Wind Coordination Message #1 – Wednesday 3/23/17 Strong Wind Potential

Hello to all…

..Strong Winds today could cause isolated pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages as Arctic cold grips the region later tonight through Thursday Night..
..A Wind Advisory is in effect through 6 PM for Northern Connecticut and Western Massachusetts and A Wind Advisory is in effect through 800 PM for Central and Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island including Cape Cod and the Islands for sustained winds of 10-25 MPH with wind gusts 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 strong winds today. This will be the only coordination message on this situation unless a significant upgrade to the situation occurs and time allows for an update. Below is the NWS Taunton Wind Advisory statement and Hazardous Weather Outlook..

NWS Taunton 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

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
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Storm Coordination Message #3 – Sunday 3/19/17 Winter Storm Event for Cape Cod and Islands

Hello to all…

..Model Trend shifts back a bit more west meaning a bit more snowfall and stronger winds for the Cape Cod and the Islands from the ocean storm with wind gusts to 40 MPH or so in other coastal areas of Eastern Massachusetts..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect through 5 PM EDT Sunday for Cape Cod and Nantucket for 2-4″ of snow with isolated amounts of 4-6″ possible. The heaviest snow is expected to be on the mid to Outer Cape and Nantucket with lesser snow near the Cape Cod Canal. The wet snow coupled with strong winds could cause isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated to scattered power outages. A coating to an inch may occur on Martha’s Vineyard..
..A High Wind Warning is now in effect for Cape Cod and Nantucket from 2 PM Sunday to 2 AM Monday for Cape Cod and Nantucket for sustained winds of 25-35 MPH with wind gusts to 60 MPH. A Wind Advisory is now in effect for Martha’s Vineyard from 11 AM Sunday to 5 AM Monday sustained winds of 20-30 MPH with gusts to 50-55 MPH. These winds coupled with the wet snow accumulation will have the potential to cause isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will continue monitor this coastal storm system..

The coastal storm system has trended a little closer to the coast increasing the snow impacts to Cape Cod and the Islands. Strong to damaging winds are still likely particularly for Cape Cod and the Islands though other coastal areas could see wind gusts to around 40 MPH on Sunday. The headlines of this coordination message depict the current thinking. Key factors with this storm system remain as follows:

1.) The track and intensity of the storm system. Models are little closer with the storm system now prompting Winter Weather Advisories for Cape Cod and Nantucket with the heaviest snowfall for the mid to outer Cape and Nantucket.
2.) Any rain/snow line depending on the storm track and when the storm begins to occlude. This will need monitoring as well as the intensity of the precipitation as lighter precipitation may allow for a changeover to rain while heavier precipitation will allow it to remain snow.
3.) Impacts to roads could be less depending on time of day the heaviest snow is and pavement temperatures but given heavier snow amounts some road accumulation is now possible.
4.) The heavy wet snow threat is now a bit more of a concern with this update. If snowfall reaches around or more than 4″, it would reintroduce a wet snow coupled with strong to damaging wind threat for tree and power line damage. Even with lighter wet snow amounts, the strong winds themselves will have the potential for isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages.

SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor this coastal storm system. This will be the last coordination message on this storm system unless another significant change to the storm scenario occurs and time allows for an update. Below is the NWS Taunton Winter Weather Advisory Statement, High Wind Warning/Wind Advisory Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook and Winter Weather Graphics:

NWS Taunton 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 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
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Storm Coordination Message #2 – Sunday 3/19/17 Strong Wind/Light Snow Potential

