Rob Macedo – Page 188

Storm Coordination Message #3 – Late Wednesday Night 1/11/12 through Thursday 1/12/12

January 12, 2012 Rob Macedo Leave a comment

Hello to all..

..Nor’easter on target to affect the region with a variety of winter weather well inland and strong to damaging winds at the coast late Wednesday Night through Thursday Evening. The Thursday Morning commute will be impacted most by the nor’easter..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect from 1 AM to 7 PM Thursday for Cheshire and Hillsborough Counties of Southern New Hampshire for 3-6″ of snow with isolated higher amounts along with up to one tenth inch of ice accumulation..
..A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect from 1 AM to 1 PM Thursday for Franklin, Worcester, Northern and Central Middlesex, Western Essex, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties of Massachusetts and Hartford County Connecticut for 1-3 inches of snow and up to one tenth inch of ice, possibly more ice depending on any changeover to rain and the amount of precipitation that falls as snow. All other areas will be receiving rain or a brief period of mixed precipitation changing to rain..
..A Wind Advisory remains in effect from 4 AM to 1 PM Thursday for South Coastal Massachusetts and Newport County Rhode Island and Block Island RI. A Wind Advisory is also in effect for Cape Cod and the remaining islands from 4 AM to 3 PM Thursday for Eastern Essex, Suffolk, Eastern Norfolk and Eastern Plymouth Counties for sustained winds 25-35 MPH except possibly 30-40 MPH on Cape Cod and the islands with gusts to 50-55 MPH possible across much of the advisory area..
..A Coastal Flood Advisory is in effect from 9 AM to 3 PM ET Thursday for East Coastal Massachusetts including Cape Cod for the Thursday morning/early afternoon high tide cycle..
..SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will commence at 5 AM ET Thursday lasting through Thursday Evening..
..NWS Taunton WSR-88D Doppler Radar is back in service and now operating with the new dual polarization hardware upgrade in place. The NWS Taunton web site has been updated to show the Taunton Radar..

A nor’easter is still expected to break the trend of recent quiet weather bringing wintry precipitation across interior Southern New England particularly north of the Mass. Pike and west of Interstate 495 in Massachusetts into Southern New Hampshire. The Thursday Morning commute will be most adversely impacted by this nor’easter.

A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect from late Wednesday Night into Thursday Evening for Southern New Hampshire for 3-6 inches of snow with isolated higher amounts along with up to one tenth of an inch of ice. A few amounts greater than 6″ could occur in higher elevations provided the precipitation is snow long enough. A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect from 1 AM to 1 PM Thursday for Franklin, Worcester, Northern and Central Middlesex, Western Essex, Hampshire and Hampden Counties of Massachusetts for 1-3 inches of snow and up to one tenth inch of ice, possibly more ice depending on any changeover to rain and the amount of precipitation that falls as snow. All other areas will be receiving rain or a brief period of mixed precipitation changing to rain.

A Wind Advisory remains in effect from 4 AM to 1 PM Thursday for South Coastal Massachusetts and Newport County Rhode Island and Block Island RI. A Wind Advisory is also in effect for Cape Cod and the remaining islands, Eastern Essex, Suffolk, Eastern Nortfolk and Eastern Plymouth Counties from 4 AM to 3 PM Thursday for sustained winds 25-35 MPH except possibly 30-40 MPH on Cape Cod and the islands with gusts to 50-55 MPH. These winds could produce isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and power outages.

A Coastal Flood Advisory is in effect from 9 AM to 3 PM Thursday for Minor to possibly low-end moderate coastal flooding at the time of high tide along the East Coastal Massachusetts corridor. The areas most susceptible to coastal flooding in the advisory area will be in the Scituate/Hull area as well as portions of the North Shore of Massachusetts in the typical vulnerable locations. Reports and pictures from this area would be helpful to gauge future coastal flood incidents. This information will be shared with emergency management, media and NWS with credit given to the spotter unless otherwise specified.

It is noted that the NWS Taunton WSR-88D Doppler Radar, which has been down since January 4th, is now back in service 4 days early and operating with the new dual poalrization upgrade in place. The radar should be available for this storm event and the NWS Taunton web page has been updated with the BOX radar page.

SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will commence at 5 AM ET Thursday lasting through early Thursday Evening for this event. This will be the last coordination message for this storm event unless a significant update is required and time allows for that update. Below is the NWS Taunton Winter Weather Advisory Statement, Wind Advisory statement, Coastal Flood Advisory Statement and the Hazardous Weather Outlook:

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

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

NWS Taunton Coastal Flood Advisory Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.whus41.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 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 – Late Wednesday Night 1/11/12 through Thursday 1/12/12

January 11, 2012 Rob Macedo Leave a comment

Hello to all..

