM:    146.79-Vernon, CT Repeater (PL: 82.5 Hz) (linked via IRLP.)
9:30-10:00 PM:   147.225-Killingly, CT Repeater (PL: 156.7 Hz)
10:00-10:30 PM:  146.760-Scituate, RI Repeater PL: 67.0 Hz
10:30-11:00 PM:  145.470-Danvers Repeater (PL: 136.5 Hz)
11:00-11:30 PM:  146.955-Barnstable PL: 88.5 or 147.375-Falmouth Repeater PL: 110.9
11:30 PM-12:00 AM: 146.640-Waltham Repeater

**Will Attempt to monitor both the New England Network and the *WX-TALK*/IRLP Reflector 9219 systems during this entire timeframe.

**It is possible we may switch off to different repeaters or simplex during time slots if we run out of contacts.

Saturday December 3rd, 2011:
7:00-8:30 AM:   146.595 Simplex
8:30-9:00 AM:   Litchfield County Linked System via KB1AEV repeater system
9:00-9:30 AM:   145.230-Boston Repeater (PL: 88.5 Hz)
9:30-10:00 AM:  146.640-Waltham Repeater
10:00-10:30 AM: 146.895-Walpole Repeater (PL: 123.0 Hz)
10:30-11:00 AM: 147.225-Killingly, CT Repeater (PL: 156.7 Hz)
11:00-11:30 AM: 145.470-Danvers Repeater (PL: 136.5 Hz)
11:30 AM-Noon:  146.79-Vernon, CT Repeater (Linked via IRLP.)
Noon-1:00 PM:   146.595 Simplex
1:00-1:30 PM:   146.685-Plymouth Repeater (PL: 82.5 Hz)
1:30-2:00 PM:   145.130-Gloucester Repeater (PL: 107.2 Hz)
2:00-2:30 PM:   146.955-Barnstable (PL: 88.5) or 147.375-Falmouth Repeater (PL: 110.9)
2:30-3:00 PM:   146.955-Westford Repeater (PL: 74.4)
3:00-3:30 PM:   146.970-Paxton Repeater (PL: 114.8)
3:30-4:00 PM:   147.165-Exeter, RI Repeater (PL: 67.0)
4:00-4:30 PM:   146.760-Scituate, RI or 145.37-Coventry, RI Repeater (PL: 67.0)
4:30-5:00 PM:   145.490-Fairhaven Repeater (PL: 67.0)
5:00-5:30 PM:   147.180-Bridgewater Repeater (PL: 67.0)
5:30-6:00 PM:   449.375-Pack Monadnock, NH Repeater (PL: 88.5 Hz)
6:00-6:30 PM:   146.895-Walpole Repeater (PL: 123.0)
6:30-7:00 PM:   147.000-Dartmouth Repeater (PL: 67.0)

**Will Attempt to monitor both the New England Network and the *WX-TALK*/IRLP Reflector 9219 systems during this entire timeframe.

**It is possible we may switch off to different repeaters or simplex during time slots if we run out of contacts.

The following is information EchoLink/IRLP operations during SKYWARN Recognition Day. The schedule has now been finalized:

Time in UTC NWS Office Call-Sign
0000-0100: WX0GLD (Confirmed to keep the time slot)
0100-0200: WX1GYX (Confirmed to keep the time slot)
0200-0300: WX4MLB (Confirmed to keep the time slot)
0300-0400: W0ABR (Confirmed to keep the time slot)
0400-0500: WX1BOX (Confirmed to keep the time slot)
0500-0600: WX9GRB (Confirmed to keep the time slot)
0600-0700: WX4HUN (Confirmed to keep the time slot)
0700-0800: N0NWS (Confirmed to keep the time slot)
0800-0900: KL7FWX (Confirmed to keep time slot. Will Show Up on Echolink as KL2GS – NWS Fairbanks AK)
0900-1000: KL7FWX (Confirmed to keep time slot. Will Show Up on Echolink as KL2GS – NWS Fairbanks AK)
1000-1100: KL7FWX (Confirmed to keep time slot. Will Show Up on Echolink as KL2GS – NWS Fairbanks AK)
1100-1200: WX4HUN (Taking WX7PHX Time Slot and relinguishing their 1400-1500 UTC time slot)
1200-1300: W7NWS (Confirmed to keep the time slot)
1300-1400: KL7FWX (Confirmed to keep time slot. Will Show Up on Echolink as KL2GS – NWS Fairbanks AK)
1400-1500: WX7SLC (New NWS Office for SRD’2011)
1500-1600: WX1BOX (Confirmed to keep the time slot)
1600-1800: WX4NC (Confirmed to keep the time slot, 2 hour time slot and time slot is from last year)
1800-1900: WX6MTR (Confirmed to keep the time slot)
1900-2000: K0MPX (Confirmed to keep the time slot)
2000-2100: WX4MLB (Confirmed to keep the time slot)
2100-2300: WX4NHC (Confirmed to keep the time slot)
2300-2400: WX6NWS (Confirmed the NWS Sacramento California Office for this time slot)