Hello to all…

..Model Trend reverses and brings coastal winter storm further offshore lessening snow impacts but still strong to damaging winds possible on Cape Cod and the Islands with wind gusts to 40 MPH or so in other coastal areas of Eastern Massachusetts. There are a couple models that still bring the track closer with greater impacts so radar/satellite trends will bear watching..
..The Winter Storm Watch for Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard has been cancelled. Only 1-2″ with isolated higher amounts are expected on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard with snow amounts of 1″ or less elsewhere. If the coastal storm were to deviate closer to the coast, amounts could increase again but that’s currently not expected. It will still be monitored..
..A Wind Advisory is now in effect from 10 AM to 8 PM Sunday for Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard for sustained winds of 20-30 MPH with gusts to 50-55 MPH. A High Wind Watch remain in effect for Nantucket for sustained winds of 30-35 MPH with wind gusts of 55-60 MPH. These winds will have the potential to cause isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages. Winds may be a bit stronger on Nantucket leading to the High Wind Watch being left in place for a conversion to a warning or advisory later tonight or Sunday Morning..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor this coastal storm system. Ops at NWS Taunton no longer look needed..

The coastal storm system has trended further offshore reducing snow impacts to Southesat New England. Strong winds are still likely particularly for Cape Cod and the Islands though other coastal areas could see wind gusts to around 40 MPH on Sunday. The headlines of this coordination message depict the current thinking. Key factors with this storm system remain as follows:

1.) The track and intensity of the storm system. Most models are moving the system further offshore though holding a stronger intensity. With the further offshore solution, snow amounts were reduced below advisory level and the Winter Storm Watch for Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard is cancelled with even less snow expected away from Cape Cod and the Islands. While most reliable models agree on this solution, a couple reliable models still bring the system closer to Southern New England so it will still bear watching.
2.) Any rain/snow line depending on the storm track and when the storm begins to occlude. The further offshore solution would mean mostly snow but light in intensity. An unexpectedly closer storm track would reintroduce the rain/snow line question.
3.) Impacts to roads could be less depending on time of day the heaviest snow is and pavement temperatures and given lighter overall amounts, roads are now more likely to be just wet.
4.) The heavy wet snow threat coupled with the winds is less of a concern but if amounts were to go unexpectedly higher to 4″ or more, it would reintroduce a wet snow coupled with strong to damaging wind threat for tree and power line damage. Even with lighter wet snow amounts, the strong winds themselves will have the potential for isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages.

SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor this coastal storm system. Ops at NWS Taunton no longer look needed. Another coordination message may be posted by 9 AM EDT Sunday Morning if time allows and based on any significant change to the overall storm scenario. Below is the NWS Taunton Winter Storm Watch Cancellation Statement, Wind Advisory/High Wind Watch Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook and Winter Weather Graphics:

NWS Taunton Winter Storm Watch Cancellation Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus41.KBOX.html

NWS Taunton Wind Advisory/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
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Storm Coordination Message #1 – Saturday Evening 3/18/17-Sunday Evening 3/19/17 Winter Storm Event

Hello to all…

..Another coastal winter storm to affect the region Saturday Night into Sunday Night with uncertainty higher than normal given model disparity though trend has been for a track closer to Southern New England with a wet snow and strong to damaging wind threat for southeast portions of Southern New England..
..A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard from Saturday Evening through Sunday Evening for 5-8″ of snow, near blizzard conditions and the heavy wet snow coupled with strong to damaging winds could result in isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated to scattered power outages..
..A High Wind Watch is in effect for Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard from Saturday Evening through Sunday Evening for sustained winds of 25-35 MPH with gusts to 60 MPH. The strong to damaging winds coupled with wet snow could result in isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated to scattered power outages..
..Other portions of Southeast New England could see at least advisory level snowfall and Wind Advisory criteria depending on the storm track with lighter snow in the rest of Southern New England..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will likely monitor this storm system with Ops at NWS Taunton possible depending on track and timing of this coastal storm system..

