Wind Chill Coordination Message #1 – 12/31/17-1/1/18 Bitterly Cold Wind Chill Potential

Hello to all…

..Happy New Year to all SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators..
..New Year’s Eve Night into New Year’s Day will be dry but it will also bring a continuation of bitterly cold conditions for any first night and outdoor activities for New Years Evening. Dress in many layers if outdoors for New Year’s and try to go to warming places where ever possible during this timeframe..
..A Wind Chill Warning is in effect from 8 PM tonight through 8 AM Monday for Western Franklin, Western Hampden and Western Hampshire Counties for wind chills between 15 and 25 below zero. During the day Sunday, Wind Chills will be between 10 and 20 below zero. A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect from 8 PM this evening to Noon Monday for all of Northern Connecticut, the remainder of Massachusetts except for the islands and Providence, Bristol and Western Kent Counties of Rhode Island for wind chills between 5 and 20 below zero..
..This will be the only coordination message on the bitterly cold wind chills from New Year’s Eve into New Year’s Day. Below is the NWS Taunton Wind Chill Warning/Advisory Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook and Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook..

NWS Taunton Wind Chill Warning/Advisory Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus41.KBOX.html

NWS Taunton Hazardous Weather Outlook:

http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.flus41.KBOX.html

NWS Taunton Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://www.weather.gov/box/ehwo

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


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Storm Coordination Message #3 – Saturday 12/30/17-Early Sunday Morning 12/31/17 Light Snow Potential and Cold Wind Chill Potential

Hello to all…

..Happy New Year to all SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators..
..A light snow event remains on track for portions of South Coastal New England Saturday into early Sunday Morning. Bitterly Cold conditions continue through New Years Eve Night and New Year’s Day..
..A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect for Cape Cod & Islands from Noon Saturday to 1 AM Sunday for 2-5″ of snow. The remainder of South Coastal Massachusetts & Rhode Island is currently expected to receive 1-3″ of snow. If the storm track is a bit further north, Winter Weather Advisories could be expanded to the rest of South Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island but if the track remains the same or further south, highest snow amounts will be over or south of the islands. The rest of the region will get a coating to 2″ of snow..
..A Wind Chill Advisory is now in effect from 6 AM to 6 PM Sunday for Western Franklin, Western Hampden and Western Hampshire Counties for very cold wind chills. Wind Chill Advisories and even Wind Chill Warnings will likely be required for more of the NWS Taunton coverage area for Sunday into Monday in future updates..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor for snowfall amounts Saturday into Sunday Morning. Below is the NWS Taunton Winter Weather Advisory/Wind Chill Advisory Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook, Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook and Snowfall Maps..

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

NWS Taunton Hazardous Weather Outlook:

http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.flus41.KBOX.html

NWS Taunton Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://www.weather.gov/box/ehwo

NWS Taunton Snowfall Maps:
https://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


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Storm Coordination Message #2 – Saturday 12/30/17-Early Sunday Morning 12/31/17 Light Snow Potential

Hello to all…

..Happy New Year to all SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators..
..A light snow event is on track for portions of South Coastal New England Saturday into early Sunday Morning..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect for Cape Cod & Islands from Noon Saturday to 1 AM Sunday for 2-5″ of snow. The remainder of South Coastal Massachusetts & Rhode Island is currently expected to receive 1-3″ of snow. If the storm track is a bit further north, Winter Weather Advisories could be expanded to the rest of South Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island but if the track remains the same or further south, highest snow amounts will be over or south of the islands. The rest of the region will get a coating to 2″ of snow..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor for snowfall amounts Saturday into Sunday Morning. Below is the NWS Taunton Winter Weather Advisory Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook, Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook and Snowfall Maps..