There will be other conference systems utilized for SKYWARN Recognition Day. They are as follows:

The New England Reflector Gateway System will be utilized by the NWS Taunton, Mass. and NWS Gray, Maine offices from 0000-0500 UTC and 1200-2400 UTC. The New England Gateway system is on EchoLink Conference server *NEW-ENG* Node: 9123, IRLP reflector 9123. If other NWS offices would like to join the
system, they are welcome to do so and participants in SKYWARN Recognition Day can also use that system to make contact with various NWS offices.

Also, the Western Reflector will be having NWS offices calling CQ as in past years on reflector 9250 and have its gateway system on IRLP 9258/EchoLink Conference *NV-GATE* Node: 125266 open for NWS offices. Please contact Kent-W7AOR for additional information on the Western Reflector.

A few technical reminders for folks interested in making contacts with the NWS Forecast Offices on the *WX-TALK* Node: 7203/IRLP 9219 and New England Reflector Gateway IRLP 9123/*NEW-ENG* Echolink Node: 9123 systems:

-The system allows both EchoLink and IRLP connections. For EchoLink users, you connect to the *WX-TALK* Node: 7203 conference system. For IRLP users, you would connect to IRLP reflector 9219.

-If you are using EchoLink, the RF node or PC that you’re using must have EchoLink conferencing disabled. If it is not disabled, the system will automatically kick the node or PC off of the system.

The reason this occurs is to prevent unintentional interference from a conferencing station that may not know the node is connected somewhere else. This will keep traffic moving on the net and reduce interference considerably.

For more information on VoIP Technical Configuration Tips, please go to our web site at http://www.voipwx.net where we have a link to that information on the main menu of the web site. This announcement will also be on the web site.

We are looking forward to another fun SKYWARN Recognition Day on the *WX-TALK* Node: 7203/IRLP reflector 9219 system, New England Reflector Gateway system and Western Reflector system. Thanks to all for there support!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator        
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://beta.wx1box.org

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Hello to all..

The following is a NWS Taunton Public Information Statement on the Dual Polarization Doppler Radar Installation that will occur January 4th through January 15th, 2012 as well as a link to a web page on the Dual Polarization Doppler Radar from the NWS Taunton web site:

NWS Taunton Dual Polarization Doppler Radar Web Page:
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/radar/dualpol.htm

NWS Taunton Dual Polarization Doppler Radar Public Information Statement:

000
NOUS41 KBOX 151821
PNSBOX
CTZ002>004-MAZ002>024-026-NHZ011-012-015-RIZ001>008-162200-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
118 PM EST TUE NOV 15 2011

…DUAL POLARIZATION RADAR INSTALLATION JANUARY 4-15 2012…

THE TAUNTON DOPPLER RADAR…KBOX…WILL UNDERGO A MODERNIZATION
TO USE NEW TECHNOLOGY KNOWN AS DUAL POLARIZATION. NWS TAUNTON
WILL BE AMONG THE FIRST RADARS IN THE NORTHEAST TO ACQUIRE THIS NEW
AND EXCITING TECHNOLOGY. INSTALLATION WILL TAKE UP TO TWO WEEKS AND
BEGIN ON WEDNESDAY…JANUARY 4 2012.