Another coastal storm system is expected to affect at least portions of Southern New England Saturday Evening through Sunday Evening. The headlines of this coordination message depict the current thinking. Key factors with this storm system are as follows:

1.) The track and intensity of the storm system. All models now indicate a more intense storm system but the track remains fairly divergent though the trend is closer to Southern New England. This may result in the expansion of watches with current thinking for advisory level snowfall and winds over Southeast New England. This will bear watching. Lighter snows are currently expected across the rest of Southern New England.
2.) Any rain/snow line depending on the storm track and when the storm begins to occlude, whether or not it pulls some warm air to cause some rain/sleet mix especially on portions of the Outer Cape and Nantucket island. This rain/snow line could also change based on whether the track is closer to the Southern New England coast.
3.) Impacts to roads could be less depending on time of day the heaviest snow is and pavement temperatures.
4.) The heavy wet snow coupled with strong to damaging winds could bring isolated to scattered pockets of tree and power line damage and isolated to scattered power outages with the threat for more extensive power outages if the snow accumulation is heavy and wet and also higher than currently forecasted.

SKYWARN Self-Activation will likely monitor this storm system with Ops at NWS Taunton possible depending on track and timing of this coastal storm system. Another coordination message will be posted by 9 AM EDT Saturday Morning. Below is the NWS Taunton Winter Storm Watch Statement, High Wind Watch Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook and Winter Weather Graphics:

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 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
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Blizzard/Storm Coordination Message #5 – Early Tuesday Morning 3/14/17-Early Wednesday Morning 3/15/17 Blizzard/Major Winter Storm Potential

Hello to all…

..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 be completed late Monday Night/early Tuesday Morning..
..A Blizzard Warning is now in effect from 8 AM to 8 PM EDT for Northern Connecticut, Northwest Providence County RI, Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden, Worcester, Northern and Central Middlesex and Essex Counties of Massachusetts for snow totals of 13-22″ with isolated higher amounts possible, blizzard conditions, thundersnow potential, strong to damaging winds of sustained of 20-35 MPH with gusts of 40-55 MPH with higher wind gusts of 55-60 MPH along coastal areas of Essex County Massachusetts. These winds will likely cause isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated to scattered power outages in addition to the very high snowfall amounts..
..A Winter Storm Warning is now in effect from 5 AM-3 PM EDT Tuesday for Bristol and Plymouth Counties of Massachusetts and Bristol, Eastern Kent, Washington and Newport Counties of Rhode Island for 6-12″ of snow and a trace of ice, the potential for near blizzard and near whiteout conditions with thundersnow potential and sustained winds of 25-35 MPH with gusts of 55-65 MPH and isolated higher wind gusts possible. In this portion of the Winter Storm Warning area, a mix with or change to sleet or rain may occur before the storm ends. The Winter Storm Warning is in effect for Western Kent County RI from 5 AM-3 PM EDT Tuesday for 10-16″ of snow with sustained winds of 20-30 MPH and wind gusts of 40-50 MPH. The wet snow and strong winds will have the potential to cause scattered to numerous pockets of tree and wire damage and scattered to numerous power outages. This has the potential to be a high impact event for this area given the weight of wet snow and the strong to damaging wind potential..
..A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from from 5 AM to 5 PM EDT Tuesday for Southeast Middlesex, Norfolk, and Suffolk Counties of Massachusetts and Southeast Providence County Rhode Island for 10-16″ of snow with isolated higher amounts possible, the potential for near blizzard and near whiteout conditions including thundersnow and winds of 25-35 MPH with gusts in the 55-65 MPH range and isolated higher wind gusts possible. The Blizzard Watch for this area has been cancelled. The strong to damaging winds and a potentially wetter and heavier snow will have the potential for isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated to scattered power outages. This still has the potential to be a higher impact event for this region..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now is in effect for Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard from 5 AM to 2 PM EDT Tuesday for 2-4″ of snow with higher amounts possible depending on storm track and a trace of ice. In this area, the amount of snow is the most uncertain and will be more track dependent and depending on track and could result in a significant variation in what actual snowfall will be for this area. There is the potential for a brief period of near blizzard and near whiteout conditions and winds of 35-45 MPH with gusts 60-65 MPH with isolated higher wind gusts possible. The combination of heavy snow that would 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. If snow amounts increase, it will be heavy and wet and would increase the threat for power outages and tree and wire damage..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Nantucket for 5 AM-Noon EDT for 2-4″ of snow. Snow will change to rain in this area by Noon time..
..A High Wind Warning is now in effect from 8 AM-6 PM Tuesday for South Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island through Eastern Plymouth County Massachusetts and Cape Cod and the Islands for sustained winds of 30-45 MPH with gusts to 60-65 MPH and isolated higher wind gusts are also possible. 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..
..A Coastal Flood Warning is in effect from 11 AM-3 PM Tuesday for Eastern Essex, Eastern Plymouth, Cape Cod, Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket Island for widespread minor to pockets of moderate coastal flooding at the time of the early Tuesday Afternoon high tide cycle. A Coastal Flood Advisory is in effect for Suffolk and Eastern Norfolk County of Massachusetts from 11 AM-3 PM Tuesday for pockets of minor coastal flooding. A Coastal Flood Advisory is in effect for Washington County RI from 1000 AM-100 PM Tuesday for minor coastal flooding at the midday high tide cycle..
..A Coastal Flood Watch is now in effect for late Tuesday Night for Cape Cod particularly north facing areas and expanded to Eastern Essex County for minor to moderate coastal flooding at the time of that high tide cycle..
..Upgrades to warnings and advisories and other adjustments are likely as we get closer to this potential blizzard/major winter storm..
..SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will occur with this potential blizzard potentially as early as 5-6 AM Tuesday and will last through late Tuesday Night..
..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. In this update, Winter Storm Warnings and portions of the Blizzard Watch were updated to Blizzard Warnings where stated above and in southern areas of the Blizzard Watch, it was cancelled based on whether all blizzard requirements can be met but in either case, the potential for high impact event is likely given strong to damaging wind potential and the weight of what is expected to be a wet snow in southern parts of the area. Most details are falling into place with the exception of snowfall amounts and precip type over Cape Cod and the Islands and how much mixing occurs around and southeast of the I-95 corridor. The key items to be sorted as we watch the potential for this major winter storm/blizzard include:

1.) Exact storm track is key. There was a wobble west in the models to between the Cape Cod Canal and the Outer Cape/Nantucket with the low center. More wobbles can be expected in the model track. This means the possibility of a bit more mixing and dry slotting in Southeast New England and has led to the current headline changes. Timing the onset of the snow, its expected to start from 4-8 AM Tuesday from southwest to northeast and rapidly become heavy with snowfall rates of 2-4″ per hour expected for several hours. The greatest uncertainty with these track differences is whether or not the Cape and Islands region remains all snow or if there is any mix or change to rain. That will make the difference in the current forecasted 2-4″ of snow for that area or much higher or much lower amounts. For now, a warmer solution is for that area is depicted. For the rest of the region, a widespread 6-12″ is expected southeast of the I-95 corridor with 10-16″ of snow near the I-95 corridor and just to the north of it. A swath of 13-22″ is likely with a isolated higher amounts are likely in the rest of the NWS Taunton Coverage area.
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 and the greatest risk is over Southeast Massachusetts, Rhode Island and up through the Boston area and into the North Shore. While snow amounts have been lowered slightly in this area, the concern for a heavier, wetter snow has if anything increased since the last update and will bear close watching.
3.) How widespread the blizzard conditions will be and this looks to be widespread across northeast and western and Central Massachusetts through Northern Connecticut and into Northwest Rhode Island. Depending on storm track, this could affect areas a bit to the southeast of the current Blizzard Warning area as well or remain where currently depicted.
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. There could also be some impact to the high tide cycle late Tuesday Night. Coastal Flood Warnings/Advisories have been issued along much of East Coastal Massachusetts and Washington County RI for the early Tuesday Afternoon high tide cycle with a Coastal Flood Watch for Cape Cod for the late Tuesday Night high tide cycle that has been expanded to Eastern Essex County Massachusetts.