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

NWS Taunton Hazardous Weather Outlook:

http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.flus41.KBOX.html

NWS Taunton Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://www.weather.gov/box/ehwo

NWS Taunton Snowfall Maps:
https://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


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Storm Coordination Message #1 – Saturday 12/30/17-Early Sunday Morning 12/31/17 Light Snow Potential

Hello to all…

..Happy New Year to all SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators..
..A light snow event is expected for portions of South Coastal New England Saturday into Early Sunday Morning..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket Islands from Noon Saturday to 1 AM Sunday for 2-5″ of snow. South Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island is currently expected to receive 1-3″ of snow. If the storm track is a bit further north, Winter Weather Advisories could be expanded to South Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island but if the track remains the same or further south, highest snow amounts will be over the islands or south of the islands. The rest of the region will get a coating to 2″ of snow..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor for snowfall amounts Saturday into Sunday Morning. Below is the NWS Taunton Winter Weather Advisory Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook, Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook and Snowfall Maps..

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

NWS Taunton Hazardous Weather Outlook:

http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.flus41.KBOX.html

NWS Taunton Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://www.weather.gov/box/ehwo

NWS Taunton Snowfall Maps:
https://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


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Special Announcement: Merry Christmas/Happy New Year/Happy Holidays to All SKYWARN Spotters & Amateur Radio Operators!

Hello to all..

On behalf of the entire Amateur Radio Group at WX1BOX, the Amateur Radio station for NWS Taunton Massachusetts, and the forecaster staff at NWS Taunton, we would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Holiday season. 2017 was another interesting year for weather across the region. Some of the highlights included the 2 blizzards that affected portions of Southern New England in the winter season and the late October coastal storm that brought hurricane force wind gusts to portions of Southeast New England.

As has been the case for the last several years, many of you provided critical reports, pictures and videos that supported and resulted in the protection of life and property and timely warnings being issued based on the surface reporting and ground truth that is so critical in confirming what the radar is or is not seeing. This information was then shared with the media, local, state and federal emergency management and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that are always looking for situational awareness and disaster intelligence to gauge the level of response and recovery required for an incident. They remain extremely impressed with all the work that all of you do and they extend their appreciation. That appreciation of the weather and damage reports is highly recognized by many of the media outlets as well who thank SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators on television and over social media such as Facebook and Twitter. This mission could not be done without all of your support.

A quick synopsis of 2017 brought an interesting winter to Southern New England. A major winter storm shortly after New Year’s on January 7th brought a major winter storm across Southeast New England with snowfall totals ranging from 10-20″ with isolated higher amounts to 2 feet of snow and snowfall rates as high as 3-4″ per hour. Wind gusts to 35-45 MPH occurred at times but blizzard conditions were not met with this major winter storm. That would not be the case on February 9th where a storm rapidly intensified causing blizzard conditions in multiple locations and some of the most widespread reports of thundersnow in recent memory and snowfall totals between 10-20″ in many areas with isolated higher amounts. The blizzard also causing pockets of tree and wire damage with gusts in the 60-70 MPH range causing downed trees and power lines in Southeast New England and especially Cape Cod and the Islands with close to 70,000 without power in Massachusetts at the height of the storm focused on the Cape and Islands. Minor coastal flooding also occurred in localized areas at the time of high tide.

The weather would turn unseasonably mild for several weeks after the February 9th blizzard. That would come to an end with a powerful cold front which produced severe thunderstorm activity in Western Massachusetts. These severe thunderstorms caused straightline wind damage across portions of Berkshire and Franklin County Massachusetts and was also responsible for the first ever tornado to strike the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in recorded history as an EF-1 tornado tracked through Goshen and Conway Massachusetts. Colder weather followed and that would lead to a second blizzard affecting portions of Northeast Massachusetts and throughout interior Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut with a moderate snowfall down into the Boston to Providence corridor. The weight of the snow and wind gusts to hurricane force on Plum Island resulted in downed trees and power lines with close to 80,000 without power at the height of the storm in the North Shore region. Hurricane force wind gusts also occurred on portions of Cape Cod and the Islands with heavy rainfall and more isolated wind damage in this area from this coastal storm system.