..Nor’easter will affect the region with a variety of winter weather well inland and strong to damaging winds at the coast late Wednesday Night through Thursday Evening. The Thursday Morning commute will be impacted most by the nor’easter..
..A Winter Storm Watch remains in effect from late Wednesday Night through Thursday Evening for Cheshire and Hillsborough Counties of Southern New Hampshire for 4-8″ of snow with isolated higher amounts along with up to one tenth inch of ice accumulation..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect from 1 AM to 1 PM Thursday for Franklin, Worcester, Northern and Central Middlesex, Western Hampshire, and Western Hampden Counties of Massachusetts for 1-4 inches of snow and up to one tenth inch of ice, possibly more depending on any changeover to rain and the amount of precipitation that falls as snow..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is in now in effect from 1 AM to 1 PM Thursday for Harford County Connecticut and Western Essex, Eastern Hampshire and Eastern Hampden Counties for a coating to 3 inches of snow and up to one tenth inch of ice accumulation. All other areas will be receiving rain or a brief period of mixed precipitation changing to rain..
..A Wind Advisory is now in effect from 4 AM to 1 PM Thursday for South Coastal Massachusetts and Newport County Rhode Island and Block Island RI. A Wind Advisory is also in effect for Cape Cod and the remaining islands from 4 AM to 3 PM Thursday for Eastern Essex, Suffolk, Eastern Norfolk and Eastern Plymouth Counties for sustained winds 25-35 MPH except possibly 30-40 MPH on Cape Cod and the islands with gusts to 50 MPH. Isolated higher gusts possible on Cape Cod..
..Minor coastal flooding is possible at the time of high tide Thursday along the East Coastal Massachusetts area..
..SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton are likely some time very early Thursday Morning lasting through Thursday Evening..
..NWS Taunton WSR-88D Doppler Radar is back in service and now operating with the new dual polarization hardware upgrade in place..

A Winter Storm Watch remains in effect from late Wednesday Night into Thursday Evening for Southern New Hampshire for 4-8 inches of snow with isolated higher amounts along with up to one tenth of an inch of ice. A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect from 1 AM to 1 PM Thursday for Franklin, Worcester, Northern and Central Middlesex, Western Hampshire, and Western Hampden Counties of Massachusetts for 1-4 inches of snow and up to one tenth inch of ice, possibly more depending on any changeover to rain and the amount of precipitation that falls as snow. A Winter Weather Advisory is in now in effect from 1 AM to 1 PM Thursday for Harford County Connecticut and Western Essex, Eastern Hampshire and Eastern Hampden Counties for a coating to 3 inches of snow and up to one tenth inch of ice accumulation. All other areas will be receiving rain or a brief period of mixed precipitation changing to rain.

A Wind Advisory is now in effect from 4 AM to 1 PM Thursday for South Coastal Massachusetts and Newport County Rhode Island and Block Island RI. A Wind Advisory is also in effect for Cape Cod and the remaining islands, Eastern Essex, Suffolk, Eastern Nortfolk and Eastern Plymouth Counties from 4 AM to 3 PM Thursday for sustained winds 25-35 MPH except possibly 30-40 MPH on Cape Cod and the islands with gusts to 50 MPH. Isolated higher gusts possible on Cape Cod. These winds could produce isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and power outages.

Minor coastal flooding is possible at the time of high tide along the East Coastal Massachusetts corridor. This potential will be monitored as we get closer to the storm event.

SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton are likely early Thursday Morning lasting through evening. Another coordination message will be posted by 10 PM Wednesday Evening. Below is the NWS Taunton Winter Storm Watch/Winter Weather Advisory Statement, Wind Advisory statement and the Hazardous Weather Outlook:

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

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,

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Storm Coordination Message #1 – Late Wednesday Night 1/11/12 through Thursday 1/12/12

January 11, 2012 Rob Macedo Leave a comment

Hello to all..

..Nor’easter will affect the region with a variety of winter weather well inland and strong to damaging winds at the coast late Wednesday Night through Thursday Evening. The Thursday Morning commute will be impacted most by the nor’easter..
..A Winter Storm Watch is in effect from late Wednesday Night through Thursday Evening for Cheshire and Hillsborough Counties of Southern New Hampshire for 4-8″ of snow with isolated higher amounts along with a trace of ice accumulation..
..A Winter Storm Watch is in effect from late Wednesday Night through Thursday Evening for Franklin, Worcester, Northern Middlesex, Western Franklin, Western Hampshire, and Western Hampden Counties of Massachusetts for 2-4 inches of snow and at least a trace of ice, possibly more depending on any changeover to rain and the amount of precipitation that falls as snow. Locations from Northern Connecticut, Northwest Rhode Island, and from Western Norfolk to the remainder of Middlesex and Western Essex Counties of Massachusetts may see some wintry mixed precipitation before a changeover to rain..
..A High Wind Watch is in effect from late Wednesday Night through Thursday Afternoon for Cape Cod and the Islands. Wind Advisories may be needed for other portions of the coast for the same time period..
..Minor coastal flooding is possible at the time of high tide Thursday along the East Coastal Massachusetts area..
..SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton are likely some time very early Thursday Morning lasting through Thursday Evening..