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 potentially as early as 5-6 AM Tuesday and will last through late Tuesday Night. 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. This will likely be the last coordination message for this system unless a significant change to the situation occurs and time allows for an update as we shift into operations mode Tuesday Morning. Below is the NWS Taunton Blizzard Warning/Winter Storm Warning Statement, High Wind Warning Statement, Coastal Flood Warning/Advisory/Watch Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook and Winter Weather Graphics:

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

NWS Taunton High Wind Warning Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus71.KBOX.html

NWS Taunton Coastal Flood Warning/Advisory/Watch Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.whus41.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

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Blizzard/Storm Coordination Message #4 – Early Tuesday Morning 3/14/17-Early Wednesday Morning 3/15/17 Blizzard/Major Winter Storm Potential

Hello to all…

..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 be completed late Monday Night/early Tuesday Morning. Model consensus shifts slightly westward with the track..
..A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from from 5 AM to 1 PM EDT Tuesday and a Blizzard Watch is in effect from Tuesday Afternoon through late Tuesday Night for Essex, Central and Southeast Middlesex, Southern Worcester, Norfolk, Suffolk, Counties of Massachusetts and Providence, Western Kent, Newport and Windham County of Northeast Connecticut for 12-18″ of snow with an isolated band of 18-24″ of snow potentially in the northern and northeast parts of the area, the potential for blizzard and whiteout conditions including thundersnow and winds of 25-35 MPH with gusts in the 55-65 MPH range. The 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 Warning is now in effect from 5 AM-3 PM EDT Tuesday for Bristol, Eastern Kent, Washington and Newport Counties of Rhode Island for 8-12″ of snow, the potential for near blizzard and near whiteout conditions with thundersnow potential and sustained winds of 25-35 MPH with gusts of 55-65 MPH. The wet snow and strong winds will have the potential to cause isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated to scattered power outages. The Blizzard Watch for this area has been cancelled. The slightly lower snow amounts and cancellation of the Blizzard Watch is due to a wetter snow expected for this area and the possibility of a mix or change to sleet/rain before ending precluding requirements to meet blizzard conditions. Nonetheless, this still has the potential to be a high impact event for this area..
..A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 5 AM Tuesday to 2 AM Wednesday for the rest of the NWS Taunton Coverage Area for 12-18″ of snow with isolated higher amounts of 18-24″ either in a few locations or in a band within this area, the potential for near blizzard and near whiteout conditions with thundersnow potential 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 Winter Storm Watch is in effect for Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard from late Monday Night through late Tuesday Night for 4-8″ of snow. In this area, the amount of snow is the most uncertain and will be more track dependent and depending on track could be closer to the current forecasted amounts or will be much less if the track is slightly further west or much higher if a more offshore track is favored. There is the potential for a brief period near blizzard and near whiteout conditions and winds of 35-45 MPH with gusts 60-65 MPH. The combination of heavy snow that would 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 Weather Advisory is in effect for Nantucket for 5 AM-Noon EDT for 2-5″ of snow. Snow will change to rain in this area by Noon time..
..A High Wind Warning is now in effect from 8 AM-6 PM Tuesday for South Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island through Eastern Plymouth County Massachusetts and Cape Cod and the Islands for sustained winds of 30-45 MPH with gusts to 60-65 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..
..A Coastal Flood Warning is now in effect from 11 AM-3 PM Tuesday for Eastern Essex, Eastern Plymouth, Barnstable County Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket Island for Cape Cod and Nantucket for widespread minor to pockets of moderate coastal flooding at the time of the early Tuesday Afternoon high tide cycle. A Coastal Flood Advisory is in effect for Suffolk and Eastern Norfolk County of Massachusetts from 11 AM-3 PM Tuesday for pockets of minor coastal flooding. A Coastal Flood Advisory is in effect for Washington County RI from 1000 AM-100 PM Tuesday for minor coastal flooding at the midday high tide cycle..
..A Coastal Flood Watch is now in effect for late Tuesday Night for Cape Cod particularly north facing areas for minor to moderate coastal flooding at the time of that high tide cycle..
..Upgrades to warnings and advisories and other adjustments to the current watches are likely as we get closer to this potential blizzard..
..SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will occur with this potential blizzard potentially as early as 5-6 AM Tuesday and will last through late Tuesday Night. The timing of the activation and Amateur Radio Operations may be fine-tuned 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. In this update,  a track slightly closer to Cape Cod is favored which has resulted in the Blizzard Watches being dropped in Southeast Massachusetts and South Coastal Rhode Island areas and an expansion of the Blizzard Watches into Northeast Connecticut and South-Central Massachusetts. Also, the Winter Storm Watch for Nantucket has been converted to a Winter Weather Advisory for Tuesday Morning and the High Wind Watch for the Cape and Islands has been converted to a High Wind Warning and expanded to include areas of Southeast Massachusetts and Rhode Island no longer under the blizzard watch. Confidence is increasing on the overall track, intensity and snowfall amounts for this storm for much of the area with the highest uncertainty over Cape Cod and the Islands. The track has shifted a bit west and may be as far west as the Cape Cod Canal to as far east as the Outer Cape and Nantucket. Most details are falling into place with the exception of snowfall amounts and precip type over Cape Cod and the Islands and how much mixxing occurs just to the southeast of the I-95 corridor. The key items to be sorted as we watch the potential for this major winter storm/blizzard include:

1.) Exact storm track is key. There was a wobble west in the models to between the Cape Cod Canal and the Outer Cape/Nantucket with the low center. More wobbles can be expected in the model track. This means the possibility of a bit more mixing and dry slotting in Southeast New England and has led to the current headline changes. Timing the onset of the snow, its expected to start from 4-8 AM Tuesday from southwest to northeast and rapidly become heavy with snowfall rates of 2-4″ per hour expected for several hours. The greatest uncertainty with these track differences is whether or not the Cape and Islands region remains all snow or if there is any mix or change to rain. That will make the difference in the current forecasted 4-8″ of snow for that area or much higher or much lower amounts. For the rest of the region, a widespread 12-18″ is likely with a band or isolated higher amounts of 18-24″ somewhere in that wide swath with northeastern and north-central parts of Massachusetts currently favored but this could change as we get closer to the storm event.
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 and the greatest risk is over South Coastal Rhode Island and Southeast Coastal Massachusetts. While snow amounts have been lowered slightly in this area, the concern for a heavier, wetter snow has if anything increased since the last update and will bear close watching.
3.) How widespread the blizzard conditions will be. The current watch configuration trimming back the watch in southeast New England and the expansion of the Blizzard Watch into Northeast Connecticut and South-Central Massachusetts is based on where the highest confidence is for blizzard conditions. This could be adjusted 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. There could also be some impact to the high tide cycle late Tuesday Night. Coastal Flood Warnings/Advisories have been issued along much of East Coastal Massachusetts and Washington County RI for the early Tuesday Afternoon high tide cycle with a Coastal Flood Watch for Cape Cod for the late Tuesday Night high tide cycle.

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 potentially as early as 5-6 AM Tuesday and will last through late Tuesday Night. The timing of the activation and Amateur Radio Operations may be fine-tuned 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 Monday Evening. Below is the NWS Taunton Blizzard Watch/Winter Storm Warning/Watch Statement, High Wind Warning Statement, Coastal Flood Warning/Advisory/Watch Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook and Winter Weather Graphics:

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

NWS Taunton High Wind Warning Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus71.KBOX.html

NWS Taunton Coastal Flood Warning/Advisory/Watch Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.whus41.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

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Blizzard/Storm Coordination Message #3 – Early Tuesday Morning 3/14/17-Early Wednesday Morning 3/15/17 Blizzard/Major Winter Storm Potential

