Severe Weather & Amateur Radio Field Day Weekend Coordination Message #4 – Weekend of 6/28/25-6/29/25

Hello to all..

..The following is the fourth and final in a series of messages on Amateur Radio Field Day Weekend and providing information on the weather during this period. This is a tradition spanning over 25 years for Amateur Radio Operators involved with Field Day and the NWS Boston/Norton SKYWARN Program..
..For 2025 Amateur Radio Field Day Weekend, the main weather concern after shower activity and drizzle that is passing through Southern New England this morning is for thunderstorms later Saturday Afternoon and Evening between 4-10 PM particularly in Western Massachusetts and Western Connecticut but general thunderstorms with an attendant lightning risk could affect the rest of Southern New England during the evening and early overnight hours Saturday Night. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has placed areas of Western Massachusetts and Western Connecticut in a marginal to slight risk for severe weather with strong to damaging winds, hail, frequent lightning and heavy downpours leading to urban and poor drainage flooding as the main threats. The warm front is expected to remain near or north of Route 2 possibly into Southern Vermont/New Hampshire today allowing much of the region to warm sector if sufficient clearing occurs..
..Sunday looks to be a typical warm summer day with no rain expected and temperatures in the low to mid 80s in much of the region away from the immediate coast..
..We will not see the extreme heat we saw earlier this week during Field Day Weekend but we will see normal summer-like conditions on Saturday in areas of Southern New England south of Route 2 and on Sunday region wide so staying hydrated and taking occasional breaks from strenuous activities is still advised particularly for this weekend..
..The main threat for showers and isolated thunderstorms and any severe weather potential is confined to Saturday with the greatest risk the further southwest you are from the Route 2 corridor. Not everyone will see a shower or thunderstorm and it will not be a washout but outdoor Amateur Radio Field Day weekend sites should have rain gear on hand for setup and during Field Day Operations.
..Any thunderstorms have lightning potential which is a safety hazard for all Amateur Radio Field Day sites. Amateur Radio Field Day sites are encouraged to guard their local Amateur Radio SKYWARN frequency and have multiple ways to receive weather alerts during the course of this Field Day weekend including by cell phone/Internet and NOAA Weather Radio. It is noted that Soapstone Mountain Somers CT NOAA Weather Radio was having issues as of Friday Evening and may still be having technical issues for Saturday..
..Amateur Radio Field Day Weekend is an annual event where Ham Operators across the United States setup at Emergency Operations Centers, field locations, home locations etc. to operate and test their equipment and skills and make as many radio contacts as possible during the weekend..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation with Amateur Radio Call-Up Nets are possible on Saturday late Afternoon and evening. No SKYWARN Activation or weather issues are expected for Sunday other than exercising some heat safety precautions. Pictures and videos of storm damage, hail, and flooding can be sent as a reply to this email, via our WX1BOX Facebook, X and Bluesky feeds or to the email address pics@nsradio.org with credit given to the spotter unless otherwise indicated..

Here are some links to information on these Amateur Radio Field Day Sites from across the region.

Amateur Radio Field Day Information: https://www.arrl.org/field-day
Amateur Radio Field Day National Locator: https://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator
Eastern Massachusetts Field Day Home Page: https://ema.arrl.org/field-day/
Eastern Massachusetts Field Day Directory: https://ema.arrl.org/field_day/

This year’s Amateur Radio Field Day Weekend will not see the extreme heat of earlier this week. Friday turned out a bit warmer and sunnier today with temperatures in most areas in the low to mid 70s.

For Saturday, the main weather concern after shower activity and drizzle that is passing through Southern New England this morning is for thunderstorms later Saturday Afternoon and Evening between 4-10 PM particularly in Western Massachusetts and Western Connecticut but general thunderstorms with an attendant lightning risk could affect the rest of Southern New England during the evening and early overnight hours Saturday Night. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has placed areas of Western Massachusetts and Western Connecticut in a marginal to slight risk for severe weather with strong to damaging winds, hail, frequent lightning and heavy downpours leading to urban and poor drainage flooding as the main threats. The warm front is expected to remain near or north of Route 2 possibly into Southern Vermont/New Hampshire today allowing much of the region to warm sector if sufficient clearing occurs. Key factors on the severe weather potential are as follows:

1.) Clearing for heating and destabilization. Satellite pictures show breaks in the clouds in Eastern New York and lower cloud cover slowly eroding in western areas and this expected to allow for at least some clearing from late morning through mid-afternoon Saturday from west to east.
2.) Timing of the cold front and forcing to overlap with instability presuming sufficient clearing as this timing will be towards evening.
3.) Not everyone will see a shower or thunderstorm and it will not be a washout but outdoor Amateur Radio Field Day weekend sites should have rain gear on hand for setup and during Field Day Operations and have multiple ways to receive weather alerts as any thunderstorm can product lightning which is a danger to Field Day sites and can affect areas up to 15-20 miles from the actual thunderstorm.

Sunday looks to be a typical warm summer day with no rain expected and temperatures in the low to mid 80s in much of the region away from the immediate coast.

While not as hot as earlier in the week, it looks to be warm and humid in areas south of the Route 2 corridor on Saturday and Sunday region wide for outdoor activities over the Field Day weekend period so Field Day sites should have plenty of liquids on hand and a place nearby to cool down whether it be a building or cars with AC to stay cool from the heat and take occasional breaks from strenuous activities. Heat tips and safety guidelines are also included in this message.

SKYWARN Self-Activation with Amateur Radio Call-Up Nets are possible on Saturday late Afternoon and evening. No SKYWARN Activation or weather issues are expected for Sunday other than exercising some heat safety precautions. Pictures and videos of storm damage, hail, and flooding can be sent as a reply to this email, via our WX1BOX Facebook, X and Bluesky feeds or to the email address pics@nsradio.org with credit given to the spotter unless otherwise indicated. Pictures and videos of storm damage, hail, and flooding can be sent as a reply to this email, via our WX1BOX Facebook, X and Bluesky feeds or to the email address pics@nsradio.org with credit given to the spotter unless otherwise indicated. Below are links to the NWS Boston/Norton Area Forecast Discussion, Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook and SPC Day-2 Convective Outlook:

NWS Boston/Norton Area Forecast Discussion:
https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=NWS&issuedby=BOX&product=AFD&format=CI&version=1&glossary=1&highlight=off

NWS Boston/Norton Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://www.weather.gov/erh/ghwo?wfo=box

SPC Day-1 Convective Outlook:
https://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day1otlk.html

Amateur Radio Field Day sites are encouraged to bring a NOAA All-Hazards Weather Radio, monitor various cell phone weather apps where Amateur Operators may have those available and have a dedicated Ham Radio that can monitor their local SKYWARN frequency for their area as a best safety and preparedness practice as there is a threat for thunderstorm development and any thunderstorm can be a threat to the safety of Amateur Radio Field Day sites. It is noted that Soapstone Mountain Somers CT NOAA Weather Radio was having issues as of Friday Evening and may still be having technical issues for Saturday. Also sites that have mobile Internet capability can utilize that capability as a way to monitor for weather information. With Mobile Internet capability, utilizing Echolink to monitor the New England Reflector system on Echolink Conference *NEW-ENG3* Node: 9123/IRLP 9123 would be helpful as well. Please see the link below for the latest SKYWARN Frequency information for the region:
https://wx1box.org/southern-new-england-skywarn-frequency-list/

During setup and takedown of Amateur Radio Field Day sites and even while operating, be sure to drink plenty of fluids and eat accordingly. The link below features information on Heat Safety:
https://www.weather.gov/safety/heat

With the thunderstorm threat for Saturday now is the time to remind folks that lightning is a threat to any and all Amateur Radio Field Day sites. Remember your lightning safety tips and details on lightning safety can be seen at the following link and we have also added a link from the 2023 NWS Boston/Norton Lightning Safety Awareness Week and Public Information Statements on Lightning Safety. See links below:
https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning
https://wx1box.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lightning_safety_awareness_PNS_2023.pdf

Given no severe weather concerns, this will be the last Severe Weather & Amateur Radio Field Day weekend coordination message as we shift to a monitoring and operations mode for thunderstorms as needed for Saturday. We hope the Amateur Radio community participating in Field Day has a great weekend!

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)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
https://ares.ema.arrl.org
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