The Summer 2017 severe weather season was near or a bit below normal in terms of severe weather reports and wind damage associated with severe thunderstorms. A few of the key severe weather events included the Wednesday May 31st severe weather event with numerous reports of hail and some reports of large hail in Western and Northern Massachusetts and portions of Northeast Connecticut. Another notable severe weather event was a cluster of severe thunderstorms that affected the Metro Boston area during rush hour. The cluster of severe thunderstorms caused pockets of tree and wire damage with a measured wind gust to 61 MPH recorded in Cambridge and numerous other wind gusts between 50 and 65 MPH across the metro Boston area into Northern Plymouth County Massachusetts. On Friday June 23rd, another round of severe thunderstorms with damaging winds moved through the metro west and north shore area of Massachusetts with pockets of wind damage and wind gusts in the 50-60 MPH range. A few additional severe weather events of note with both hail and wind damage were on Tuesday June 27th, Wednesday July 12th and Wednesday August 2nd. Both events featured large hail and pockets of wind damage with the severe thunderstorms over interior Southern New England into the Boston area. These events also had some flash flooding of urban areas. The summer 2017 season should also be noted for a number of flash flood events in the region including two events on Cape Cod and the Islands on July 7th and late Friday Evening August 18th into Saturday August 19th during the overnight hours.

The 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season was extremely active with multiple landfalling hurricanes in the United States and Caribbean islands from Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria. Amateur Radio Operators and SKYWARN Spotters from the Southern New England area assisted with relayed reports of wind damage, flooding, storm surge damage from many of these affected areas supporting the VoIP Hurricane Net. Southern New England also did not escape impact from the Atlantic Hurricane Season as tropical storm force conditions similar to a nor’easter occurred with Tropical Storm Jose which stalled a little over 100 miles south of Nantucket Island but had its large wind envelope affect Southeast New England with pockets of tree and wire damage and wind gusts in the 50-65 MPH range with isolated higher wind gusts.

As we went through late September into the Fall season, a slow moving thunderstorm caused a significant flash flood in Lynn, Massachusetts and spread to a less significant extent into the Winthrop area and parts of Boston on Saturday September 30th. The slow moving thunderstorm in Lynn, Mass was also severe with hail up to 1″ in diameter and covering the ground in mounds in parts of Downtown Lynn. A coastal storm in the Tuesday Evening October 24th to Thursday Morning October 26th timeframe brought heavy rainfall and pockets of wind damage to the region. The rainfall was largely beneficial as October was a dry month but in some areas the rain came down in a short period of time leading to urban and poor drainage flooding to flash flooding in some areas.

This brought us to the Sunday Evening October 29th into Monday October 30th coastal storm. This coastal storm system caused some of the most widespread significant wind damage of the year across Southern New England particularly in Eastern and Central Massachusetts and Rhode Island as the coastal storm received a boost in energy from the remnants of Tropical Storm Phillipe. Hurricane force wind gusts were recorded across Southeast New England coast with the highest wind gust of 93 MPH in Mashpee Massachusetts with multiple hurricane force wind gusts of 81 MPH at Conimicut Light – Warwick, RI, 76 MPH in Fairhaven – West Island and 75 MPH in Marstons Mills, Massachusetts and 74 MPH at Blue Hill in Milton Massachusetts. Rainfall amounts of 2-4″ with isolated higher amounts of 4-5.5″ occurred with reports of urban and poor drainage flooding and some small river and stream flooding. At the height of the storm over 320,000 were without power in Massachusetts along with over 100,000 in Rhode Island and in some cases it took several days for power to be restored. Despite low astronomical tides, there were significant impacts to the marine community with several large boats washed ashore in Padanaram Harbor in Dartmouth, Massachusetts due to the strength of the high winds.

The end of the year has brought an active weather pattern with the first significant snow for much of the region Saturday December 9th with a smaller storm on Thursday December 14th providing much of Southeast New England their first snowfall of the season. This past Friday 12/21 into Saturday 12/22 was a significant icing event for much of Southern New England away from southeast coastal Massachusetts and extreme South Coastal Rhode Island that caused some downed trees and wires and up to near 20,000 power outages in Massachusetts. As this holiday message is being written, a quick hitting but potent winter storm is affecting Southern New England on Christmas Day and between the prior storm system and the Christmas Day storm system, many interior locations through Northeast coastal Massachusetts are experiencing a White Christmas.