A nor’easter will break the trend of recent quiet weather bringing wintry precipitation across interior Southern New England particularly north of the Mass. Pike and west of Interstate 495 in Massachusetts into Southern New Hampshire. The Thursday Morning commute will be most adversely impacted by this nor’easter.

A Winter Storm Watch is in effect from late Wednesday Night into Thursday Evening for Southern New Hampshire for 4-8 inches of snow with isolated higher amounts along with a trace of ice and a Winter Storm Watch is in effect from late Wednesday Night into Thursday Evening for Franklin, Worcester, Northern Middlesex, Western Hampden and Western Hampshire Counties of Massachusetts for 2-4″ of snow and at least a trace of ice with the potential for higher accumulations of ice depending on the changeover to rain and how much precipitation falls as snow. Some mixed precipitation (snow/sleet/freeing rain) will be possible across Northern Connecticut, Northwest Rhode Island and across Western Norfolk through the remainder of Middlesex and Western Essex Counties of Massachusetts before a changeover to rain. In the area from the Boston to Providence corridor south and east, all rain or mostly rain is expected with little snow or ice accumulation.

A High Wind Watch is in effect from late Wednesday Night through Thursday Afternoon for Cape Cod and the Islands for the potential of sustained winds of 30-40 MPH with gusts to 60 MPH. Strongest wind potential at this time looks to be from 9 AM to 1 PM Thursday with the entire strong wind timeframe anywhere between 4 AM to 3 PM Thursday. Wind Advisories may be needed for other parts of coastal New England for this time period.

Minor coastal flooding is possible at the time of high tide along the East Coastal Massachusetts corridor. This potential will be monitored as we get closer to the storm event.

SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton are likely early Thursday Morning lasting through evening. Another coordination message will be posted by 9 AM Wednesday Morning. Below is the NWS Taunton Winter Storm Watch and High Wind Watch statement and the Hazardous Weather Outlook:

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

Respectfully Submitted,

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NWS Taunton Public Information Statement – 2011 Preliminary Climate Summary

January 3, 2012 Rob Macedo Leave a comment

Hello to all..

The following is the preliminary 2011 Climate Summary as issued by NWS Taunton. This may be revised in the next few days:

http://beta.wx1box.org/files/climate_2011.txt

Respectfully Submitted,

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Wind Coordination Message #1 – Cape Cod and Islands Wind Event Monday 1/2/2012

January 2, 2012 Rob Macedo Leave a comment

Hello to all..

..Happy New Year to all SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators..
..Strong Winds to Affect Cape Cod and the Islands Monday Morning into the early afternoon. A Wind Advisory is in effect from 6 AM to 2 PM Monday for Cape Cod and the Islands for sustained winds of 25-35 MPH with gusts to 40-45 MPH possible. The strong winds may cause isolated pockets of tree and wire damage in the advisory area. No Ops at NWS Taunton anticipated but SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor the winds over the advisory area. This will be the only coordination message on this event unless an upgrade to the situation occurs. 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,

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Storm Coordination Message #2 – Light Icing Conditions in Interior Southern New England – 12/31/11

December 31, 2011 Rob Macedo Leave a comment

Hello to all..

..Happy New Year to all SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators..
..Warm front hangs up just inland of Southeast Coastal New England. Colder air over interior Massachusetts through Southern New Hampshire and parts of Northern Connecticut causing freezing rain, icy roadways and car accidents over portions of the region..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Tolland and Windham Counties in Connecticut, Northwest Providence County RI, and Western Essex, Central Middlesex and Southern Worcester Counties of Massachusetts until 11 AM ET for a trace/coating of ice..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until Noon Saturday for Franklin, Northern Worcester, Hampshire, and Northern Middlesex Counties of Massachusetts, and Cheshire and Hillsborough County New Hampshire until Noon today for up to one-tenth of an inch of ice..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will be utilized to monitor icing conditions through Noon time today. This will be the only message on this situation unless another upgrade to the situation occurs. Below is the NWS Taunton Winter Weather Advisory Statement and Hazardous Weather Outlook..

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

NWS Taunton Hazardous Weather Outlook:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.flus41.KBOX.html

Respectfully Submitted,

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Storm Coordination Message #1 – Light Freezing Rain Event for Southwest NH 12/31/11

December 30, 2011 Rob Macedo Leave a comment

Hello to all..