THIS UPGRADE WILL CAUSE THE KBOX RADAR TO BE DOWN AND UNAVAILABLE
FOR MUCH OF THIS TWO WEEK PERIOD. DURING THIS DOWN TIME…NWS
TAUNTON WILL USE SURROUNDING NWS DOPPLER RADARS IN ALBANY AND BROOKHAVEN
NEW YORK…AS  WELL AS THE ONE IN GRAY MAINE FOR COVERAGE.  OUR
OFFICE WILL ALSO INCORPORATE THE FAA TERMINAL DOPPLER RADAR IN
WEYMOUTH MA.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT DUAL POLARIZATION RADAR VISIT OUR WEBSITE OR
BROWSE TO THE WARNING DECISION TRAINING BRANCH
WEBSITE AT…LOWER CASE…
HTTP://WWW.WDTB.NOAA.GOV/COURSES/DUALPOL/OUTREACH/INDEX.HTML

PLEASE CONTACT METEOROLOGISTS HAYDEN FRANK (EMAIL HAYDEN.FRANK@NOAA.GOV)
OR STEPHANIE DUNTEN (EMAIL STEPHANIE.DUNTEN@NOAA.GOV) WITH ANY
QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS.

$$

FRANK/DUNTEN

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://beta.wx1box.org

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Hello to all..

..Heavy Rainfall in convective showers will affect Southern New England particularly portions of Central and Eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Northeast Connecticut. Rainfall of 1-3″ will be possible. Doppler Radar shows the leading edge of heavy showers just offshore and will move on shore between 8 AM and Noon from south to north. The rainfall may cause some urban and poor drainage flooding over the area in locations that receive heaviest rainfall particularly this afternoon and the evening commute..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will be utilized to handle any 2″ or more rainfall reports and flooding reports. Ops at NWS Taunton are unlikely but that will be monitored..
..This will be the only coordination message issued on this event unless an upgrade to the situation occurs. Below is the NWS Taunton Hazardous Weather Outlook..

NWS Taunton Hazardous Weather Outlook:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.flus41.KBOX.html

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://beta.wx1box.org

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Hello to all..

As part of our nation’s ongoing efforts to strengthen our resilience against all hazards, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in close coordination with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), will conduct the first ever nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System on Wednesday, November 9, at 2:00 p.m. EST. The test will occur simultaneously across the United States and the U.S. territories and will last approximately 30 seconds, after which regular programming will resume. The test will appear on all broadcast radio and television stations, cable television systems, satellite radio and television systems, and wireline video service systems. The test will not involve landline or mobile phones or other infrastructure such as power grids.

Further details on what will occur during this test is listed below in a press release by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA):

FEMA EAS Test Press Release:
http://www.fema.gov/eastest/

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://beta.wx1box.org

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NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SKYWARN TRAINING
Ipswich Mass – November 19, 2011

The National Weather Service (NWS) will be sponsoring a severe weather spotter training session, part of its SKYWARN program, in Ipswich Massachusetts. The class will be on Saturday November 19, 2011 from 11 AM to approximately 2 PM. It will be held at the Ipswich Town Hall, 25 Green Street, in Ipswich MA.

The session is open to the public at no charge. Amateur Radio Operators are encouraged to attend. Also, Emergency managers, police, fire, and other first responders are also encouraged to attend. Everyone age 16 and older who stays to complete the training will be able to become trained NWS weather spotters.

The training session includes a two-hour thirty-minute computer-based presentation, which discusses the development of thunderstorms, the criteria for “severe” thunderstorms, as well as the cloud features associated with severe thunderstorms and tornados. Additional information will be presented about winter storms and proper snow measurement. The session will also present the procedure for reporting weather information to the National Weather Service. Anyone attending should bring a pen or pencil and bringing a notebook is optional.

No pre-registration is required for this training session.

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Hello to all..

..Power continues to be restored across areas of New England hard hit by the historic and anomalous major nor’easter winter storm that severely impacted Western, Central and Northeast Massachusetts, Southern New Hampshire and Connecticut..
..ARES/RACES/MARS and EMCOMM groups are beginning to stand down their monitoring of the situation as power returns to the region..
..A Federal disaster declaration has been given to Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire over the past 2 days. Links to the FEMA declaration news for these states are provided in this email..
..A web story on the Amateur Radio Response has been posted to the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) web site and has been added to the links below. An updated story may follow early next week..
..NWS Taunton has posted a web page review of the October Major Winter Storm including pictures from the spotter community. That link has also been added to the resource links below..
..An additional link from NECN Broadcast Meteorologist, Matt Noyes, has been added to this message in an effort to promote preparedness and self-sufficiency for the next major storm to affect the region down the road understanding that improvements can still be made to the utility company response..
..Realizing that there are still folks who may provide pictures and data are still without power, it is reminded that even pictures and damage info given days after the incident can be very useful in understanding the extent of damage and providing a historical record for such an anomalous event. Any pictures that would be shared with the media, emergency management and NWS officials can be sent to pics@nsradio.org and credit will be given to the spotter who provided the pictures unless otherwise indicated. State Emergency Management officials will be working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency on damage assessment in many parts of New England starting on Monday and the pictures and data presented by SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators can help the damage assessment process..
..We extend a tremendous appreciation to all of our SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators that provided reports, pictures and video for this major storm and throughout the entire 2011 year which has been historic in terms of significant weather events affecting the region. This appreciation is detailed further in this coordination message..
..One more post storm coordination message which will likely be the final message may follow Sunday Evening or early this upcoming week. Web site resources that those with power can share with those that don’t have power are listed below to keep those ‘in the dark’ situationally aware of what is happening as far as restoration efforts..
..The first two paragraphs of this message, the last paragraph updating the next post storm coordination message and the web links mentioned in the prior headlines are the updates. Remainder is unchanged..

