Blizzard/Storm Coordination Message #2 – Late Monday Night 3/13/17-Early Wednesday 3/15/17 Blizzard/Major Winter Storm Potential
Hello to all…
..Bitterly cold conditions has resulted in a Wind Chill Advisory being posted through 11 AM EDT Sunday for Franklin, Western Hampshire and Western Hampden Counties for wind chills of 15-20 below zero. The cold conditions will continue through much of this week..
..Potential Blizzard and Major Winter Storm for Southern New England Late Monday Night through Late Tuesday Night. Preparations for this potential blizzard and major winter storm should commence today with preparations completing late Monday Night/early Tuesday Morning..
..A Blizzard Watch remains in effect from late Monday Night through late Tuesday Night for Suffolk, Plymouth and Southern Bristol Counties of Massachusetts and Newport and Washington Counties of Rhode Island for at least 6″ or more of snow if not 12″ or more of snow, the potential for blizzard and whiteout conditions and winds of 25-35 MPH with gusts in the 55-65 MPH range. The combination of heavy snow that could be a wet snow and strong to damaging winds will have the potential for isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated to scattered power outages..
..A Winter Storm Watch remains in effect from late Monday Night through late Tuesday Night for Cape Cod and the Islands and Eastern Essex County for at least 6″ or more of snow if not 12″ or more of snow for Eastern Essex County with the Cape and Islands being more track dependent and depending on track could be closer to 6″ amounts or will be higher if a more offshore track is favored, the potential for near blizzard and near whiteout conditions and winds of 25-35 MPH with gusts 60-65 MPH. The combination of heavy snow that could be a wet snow and strong to damaging winds will have the potential for isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated to scattered power outages..
..A Winter Storm Watch remains in effect from late Monday Night through late Tuesday Night for the rest of the NWS Taunton Coverage Area for at least 6″ or more of snow if not 12″ or more of snow, the potential for near blizzard and near whiteout conditions and sustained winds of 25-35 MPH with gusts of 40-50 MPH. The winds will have the potential to cause isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated to scattered power outages..
..A High Wind Watch is now in effect for Cape Cod and the Islands from Tuesday Morning to Tuesday Afternoon for sustained winds of 35-45 MPH with gusts to 65 MPH. These strong to damaging winds coupled with any wet snowfall will have the potential for isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated to scattered power outages..
..Additional Watches, Warnings and Advisories and adjustments to the current watches are likely as we get closer to this potential blizzard. Minor to Moderate coastal flooding and the damaging wind potential at the coast is likely where additional watches/warnings will be required..
..SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will occur with this potential blizzard. The timing of the activation and Amateur Radio Operations will be defined as we get closer to this event..
..ARES, RACES and Emergency Communications groups should closely monitor the progress of this potential blizzard and seek advice from their local leadership on any potential activation as they get closer to the potential blizzard event..
..Pictures from this major storm event will likely be helpful for situational awareness and disaster intelligence purposes. They can be sent via our WX1BOX social media Facebook and Twitter feeds, as a reply to this message or to the email address pics@nsradio.org with credit given to the spotter or Ham Operator for sending the pictures unless otherwise noted..
The headlines of this coordination message depict the potential for a major winter storm/blizzard for the region based on the current weather model projections. A High Wind Watch is now posted for Cape Cod and the Islands for sustained winds of 35-45 MPH with gusts to 65 MPH. Other than that additional watch, no changes to the watch configuration have been made at this time. Given we are still 2-2.5 days away from this potential major winter storm/blizzard, it is difficult to get into many more details other than what is in the message headlines. The key items to be sorted as we watch the potential for this major winter storm/blizzard include:
1.) Exact storm track remains a bit uncertain though the consensus brings the potential major winter storm/blizzard just east of Nantucket and Cape Cod to the 40 North/70 West benchmark and the track guidance is gradually getting into better agreement. Some reliable models bring it inside of Nantucket and Cape Cod while others bring it closer to the 40 North/70 West benchmark. There are some timing issues as well with some models bringing conditions in a bit earlier Tuesday Morning with others favoring later Tuesday Morning into later Tuesday Night. This will be worked out as we get closer to this potential blizzard/major winter storm event. The greatest uncertainty with these track differences is whether or not the Cape and Islands region remains all snow and whether they get any mix or change to rain. For the remainder of the Winter Storm and Blizzard Watch areas, it would remain all snow with the only question being any dry slot that keeps amounts slightly lower in parts of Southeast New England. The track difference may also determine how far west the heavier snowfall of 12″ or more gets as you get into Western Massachusetts and Northwest Connecticut.