As we move forward in 2018, we will be continuing our commitment to SKYWARN training. Planning has started and sessions will be posted for 2018 SKYWARN Training starting in Janauary. The latest 2018 SKYWARN Training Schedule can be seen at the following link:
http://beta.wx1box.org/node/36

We also know that we’ve continued to have a large influx of SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators after a full slate of SKYWARN Training classes. As we move forward into 2018, the first priority will be to handle the NWS office move from Taunton to Norton Massachusetts and running communications tests from the Amateur Radio station setup at the new location. Information on the move is posted in this holiday message via the links below:

NWS Taunton Office Move with Link to Public Information Statement:
http://beta.wx1box.org/node/4006

NWS Taunton Move – Public Information Statement direct link:
http://beta.wx1box.org/local/nws_taunton_office_move_pns.txt

Once the move is completed, we will continue and reinvigorate documenting ways to communicate with us during activation and assure people understand the self-activation and activation protocols used today. We will also look at ways spotters and Amateurs can become more active in supporting efforts to gather critical reports from other areas beyond where they are located and do so in a precise manner.

We will also continue to embrace new technologies while maintaining all the other technologies utilized to gather as much real-time and precise meteorological and damage report information as possible and this effort will be pushed more heavily after the NWS office move to Norton Massachusetts. We utilized DMR during the 2017 SKYWARN Recognition Day event and will be looking to add that capability when possible during activations.  We will attempt to look at DSTAR Amateur Radio as an additional means for reporting during severe weather and we are still looking at a new Amateur Radio technology called NBEMS, the Narrow Band Emergency Messaging System, as a potential means to gather weather spotter data digitally over Ham Radio. These are added capabilities that we will be looking at and will not replace the continued core technologies within VHF and UHF (2 Meters/440 MHz) SKYWARN Amateur Radio Repeaters and simplex capabilities, our usage of Echolink/IRLP Amateur Radio linked repeaters, Amateur Radio HF and 6 Meters capabilities as well as monitoring of weather stations ingested over APRS and into the Mesonet networks that have supported and helped with seeing what is happening on the ground.

We will also be looking at other ways to engage both Amateur Radio and non-Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters via other ways to get near real-time and historical spotter reports and near real-time video and pictures as well as historical video and pictures after a major severe weather event via a project the WX1BOX Amateur Radio team is working over the past year. Further details on this will be announced as the project progresses along with additional projects being worked over the past Fall as well. This will further enhance our abilities to gather situational awareness and disaster intelligence information in a short period of time

We continue to have our twitter feed setup and you can follow WX1BOX on Twitter by following our Amateur Radio Call-Sign, WX1BOX and have our WX1BOX Facebook page available as well. NWS Taunton has also continued the use of their Twitter and Facebook feeds as well over the course of 2017. Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators can follow WX1BOX and ‘NWSBoston’ on Twitter and on Facebook can ‘like’ these pages. They are available via the following links:

WX1BOX Amateur Radio SKYWARN Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/wx1box

NWS Taunton Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/US.NationalWeatherService.Boston.gov?fref=ts

WX1BOX Amateur Radio SKYWARN Twitter Feed:
http://twitter.com/wx1box

NWS Taunton Twitter feed:
https://twitter.com/NWSBoston

We, again, want to provide a tremendous THANK YOU to all of you that supported SKYWARN and the National Weather Service during 2017. We wish everyone once again, a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holiday Season and hope people enjoy their time with family and friends during this joyous holiday season!