Hello to all…

..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 Winter Storm Warning is now in effect from from 5 AM to 1 PM Tuesday and a Blizzard Watch is now in effect from Tuesday Afternoon through late Tuesday Night for Essex, Central and Southeast Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Plymouth and Bristol Counties of Massachusetts and Southeast Providence, Bristol, Kent, Newport and Washington Counties of Rhode Island for 12-18″ of snow with an isolated band of 18-24″ of snow potentially in the northeast parts of the area, the potential for blizzard and whiteout conditions including thundersnow 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 along southeast coastal areas 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 is in effect for Cape Cod and the Islands from late Monday Night through late Tuesday Night for 4-8″ of snow. In this area, the amount of snow is the most uncertain and will be more track dependent and depending on track could be closer to the current forecasted amounts or will be higher if a more offshore track is favored. There is the potential for near blizzard and near whiteout conditions and winds of 35-45 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 Warning is now in effect from 5 AM Tuesday to 2 AM Wednesday for the rest of the NWS Taunton Coverage Area for 12-18″ of snow with isolated higher amounts of 18-24″ either in a few locations or in a band within this area, the potential for near blizzard and near whiteout conditions with thundersnow potential 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 remains 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..
..A Coastal Flood Watch is now in effect from Tuesday Morning through Tuesday Afternoon for East Coastal Massachusetts, Cape Cod and Nantucket for widespread minor to pockets of moderate coastal flooding at the time of the early Tuesday Afternoon high tide cycle..
..Upgrades to warnings and advisories and other adjustments to the current watches are likely as we get closer to this potential blizzard..
..SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will occur with this potential blizzard potentially as early as 5-6 AM Tuesday and will last through late Tuesday Night. The timing of the activation and Amateur Radio Operations may be fine-tuned 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. In this update, the Blizzard Watch was expanded to include central sections of Rhode Island including the Providence area and much of Eastern Massachusetts and Winter Storm Warnings were issued for all areas except for Cape Cod and the Islands where a Winter Storm Watch remains in effect. Confidence is increasing on the overall track, intensity and snowfall amounts for this storm for much of the area with the highest uncertainty over Cape Cod and the Islands. The track is expected to be near Nantucket and the Outer Cape to possibly as far southeast as the 40 North/70 West benchmark. We are still 2 days away from this potential major winter storm/blizzard but most details are falling into place with the exception of snowfall amounts and precip type over Cape Cod and the Islands. The key items to be sorted as we watch the potential for this major winter storm/blizzard include:

1.) Exact storm track is key but is becoming a bit more certain with a consensus between near Nantucket and Outer Cape Cod to the 40 North/70 West benchmark. Timing issues are being worked through with snow expected to start from 4-8 AM Tuesday from southwest to northeast and rapidly become heavy with snowfall rates of 2-4″ per hour expected for several hours. The greatest uncertainty with these track differences is whether or not the Cape and Islands region remains all snow or if there is any mix or change to rain. That will make the difference in the current forecasted 4-8″ of snow for that area or much higher amounts. For the rest of the region, a widespread 12-18″ is likely with a band or isolated higher amounts of 18-24″ somewhere in that wide swath with northeastern and north-central parts of Massachusetts currently favored but this could change as we get closer to the storm event.
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 and the greatest risk is over South Coastal Rhode Island and Southeast Coastal Massachusetts.
3.) How widespread the blizzard conditions will be. The current watch configuration and the expansion of the Blizzard Watch into Central Rhode Island and much of Eastern Massachusetts is based on where the highest confidence is for blizzard conditions. This could be adjusted 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. Currently, a Coastal Flood Watch has been issued for the Tuesday Afternoon high tide cycle for East Coastal Massachusetts and Cape Cod.

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 potentially as early as 5-6 AM Tuesday and will last through late Tuesday Night. The timing of the activation and Amateur Radio Operations may be fine-tuned 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 900 AM EDT Monday Morning. Below is the NWS Taunton Blizzard Watch/Winter Storm Warning/Watch Statement, High Wind Watch Statement, Coastal Flood Watch Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook and Winter Weather Graphics:

NWS Taunton Blizzard Watch/Winter Storm Warning/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 Coastal Flood Watch Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.whus41.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

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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

