Storm Coordination Message #2 – Thursday-Friday 10/29/20-10/30/20 Coastal Storm Hazards

Hello to all…

..Hurricane Zeta, now a strong post tropical cyclone will bring beneficial soaking rainfall but also strong to damaging winds in Southeast New England and a period of wet snow with light accumulations to the region..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect from 4 AM to 12 PM EDT Friday for Northern Connecticut, Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden, Worcester and Northern Middlesex Counties of Massachusetts and Northwest Providence County Rhode Island for 1-3″ of snow with 3-4″ snow possible in some higher terrain locations. If amounts of 3-4″ or more occur in a large enough area, the wet snow combined with leaves on the trees will have the potential to cause isolated pockets of tree and power line damage and isolated power outages..
..Areas outside of the Winter Weather Advisory will have snowfall amounts of a coating to 1″ on grassy services in portions of Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island particularly away from the coast..
..A Wind Advisory is in effect for Cape Cod and the Islands from 10 PM Thursday Evening through 2 PM Friday Afternoon for sustained winds of 20-30 MPH with gusts to 50 MPH and isolated higher gusts possible. Elsewhere along the Southeast New England coast wind gusts to 40 MPH with isolated higher gusts are possible. These winds will cause isolated pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages..
..Widespread rainfall of 1-2″ with isolated higher amounts will occur across Southern New England..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor for rainfall amounts, snowfall amounts, changeover in precipitation type and measured wind gust and wind damage reports meeting the reportable criteria late Thursday Night through Friday Mid-Afternoon..

Hurricane Zeta now a strong post tropical cyclone is producing beneficial rainfall over much of Southern New England today. As it gets closer to the region, Zeta will wrap colder air into the system. This will allow for rain to change to snow in interior Southern New England. Winds will increase along coastal Southeast New England late tonight through Friday Mid-Afternoon. The headlines depict the current thinking with a greater risk for some snow amounts of 3″ with isolated higher amounts in the higher terrain resulting in Winter Weather Advisories being issued. Key factors for this storm include:

1.) The changeover timing of rain to snow and how heavy that precipitation falls after changeover. This will determine snowfall amounts. If amounts of 3″ or higher than 3″ occurs, this will increase the risk for isolated pockets of tree and power line damage and power outages due to the wet heavy nature of the snow. The risk of 3″ or more amounts in some areas have increased and this aspect will bear close watching.
2.) Winds along the southeast coastal areas and if they are a bit stronger given Zeta’s initially higher intensity when it made landfall.

SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor for rainfall amounts, snowfall amounts and measured wind gust and wind damage reports meeting the reportable criteria late Thursday Night through Friday Mid-Afternoon. This will be the last coordination message on this storm event as we shift into operations mode. Below is the NWS Boston/Norton Winter Weather Advisory Statement, Wind Advisory Statement, Area Forecast Discussion, Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook, Snowfall and Rainfall Maps:

NWS Boston/Norton Winter Weather Advisory Statement:
https://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus41.KBOX.html

NWS Boston/Norton Wind Advisory Statement:
https://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus71.KBOX.html

NWS Boston/Norton Area Forecast Discussion:
https://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.fxus61.KBOX.html

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

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

NWS Boston/Norton Rainfall Maps:
https://www.weather.gov/crh/pqpf?sid=box

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
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