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

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Storm Coordination Message #3 – Sunday Evening/Christmas Eve Night 12/24/17 Through Monday/Christmas Day 12/25/17

Hello to all…

..Merry Christmas to All SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators. We will still plan to get out our annual year in review and holiday message on Christmas Day..
..After Saturday‘s icing event, another winter storm will affect the region late Christmas Eve Night into Christmas Day with the potential for heavy snow in interior southern New England, a rain to snow changeover in Southeast New England and strong to damaging winds across Southern New England..
..A Winter Storm Warning is now in effect for Franklin, Hampshire, Western Hampden, Northern Worcester and Northern and Central Middlesex Counties of Massachusetts through 1 PM Monday/Christmas Day Afternoon for 4-8″ of snow. There is the potential for higher amounts in areas that have potential higher snowfall rates and the possibility for thundersnow and near whiteout conditions for a time Monday Morning before the snow ends..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect for Northern Connecticut, Northwest Providence County Rhode Island, Essex, Eastern Hampden, Southern Worcester and Central Middlesex Counties of Massachusetts from 10 PM Sunday Evening/Christmas Eve Night through 1 PM Monday/Christmas Day Afternoon for 3-5″ of snow with localized amounts of up to 7″ and a trace of ice. A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect for Western Norfolk and Southeast Middlesex Counties of Massachusetts for 1-3″ of snow with localized amounts up to 5″ and a trace of ice. Areas outside of the Winter Weather Advisory will see mostly rain ending as a period of wintry mix or snow with less than 2″ of snow accumulation however model trends have changed to a bit colder and stronger storm solution so this will be monitored ..
..A High Wind Warning is now in effect for Eastern Plymouth County, South Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island including Cape Cod and the Islands from 7 AM-4 PM Monday/Christmas Day for sustained winds of 25-35 MPH with gusts to 65 MPH. These winds will cause scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and scattered power outages..
..A Wind Advisory is now in effect for the remainder of the NWS Taunton Coverage area from 10 AM-7 PM Monday/Christmas Day for sustained winds of 15-25 MPH with gusts to 50 MPH. These winds will cause isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor the storm from late Christmas Eve Night into Christmas Day..

Another winter storm system will affect the region late Christmas Eve Night into Christmas Day. The headlines depict the latest thinking which now includes a bit colder and stronger storm solution meaning increased snow in interior Southern New England with the expansion of the Winter Storm Warnings a bit further south and east and an expansion of the Winter Weather Advisories further south and east. High Wind Warnings have also been expanded to include more of Southeast Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island and slightly stronger wind gusts expected in the Wind Advisory areas. Key factors for this storm remains its proximity to the coast line. If it gets a bit closer to the coast, heavier snow amounts will be further north with the rain-snow line further north and west whereas a track a bit further offshore will mean the rain-snow line tracking further south and east. Also, there remains concern that the strong to damaging winds as depicted in the headlines could have a bit more impact in the interior given the recent icing that caused tree and power line damage in interior Southern New England Saturday. Southeast coastal New England will see the strongest winds with gusts up to 65 MPH considered likely particularly Christmas Morning into the early afternoon and will be monitored closely.

SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor the storm from late Christmas Eve Night into Christmas Day. This will likely be the last coordination message for this storm system as we move into operations mode but if there is a significant upgrade to the situation and time allows for an update, we will attempt to update accordingly. Below is the NWS Taunton Winter Storm Warning/Winter Weather Advisory Statement, High Wind Warning/Wind Advisory Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook, Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook, Snowfall Maps and Facebook Infographics:

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

NWS Taunton High Wind Warning/Wind Advisory 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 Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://www.weather.gov/box/ehwo

NWS Taunton Snowfall Maps:
https://www.weather.gov/box/winter

NWS Taunton Facebook Infographics:

https://www.facebook.com/NWSBoston/photos/pcb.1576194599141572/1576194515808247/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/NWSBoston/photos/pcb.1576198742474491/1576198659141166/?type=3&theater

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


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Storm Coordination Message #2 – Sunday Evening/Christmas Eve Night 12/24/17 Through Monday/Christmas Day 12/25/17