The Major Nor’easter of October 29th-30th has caused major impact to the region. Power outages remain but they are gradually being reduced across the region. As of 5 PM this evening, there were approximately 69,000 without power in Massachusetts (approximately 37,000 with Western Mass Electric and 31,000 with National Grid) with 250,000 still without power in Connecticut and now only 3,000 without power in New Hampshire.

As stated in the headlines, realizing that many folks who may provide pictures and data are still without power, it is reminded that even pictures and damage info given days after the incident can be very useful in understanding the extent of damage and providing a historical record for such an anomalous event. Any pictures that would be shared with the media, emergency management and NWS officials can be sent to pics@nsradio.org and credit will be given to the spotter who provided the pictures unless otherwise indicated. State Emergency Management officials will be working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency on damage assessment in many parts of New England starting on Monday and the pictures and data presented by SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators can help the damage assessment process.

On behalf of the entire SKYWARN coordinator team and the National Weather Service forecast staff, we would like to extend our sincere appreciation and thanks to all the NWS Taunton area SKYWARN spotters and Amateur Radio Operators who provided us with valuable situational awareness data during this past October Nor’easter. There was not a moment during the 18 hour formal operations that we did not receive critical information from you folks. That information was of immeasurable value to all of our partners (i.e. the National Weather Service, the media, local, state and federal emergency management and all of our non-governmental organizations – Red Cross, Salvation Army, hospitals, Medical Reserve Corps, etc). This has been quite an active severe weather year, with the June 1st tornado outbreak, Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene, and now the October Nor’easter, not to mention the “normal” severe weather events we experienced. It is gratifying to see how well the training we go through pays off. We do not say Thank You enough to all of you for your support. We hear it from the NWS staff and the media all of the time, because we are right here with them, but that does not often get passed on to you folks – at least not often enough. THANK YOU!  THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

One more post storm coordination message which will likely be the final message may follow Sunday Evening or early this upcoming week. Web site resources that those with power can share with those that don’t have power are listed below to keep those ‘in the dark’ situationally aware of what is happening as far as restoration efforts are listed below:

NWS Taunton Local Storm Report (Damage Reports):
http://beta.wx1box.org/local/lsr_10_30_11.txt

NWS Taunton Public Information Statement (Snowfall and Wind Gust Reports):
http://beta.wx1box.org/local/pns_10_30_11.txt

Connecticut Power and light (CL&P) Outage Map and Restoration Estimates Links:
http://outage.cl-p.com/outage/outagemap.aspx
http://www.cl-p.com/stormcenter/estimates/

Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH) Power Outage Map:
http://www.psnh.com/PowerOutagesStorms/Home/Storm-Updates.aspx

Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO) Outage Map:
http://www.wmeco.com/outage/

National Grid Outage Map:
http://http://www1.nationalgridus.com/masselectric/stormcenter/

CT-211 Web Site:
http://www.211ct.org/referweb/landing.aspx

ARRL Web Story – Amateurs Assist with Communications in Aftermath of Rare October Nor’easter:
http://www.arrl.org/news/amateurs-assist-with-communications-in-aftermath-of-rare-october-nor-easter

Matt Noyes: Can We Expect Long Power Outages Again?
http://www.mattnoyes.net/new_england_weather/2011/10/as-power-outages-continue-we-ask-should-such-long-outages-happen-and-can-we-expect-it-again.html

NWS Taunton October ‘Snowtober’ 2011 Review Link:
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/sigevents/Snowtober_2011/

FEMA Disaster Declaration News for Massachusetts:
http://www.fema.gov/news/event.fema?id=15992

FEMA Disaster Declaration News for Connecticut:
http://www.fema.gov/news/event.fema?id=15972

FEMA Disaster Declaration News for New Hampshire:
http://www.fema.gov/news/event.fema?id=15993

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://beta.wx1box.org

Read more

Hello to all..