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Blizzard/Storm Coordination Message #1 – 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 tonight or Sunday with preparations completing late Monday Night/early Tuesday Morning..
..A Blizzard Watch is now 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 over 50 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 is now 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, the potential for near blizzard and near whiteout conditions and winds of 25-35 MPH with gusts over 60 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 is now 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..
..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 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. Given we are still 2.5-3 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. Some reliable models bring it inside of Nantucket and Cape Cod while others bring it closer to the 40 North/70 West benchmark. 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.
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 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 800 AM EDT Sunday Morning. Below is the NWS Taunton Blizzard/Winter Storm 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 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

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Storm Coordination Message #2 – Friday 3/10/17 Winter Storm Potential

Hello to all…

..Strong to Damaging Winds from Thursday yields to a moderate to heavy snowstorm for for Southeast New England with other areas south of the Mass Pike impacted on Friday..
..A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 3 AM to 4 PM Friday for Cape Cod and the Islands for 6-10″ of snow and significant impact to the morning commute..
..A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 3 AM to 4 PM Friday for Bristol and Plymouth Counties of Massachusetts and all of Rhode Island except for Northwest Providence County Rhode Island for 4-8″ of snow with isolated higher amounts of 8-10″ along the south coast of the warning area with significant impact to the morning commute..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 2 AM to Noon Friday for Northern Connecticut for 3-5″ of snow with impacts to the morning commute expected. The lower amounts are expected closer to the Massachusetts/Connecticut border with the higher amounts in the southern most part of Northern Connecticut..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 3 AM to 1 PM Friday for Southern Worcester and Norfolk Counties of Massachusetts and Northwest Providence County Rhode Island for 2-5″ of snow with impacts to the morning commute expected. The higher amounts are likely to be in the southernmost portion of the advisory areas..
..Areas outside of the Warning/Advisory areas are expected to receive 2″ or less of snow though some higher amounts could occur later in the day in the North Shore of Massachusetts and will be monitored..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor the the winter storm for Friday for snowfall reports..

The weather pattern will turn active and will be a return to winter for the region over the next few days. Thursday brought high-end Wind Advisory to low-end High Wind Warning criteria to portions of Southern New England. Here are links to summary reports on the wind gusts and wind damage in the region:

NWS Taunton Public Info Statement – Wind Reports:
http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KBOX/1703092139.nous41.html

NWS Taunton Local Storm Report – Wind Damage Reports:
http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KBOX/1703100027.nwus51.html

Raw Amateur Radio Log of Storm Wind Gust and Wind Damage Reports:
http://beta.wx1box.org/local/reports_3_9_17.txt

Attention turns to a winter storm for the region overnight through Friday Afternoon and the headlines of this message reflect current thinking with upgrades of the Winter Storm Watch areas to Winter Storm Warnings and some expansion of Winter Weather Advisories inland. Key items for this storm event include:

1.) Model trends have maintained a stronger storm intensity but the northern trend was halted and actually slipped a bit further south making the northern fringe of the Winter Storm Warning and Winter Weather Advisory areas tougher to determine proper snowfall ranges as a sharp cutoff in accumulating/heavy snow is possible there.
2.) The highest likelihood for the heaviest snowfall is over the South Coast and Cape Cod and the Islands and into some areas of interior Southeast Massachusetts from about Taunton to Plymouth south and into South-Central Rhode Island. This is currently expected to remain the case for this storm.
3.) Some models are projecting some accumulating snow in the North Shore of Massachusetts later in the day Friday and will be monitored.

It will then become bitterly cold later Friday Night into Saturday with a cold air mass remaining in place through much of next week. Long range models are depicting the potential for a significant coastal storm for the middle of next week but it is too early to get into any details and outcomes could change significantly between now and the middle of next week.

SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor the winter storm for Friday for snowfall reports. This will likely be the last coordination message for the storm event unless a significant upgrade/change occurs and time allows for an update. Below is the NWS Taunton Winter Storm Warning/Winter Weather Advisory Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook and Winter Weather Graphics:

NWS Taunton Winter Storm Warning/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 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

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