2.) The strong to damaging wind potential of this system is high. The consistency of the snow and how wet it is and whether a zone of heavy wet snow sets up will determine the extent of any tree and wire damage in the region. This will bear close watching.
3.) How widespread the blizzard conditions will be. The current watch configuration is based on where the highest confidence is for blizzard conditions. This could be adjusted or possibly expanded in future updates.
4.) Extent of coastal flooding and if the strongest winds coincide with either high tide cycle. This will impact the level of coastal flooding along north and east facing areas and perhaps even parts of the south coast with this system.
People should prepare for this major storm similar to other past major winter storms for the region. Have plenty of batteries and battery powered equipment on hand and test out this equipment and any generator equipment. Make sure you have gas for your generator as well. If it turns out that you do not lose power in the storm, you will be better prepared for the next storm system.
Pictures from this major storm event will likely be helpful for situational awareness and disaster intelligence purposes. They can be sent via our WX1BOX social media Facebook and Twitter feeds, as a reply to this message or to the email address pics@nsradio.org with credit given to the spotter or Ham Operator for sending the pictures unless otherwise noted.
SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will occur with this potential blizzard. The timing of the activation and Amateur Radio Operations will be defined as we get closer to this event. ARES, RACES and Emergency Communications groups should closely monitor the progress of this potential blizzard and seek advice from their local leadership on any potential activation as they get closer to the potential blizzard event. Another coordination message will be posted by 1130 PM EDT Sunday Evening. Below is the NWS Taunton Blizzard/Winter Storm Watch Statement, High Wind Watch Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook and Winter Weather Graphics:
NWS Taunton Blizzard/Winter Storm Watch Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus41.KBOX.html
NWS Taunton High Wind Watch Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus71.KBOX.html
NWS Taunton Hazardous Weather Outlook:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.flus41.KBOX.html
NWS Taunton Winter Weather Graphics:
http://www.weather.gov/box/winter
Respectfully Submitted,
Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Assistant 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
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box
Hello to all…
..Bitterly cold conditions has resulted in a Wind Chill Advisory being posted through 11 AM EDT Sunday for Franklin, Western Hampshire and Western Hampden Counties for wind chills of 15-20 below zero. The cold conditions will continue through much of this week..
..Potential Blizzard and Major Winter Storm for Southern New England Late Monday Night through Late Tuesday Night. Preparations for this potential blizzard and major winter storm should commence today with preparations completing late Monday Night/early Tuesday Morning..
..A Blizzard Watch remains in effect from late Monday Night through late Tuesday Night for Suffolk, Plymouth and Southern Bristol Counties of Massachusetts and Newport and Washington Counties of Rhode Island for at least 6″ or more of snow if not 12″ or more of snow, the potential for blizzard and whiteout conditions and winds of 25-35 MPH with gusts in the 55-65 MPH range. The combination of heavy snow that could be a wet snow and strong to damaging winds will have the potential for isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated to scattered power outages..
..A Winter Storm Watch remains in effect from late Monday Night through late Tuesday Night for Cape Cod and the Islands and Eastern Essex County for at least 6″ or more of snow if not 12″ or more of snow for Eastern Essex County with the Cape and Islands being more track dependent and depending on track could be closer to 6″ amounts or will be higher if a more offshore track is favored, the potential for near blizzard and near whiteout conditions and winds of 25-35 MPH with gusts 60-65 MPH. The combination of heavy snow that could be a wet snow and strong to damaging winds will have the potential for isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated to scattered power outages..
..A Winter Storm Watch remains in effect from late Monday Night through late Tuesday Night for the rest of the NWS Taunton Coverage Area for at least 6″ or more of snow if not 12″ or more of snow, the potential for near blizzard and near whiteout conditions and sustained winds of 25-35 MPH with gusts of 40-50 MPH. The winds will have the potential to cause isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated to scattered power outages..
..A High Wind Watch is now in effect for Cape Cod and the Islands from Tuesday Morning to Tuesday Afternoon for sustained winds of 35-45 MPH with gusts to 65 MPH. These strong to damaging winds coupled with any wet snowfall will have the potential for isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated to scattered power outages..