Hello to all…

..Merry Christmas Eve to All SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators. We will still plan to get out our annual year in review and holiday message prior to Christmas..
..After Saturday‘s icing event, another winter storm will affect the region late Christmas Eve Night into Christmas Day with the potential for heavy snow in interior southern New England, a rain to snow changeover in Southeast New England and strong to damaging winds across Southern New England..
..A Winter Storm Warning is now in effect for Franklin, Northern Worcester and Northern Middlesex Counties of Massachusetts from 10 PM Sunday Evening/Christmas Eve Night through 1 PM Monday/Christmas Day Afternoon for 4-7″ of snow..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect for Northern Connecticut, Northwest Providence County Rhode Island, Essex, Hampden, Hampshire, Southern Worcester and Central Middlesex Counties of Massachusetts from 10 PM Sunday Evening/Christmas Eve Night through 1 PM Monday/Christmas Day Afternoon for 2-5″ of snow and a trace of ice. Areas outside of the Winter Weather Advisory will see mostly rain ending as a period of wintry mix or snow with less than 2″ of snow accumulation..
..A High Wind Warning is now in effect for Cape Cod and the Islands from 7 AM-4 PM Monday/Christmas Day for sustained winds of 25-35 MPH with gusts to 65 MPH. These winds will cause scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and scattered power outages..
..A Wind Advisory is now in effect for South Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island including Eastern Plymouth County Massachusetts from 10 AM-7 PM Monday/Christmas Day for sustained winds of 15-25 MPH with gusts to 50 MPH. These winds will cause isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages..
..A Wind Advisory is now in effect for the remainder of the NWS Taunton coverage area from 1 PM-7 PM Monday Christmas Day for sustained winds of 15-25 MPH with gusts up to 45-50 MPH. These winds will cause isolated pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor the storm from late Christmas Eve Night into Christmas Day..

Yesterday brought about a significant icing event to much of interior Southern New England through portions of East Coastal Massachusetts. At the height of the storm, just under 20,000 were without power in Massachusetts with most of that power restored as of Sunday Morning. Storm reports and the Facebook Album from Saturday‘s icing event are posted below:

Saturday 12/22/17 Icing Event Reports Summary Information:

WX1BOX Facebook Album – Saturday 12/22/17 Icing Event Reports:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/wx1box/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1799077710126239

WX1BOX Amateur Radio Reports Log – Saturday 12/22/17 Icing Event:
http://beta.wx1box.org/local/reports_12_23_17_2.txt

NWS Taunton Local Storm Report – Snow/Ice Reports and Icing Damage Reports:
http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KBOX/1712240310.nwus51.html

NWS Taunton Public Information Statement – Snow/Ice Reports:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.nous41.KBOX.html

Another winter storm system will affect the region late Christmas Eve Night into Christmas Day. The headlines depict the latest thinking. Key factors for this storm is its proximity to the coast line. If it gets a bit closer to the coast, heavier snow amounts will be further north with the rain-snow line further north and west whereas a track a bit further offshore will mean the rain-snow line tracking further south and east. Also, there is concern that the strong to damaging winds as depicted in the headlines could have a bit more impact in the interior given the recent icing that caused tree and power line damage in interior Southern New England Saturday. Cape Cod and the Islands will see the strongest winds with gusts up to 65 MPH considered likely particularly Christmas Morning into the early afternoon and will be monitored closely.

SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor the storm from late Christmas Eve Night into Christmas Day. Another coordination message will be posted by 1100 PM Sunday Evening. Below is the NWS Taunton Winter Storm Warning/Winter Weather Advisory Statement, High Wind Warning/Wind Advisory Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook, Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook, Snowfall Maps and Facebook Infographics:

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

NWS Taunton High Wind Warning/Wind Advisory 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 Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://www.weather.gov/box/ehwo

NWS Taunton Snowfall Maps:
https://www.weather.gov/box/winter

NWS Taunton Facebook Infographics:

https://www.facebook.com/NWSBoston/photos/pcb.1575578505869848/1575574375870261/?type=3&theater