..Power continues to be restored across areas of New England hard hit by the historic and anomalous major nor’easter winter storm that severely impacted Western, Central and Northeast Massachusetts, Southern New Hampshire and Connecticut..
..ARES/RACES/MARS and EMCOMM groups continue to monitor the situation closely in case support is needed..
..A Federal disaster declaration has been given to Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire over the past 2 days..
..A web story on the Amateur Radio Response has been posted to the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) web site and has been added to the links below..
..An additional link from NECN Broadcast Meteorologist, Matt Noyes, has been added to this message in an effort to promote preparedness and self-sufficiency for the next major storm to affect the region down the road understanding that improvements can still be made to the utility company response..
..Realizing that many folks who may provide pictures and data are still without power, it is reminded that even pictures and damage info given days after the incident can be very useful in understanding the extent of damage and providing a historical record for such an anomalous event. Any pictures that would be shared with the media, emergency management and NWS officials can be sent to pics@nsradio.org and credit will be given to the spotter who provided the pictures unless otherwise indicated..
..We extend a tremendous appreciation to all of our SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators that provided reports, pictures and video for this major storm and throughout the entire 2011 year which has been historic in terms of significant weather events affecting the region. This appreciation is detailed further in this coordination message..
..Another post storm coordination message will follow either Friday or Saturday. Web site resources that those with power can share with those that don’t have power are listed below to keep those ‘in the dark’ situationally aware of what is happening as far as restoration efforts..
..The first paragraph of this message and the two links mentioned in the prior headlines are the updates. Remainder is unchanged..

The Major Nor’easter of October 29th-30th has caused major impact to the region. Power outages remain widespread though are being reduced gradually across the region. As of late this evening, there were approximately 180,000 without power in Massachusetts with 494,000 without power in Connecticut and 47,000 without power in New Hampshire.

As stated in the headlines, realizing that many folks who may provide pictures and data are still without power, it is reminded that even pictures and damage info given days after the incident can be very useful in understanding the extent of damage and providing a historical record for such an anomalous event. Any pictures that would be shared with the media, emergency management and NWS officials can be sent to pics@nsradio.org and credit will be given to the spotter who provided the pictures unless otherwise indicated.

On behalf of the entire SKYWARN coordinator team and the National Weather Service forecast staff, we would like to extend our sincere appreciation and thanks to all the NWS Taunton area SKYWARN spotters and Amateur Radio Operators who provided us with valuable situational awareness data during this past October Nor’easter. There was not a moment during the 18 hour formal operations that we did not receive critical information from you folks. That information was of immeasurable value to all of our partners (i.e. the National Weather Service, the media, local, state and federal emergency management and all of our non-governmental organizations – Red Cross, Salvation Army, hospitals, Medical Reserve Corps, etc). This has been quite an active severe weather year, with the June 1st tornado outbreak, Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene, and now the October Nor’easter, not to mention the “normal” severe weather events we experienced. It is gratifying to see how well the training we go through pays off. We do not say Thank You enough to all of you for your support. We hear it from the NWS staff and the media all of the time, because we are right here with them, but that does not often get passed on to you folks – at least not often enough. THANK YOU!  THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Another post storm coordination message will follow either Friday or Saturday. Web site resources that those with power can share with those that don’t have power are listed below to keep those ‘in the dark’ situationally aware of what is happening as far as restoration efforts are listed below:

NWS Taunton Local Storm Report (Damage Reports):
http://beta.wx1box.org/local/lsr_10_30_11.txt

NWS Taunton Public Information Statement (Snowfall and Wind Gust Reports):
http://beta.wx1box.org/local/pns_10_30_11.txt

Connecticut Power and light (CL&P) Outage Map:
http://outage.cl-p.com/outage/outagemap.aspx

Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH) Power Outage Map:
http://www.psnh.com/PowerOutagesStorms/Home/Storm-Updates.aspx

Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO) Outage Map:
http://www.wmeco.com/outage/

National Grid Outage Map:
http://http://www1.nationalgridus.com/masselectric/stormcenter/

CT-211 Web Site:
http://www.211ct.org/referweb/landing.aspx

ARRL Web Story – Amateurs Assist with Communications in Aftermath of Rare October Nor’easter:
http://www.arrl.org/news/amateurs-assist-with-communications-in-aftermath-of-rare-october-nor-easter

Matt Noyes: Can We Expect Long Power Outages Again?
http://www.mattnoyes.net/new_england_weather/2011/10/as-power-outages-continue-we-ask-should-such-long-outages-happen-and-can-we-expect-it-again.html

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://beta.wx1box.org

Read more

Hello to all..