..Additional Watches, Warnings and Advisories and adjustments to the current watches are likely as we get closer to this potential blizzard. Minor to Moderate coastal flooding and the damaging wind potential at the coast is likely where additional watches/warnings will be required..
..SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will occur with this potential blizzard. The timing of the activation and Amateur Radio Operations will be defined as we get closer to this event..
..ARES, RACES and Emergency Communications groups should closely monitor the progress of this potential blizzard and seek advice from their local leadership on any potential activation as they get closer to the potential blizzard event..
..Pictures from this major storm event will likely be helpful for situational awareness and disaster intelligence purposes. They can be sent via our WX1BOX social media Facebook and Twitter feeds, as a reply to this message or to the email address pics@nsradio.org with credit given to the spotter or Ham Operator for sending the pictures unless otherwise noted..
The headlines of this coordination message depict the potential for a major winter storm/blizzard for the region based on the current weather model projections. A High Wind Watch is now posted for Cape Cod and the Islands for sustained winds of 35-45 MPH with gusts to 65 MPH. Other than that additional watch, no changes to the watch configuration have been made at this time. Given we are still 2-2.5 days away from this potential major winter storm/blizzard, it is difficult to get into many more details other than what is in the message headlines. The key items to be sorted as we watch the potential for this major winter storm/blizzard include:
1.) Exact storm track remains a bit uncertain though the consensus brings the potential major winter storm/blizzard just east of Nantucket and Cape Cod to the 40 North/70 West benchmark and the track guidance is gradually getting into better agreement. Some reliable models bring it inside of Nantucket and Cape Cod while others bring it closer to the 40 North/70 West benchmark. There are some timing issues as well with some models bringing conditions in a bit earlier Tuesday Morning with others favoring later Tuesday Morning into later Tuesday Night. This will be worked out as we get closer to this potential blizzard/major winter storm event. The greatest uncertainty with these track differences is whether or not the Cape and Islands region remains all snow and whether they get any mix or change to rain. For the remainder of the Winter Storm and Blizzard Watch areas, it would remain all snow with the only question being any dry slot that keeps amounts slightly lower in parts of Southeast New England. The track difference may also determine how far west the heavier snowfall of 12″ or more gets as you get into Western Massachusetts and Northwest Connecticut.
2.) The strong to damaging wind potential of this system is high. The consistency of the snow and how wet it is and whether a zone of heavy wet snow sets up will determine the extent of any tree and wire damage in the region. This will bear close watching.
3.) How widespread the blizzard conditions will be. The current watch configuration is based on where the highest confidence is for blizzard conditions. This could be adjusted or possibly expanded in future updates.
4.) Extent of coastal flooding and if the strongest winds coincide with either high tide cycle. This will impact the level of coastal flooding along north and east facing areas and perhaps even parts of the south coast with this system.
People should prepare for this major storm similar to other past major winter storms for the region. Have plenty of batteries and battery powered equipment on hand and test out this equipment and any generator equipment. Make sure you have gas for your generator as well. If it turns out that you do not lose power in the storm, you will be better prepared for the next storm system.
Pictures from this major storm event will likely be helpful for situational awareness and disaster intelligence purposes. They can be sent via our WX1BOX social media Facebook and Twitter feeds, as a reply to this message or to the email address pics@nsradio.org with credit given to the spotter or Ham Operator for sending the pictures unless otherwise noted.
SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will occur with this potential blizzard. The timing of the activation and Amateur Radio Operations will be defined as we get closer to this event. ARES, RACES and Emergency Communications groups should closely monitor the progress of this potential blizzard and seek advice from their local leadership on any potential activation as they get closer to the potential blizzard event. Another coordination message will be posted by 1130 PM EDT Sunday Evening. Below is the NWS Taunton Blizzard/Winter Storm Watch Statement, High Wind Watch Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook and Winter Weather Graphics:
NWS Taunton Blizzard/Winter Storm Watch Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus41.KBOX.html
NWS Taunton High Wind Watch Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus71.KBOX.html
NWS Taunton Hazardous Weather Outlook:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.flus41.KBOX.html
NWS Taunton Winter Weather Graphics:
http://www.weather.gov/box/winter
Respectfully Submitted,
Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Assistant 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
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box