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


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Storm Coordination Message #1 – Sunday Evening/Christmas Eve Night 12/24/17 Through Monday/Christmas Day 12/25/17

Hello to all…

..Merry Christmas Eve to All SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators. We will still plan to get out our annual year in review and holiday message prior to Christmas..
..After Saturday’s icing event, another winter storm will affect the region late Christmas Eve Night into Christmas Day with the potential for heavy snow in interior southern New England, a rain to snow changeover in Southeast New England and strong to damaging winds across Southeast New England..
..A Winter Storm Watch is in effect from Sunday Evening into Monday Afternoon for Franklin, North-Central Middlesex, Northern Worcester, and Western Hampshire Counties of Massachusetts for 5-7″ of snow. Areas to the south and east to the I-95 corridor could see a plowable advisory level snow event..
..A High Wind Watch is in effect from Monday Morning through Monday Afternoon for sustained winds of 25-35 MPH with gusts to 60 MPH. These winds could cause isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages. Other wind headlines could be posted for other parts of Southern New England particularly along East Coastal Massachusetts and other parts of Southeast New England..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor the storm from Christmas Eve Night into Christmas Day. Another coordination message will be posted by 1100 AM Sunday Morning. Below is the NWS Taunton Winter Storm Watch Statement, High Wind Watch Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook, Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook  and Snowfall Maps. Storm reports and the Facebook Album from Saturday’s icing event are also posted below..

NWS Taunton 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 Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://www.weather.gov/box/ehwo

NWS Taunton Snowfall Maps:
https://www.weather.gov/box/winter

Saturday 12/22/17 Icing Event Reports Summary Information:

WX1BOX Facebook Album – Saturday 12/22/17 Icing Event Reports:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/wx1box/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1799077710126239

WX1BOX Amateur Radio Reports Log – Saturday 12/22/17 Icing Event:
http://beta.wx1box.org/local/reports_12_23_17_2.txt

NWS Taunton Local Storm Report – Snow/Ice Reports and Icing Damage Report:
http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KBOX/1712240310.nwus51.html

NWS Taunton Public Information Statement – Snow/Ice Reports:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.nous41.KBOX.html

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


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Storm Coordination Message #2 – Friday 12/22/17-Saturday 12/23/17 Winter Storm & Icing Potential

Hello to all…

..Storm system on track to move through the region Friday into Saturday bringing a Wintry Mix of precipitation with the potential for an extended period of icing that will bear close monitoring..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 7 AM Friday to 6 PM Saturday for Franklin, Hampshire, Northern Worcester, North-Central Middlesex and Essex Counties of Massachusetts for 2-5″ of snow and up to one-quarter inch of radial icing and hazardous travel conditions. If Icing were to get over 1/4″, it would increase the risk for isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 11 AM Friday to Noon Saturday for Hampden, Southern Worcester,  Southeast Middlesex and Suffolk Counties of Massachusetts for a coating to 2″ of snow and ice accumulations of a trace to just under 1/4″ of icing. If icing were to get over 1/4″, it would increase the risk for isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 11 AM Friday to 10 AM Saturday for Northern Connecticut and Northwest Providence County Rhode Island for ice accretion of up to one-tenth of an inch. If icing were to get over 1/4″, it would increase the risk for isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages..
..Another storm system could bring an accumulating snowfall to Southern New England Christmas Eve Night into Christmas Day depending on a track that is close enough to the region. Details will follow in future coordination messages as we get into the weekend..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor the storm system from Friday into Saturday. Ops at NWS are possible if icing conditions become more significant..

Not much change to the prior forecast other than continuing to monitor for the potential of a greater period of icing across the advisory areas. Also, it is noted precipitation could be lighter and spottier through the day Friday with heavier precipitation as we get into Friday Night and Saturday. A wintry mix of precipitation is still expected across much of interior Southern New England and along Northeast Coastal Massachusetts. The headlines depict the current thinking. A couple key items for this storm system remain the transition of precipitation from snow to freezing rain and if it remains freezing rain for an extended period of time when heavier precipitation is falling. If this occurs, it could increase the risk for icing damage to trees and power lines in addition to hazardous travel conditions. If it falls more as snow or changes over more quickly to rain, this could lessen the impacts. There is also some question on where the transition zone of snow to freezing rain/ice to rain will be across the region and this will also bear watching. Southeast New England is still expected to see mostly rain for this event.