..Power slowly being restored across areas of New England hard hit by the historic and anomalous major nor’easter winter storm that severely impacted Western, Central and Northeast Massachusetts, Southern New Hampshire and Connecticut..
..ARES/RACES/MARS and EMCOMM groups continue to monitor the situation closely in case support is needed..
..Federal disaster declarations are in the works for the hardest hit areas of the New England states..
..Realizing that many folks who may provide pictures and data are still without power, it is reminded that even pictures and damage info given days after the incident can be very useful in understanding the extent of damage and providing a historical record for such an anomalous event. Any pictures that would be shared with the media, emergency management and NWS officials can be sent to pics@nsradio.org and credit will be given to the spotter who provided the pictures unless otherwise indicated..
..We extend a tremendous appreciation to all of our SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators that provided reports, pictures and video for this major storm and throughout the entire 2011 year which has been historic in terms of significant weather events affecting the region. This appreciation is detailed further in this coordination message..
..Another post storm coordination message will follow late Wednesday Evening or Thursday Morning. Web site resources that those with power can share with those that don’t have power are listed below to keep those ‘in the dark’ situationally aware of what is happening as far as restoration efforts..

The Major Nor’easter of October 29th-30th has caused major impact to the region. Power outages remain widespread though are being reduced gradually across the region. As of early this morning, there were approximately 355,000 without power in Massachusetts with 675,000 without power in Connecticut and 137,000 without power in New Hampshire.

As stated in the headlines, realizing that many folks who may provide pictures and data are still without power, it is reminded that even pictures and damage info given days after the incident can be very useful in understanding the extent of damage and providing a historical record for such an anomalous event. Any pictures that would be shared with the media, emergency management and NWS officials can be sent to pics@nsradio.org and credit will be given to the spotter who provided the pictures unless otherwise indicated.

On behalf of the entire SKYWARN coordinator team and the National Weather Service forecast staff, we would like to extend our sincere appreciation and thanks to all the NWS Taunton area SKYWARN spotters and Amateur Radio Operators who provided us with valuable situational awareness data during this past October Nor’easter. There was not a moment during the 18 hour formal operations that we did not receive critical information from you folks. That information was of immeasurable value to all of our partners (i.e. the National Weather Service, the media, local, state and federal emergency management and all of our non-governmental organizations – Red Cross, Salvation Army, hospitals, Medical Reserve Corps, etc). This has been quite an active severe weather year, with the June 1st tornado outbreak, Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene, and now the October Nor’easter, not to mention the “normal” severe weather events we experienced. It is gratifying to see how well the training we go through pays off. We do not say Thank You enough to all of you for your support. We hear it from the NWS staff and the media all of the time, because we are right here with them, but that does not often get passed on to you folks – at least not often enough. THANK YOU!  THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Another post storm coordination message will follow late Wednesday Evening or Thursday Morning. Web site resources that those with power can share with those that don’t have power are listed below to keep those ‘in the dark’ situationally aware of what is happening as far as restoration efforts are listed below:

NWS Taunton Local Storm Report (Damage Reports):
http://beta.wx1box.org/local/lsr_10_30_11.txt

NWS Taunton Public Information Statement (Snowfall and Wind Gust Reports):
http://beta.wx1box.org/local/pns_10_30_11.txt

Connecticut Power and light (CL&P) Outage Map:
http://outage.cl-p.com/outage/outagemap.aspx

Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH) Power Outage Map:
http://www.psnh.com/PowerOutagesStorms/Home/Storm-Updates.aspx

Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO) Outage Map:
http://www.wmeco.com/outage/

National Grid Outage Map:
http://http://www1.nationalgridus.com/masselectric/stormcenter/

CT-211 Web Site:
http://www.211ct.org/referweb/landing.aspx

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://beta.wx1box.org

Read more