There is the potential for another storm system to bring accumulating snow Christmas Eve Night into Christmas Day depending on a track that is close enough to the region. Details will follow in future coordination messages as we get into the weekend.

SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor the storm system from Friday into Saturday. Ops at NWS are possible if icing conditions become more significant. This will likely be the last coordination message for this storm event as we move into self-activation ops more but an updated shortened or full length coordination message could be posted if a significant change to the situation occurs and time allows for an update. Coordination messages for any potential winter storm Christmas Eve Night into Christmas Day will likely not occur on until Saturday Evening. Below is the NWS Taunton Winter Weather Advisory Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook, Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook, Facebook Graphics and NWS Taunton Snow and Ice Maps:

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

NWS Taunton Hazardous Weather Outlook:

http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.flus41.KBOX.html

NWS Taunton Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://www.weather.gov/box/ehwo

NWS Taunton Facebook Infographics:

https://www.facebook.com/NWSBoston/photos/pcb.1573873206040378/1573871966040502/?type=3&theater

NWS Taunton Snow & Ice Maps:

https://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


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Storm Coordination Message #1 – Friday 12/22/17-Saturday 12/23/17 Winter Storm & Icing Potential

Hello to all…

..Storm system will move through the region Friday into Saturday bringing a Wintry Mix of precipitation with the potential for an extended period of icing that will bear close monitoring..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 7 AM Friday to Noon Saturday for Franklin, Hampshire, Northern Worcester, North-Central Middlesex and Essex Counties of Massachusetts for 2-4″ of snow and up to one-quarter inch of radial icing and hazardous travel conditions. If Icing were to get over 1/4″, it would increase the risk for isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 11 AM Friday to Noon Saturday for Northern Connecticut, Northwest Providence County Rhode Island and Hampden, Southern Worcester,  Southeast Middlesex and Suffolk Counties of Massachusetts for a coating to 2″ of snow and ice accumulations of a trace to just under 1/4″ of icing. f Icing were to get over 1/4″, it would increase the risk for isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages..
..Another storm system could bring an accumulating snowfall to Southern New England Christmas Eve Night into Christmas Day depending on a track that is close enough to the region. Details will follow in future coordination messages as we get into the weekend..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor the storm system from Friday into Saturday. Ops at NWS are possible if icing conditions become more significant..

A wintry mix of precipitation is expected across much of interior Southern New England and along Northeast Coastal Massachusetts. The headlines depict the current thinking. A couple key items for this storm system is the transition of precipitation from snow to freezing rain and if it remains freezing rain for an extended period of time. If this occurs, it could increase the risk for icing damage to trees and power lines in addition to hazardous travel conditions. If it falls more as snow or changes over more quickly to rain, this could lessen the impacts. There is also some question on where the transition zone of snow to freezing rain/ice to rain will be across the region and this will also bear watching.

There is the potential for another storm system to bring accumulating snow Christmas Eve Night into Christmas Day depending on a track that is close enough to the region. Details will follow in future coordination messages as we get into the weekend.

SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor the storm system from Friday into Saturday. Ops at NWS are possible if icing conditions become more significant. Another coordination message will likely be posted by 10 AM Friday Morning. Below is the NWS Taunton Winter Weather Advisory Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook, Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook, Winter Storm Briefing and NWS Taunton Snow and Ice Maps:

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

NWS Taunton Hazardous Weather Outlook:

http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.flus41.KBOX.html

NWS Taunton Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://www.weather.gov/box/ehwo

NWS Taunton Winter Storm Briefing:

https://www.weather.gov/media/box/2017_12_21_PMWebBrief.pdf

NWS Taunton Snow & Ice Maps:

https://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


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