..A Brief Period of Freezing Rain may cause a brief period of slippery travel Saturday Morning in Southwest New Hampshire..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Cheshire and Western and Central Hillsborough Counties of New Hampshire from 4 AM to 10 AM Saturday. A brief period of freezing rain may result in slippery travel before temperatures warm up above freezing and the precipitation changes to rain. This is a lower confidence than normal forecast and there is a possibility that the precipitation doesn’t enter the area until temperatures warm above freezing. This advisory is being issued due to the danger a light icing can pose on roadways if precipitation moves into the area with temperatures below freezing based on current forecast expectations..
..No SKYWARN Activation is anticipated at this time. This will be the only coordination message posted on this situation unless a significant upgrade to the situation occurs. Below is the NWS Taunton Winter Weather Advisory statement and Hazardous Weather Outlook..

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

Respectfully Submitted,

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Storm Coordination Message #2 – Tuesday Evening 12/27 – Early Wednesday Morning 12/28 Event

December 27, 2011 Rob Macedo Leave a comment

Hello to all..

..SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will commence at 8 PM ET lasting through 3 AM ET for monitoring of strong to damaging winds over the region. This morning’s coordination message follows below with refreshed wording..
..A fast moving, strong storm system is still expected to bring strong to damaging winds, heavy showers and possible thunderstorms and the possibility of splashover at the time of high tide over South Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island..
..A High Wind Warning remains in effect from 9 PM tonight through 3 AM Wednesday for Cape Cod and the Islands and Block Island RI for sustained winds of 35-45 MPH with gusts to 60 MPH. Higher wind gusts will be possible if thunderstorms develop..
..A Wind Advisory remains in effect from 9 PM tonight through 3 AM Wednesday for South-Central Rhode Island, East Coastal Massachusetts including the North Shore and Metro Boston area and the Blue Hills of Eastern Norfolk County for sustained winds of 25-35 MPH with gusts up to 50 MPH..
..Additional strong winds area wide are possible Wednesday as cold air moves into the region once again. Winds may reach Wind Advisory crtieria..

A fast moving storm system is still expected to bring strong to damaging winds, a brief period of heavy rain possibly accompanied by thunderstorms and the possibility of minor splashover at the time of high tide to South Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

A High Wind Warning remains in effect from 9 PM this evening until 3 AM Wednesday for Cape Cod and the Islands including Block Island Rhode Island for sustained winds of 35-45 MPH with gusts to 60 MPH. Stronger winds could develop in any thunderstorms. These winds would be sufficient to cause isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and power outages over the area. A Wind Advisory remains in effect for the remainder of Coastal Massachusetts including the North Shore and Metro Boston area and the Blue Hills of Norfolk County as well as South-Central Rhode Island for sustained winds of 25-35 MPH with gusts up to 50 MPH. The winds in the adviosry area could be sufficient to cause isolated pockets of tree and wire damage.

A brief period of heavy rain will occur that could drop a quick 0.50″ to 1.5″ of rain over the area. These heavy showers could help mix down strong to damaging winds in the Wind Advisory and High Wind Warning areas particulary if any thunderstorms develop. The rain may cause a brief period of urban/poor drainage flooding over portions of the area.

The strong southerly winds may cause minor splashover at the time of high tide over South Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The strongest winds are occurring at the time of a low astronomical tide which should mitigate the impact but this will still be monitored.

As the storm passes on Wednesday, strong winds will occur over much of Southern New England and may reach Wind Advisory criteria. A separate coordination message will be posted on this potential Wednesday Morning if needed.

SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will commence at 8 PM ET lasting through 3 AM ET to monitor strong to damaging wind potential. Below is the NWS Taunton High Wind Warning/Wind Advisory statement and Hazardous Weather Outlook:

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

Respectfully Submitted,

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Storm Coordination Message #1 – Tuesday Evening 12/27 – Early Wednesday Morning 12/28 Event

December 27, 2011 Rob Macedo Leave a comment

Hello to all..

..A fast moving, strong storm system will bring strong to damaging winds, heavy showers and possible thunderstorms and the possibility of splashover at the time of high tide over South Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island..
..A High Wind Warning is in effect from 9 PM tonight through 3 AM Wednesday for Cape Cod and the Islands and Block Island RI for sustained winds of 35-45 MPH with gusts to 55 to 60 MPH. Higher wind gusts will be possible if thunderstorms develop..
..A Wind Advisory is in effect from 9 PM tonight through 3 AM Wednesday for South-Central Rhode Island, East Coastal Massachusetts including the North Shore and Metro Boston area and the Blue Hills of Eastern Norfolk County for sustained winds of 25-35 MPH with gusts up to 50 MPH..
..Additional strong winds area wide are possible Wednesday as cold air moves into the region once again. Winds may reach Wind Advisory crtieria..
..SKYWARN Activation in some form is likely during the High Wind Warning and Wind Advisory timeframes overnight. Ops at NWS Taunton are possible..

A fast moving storm system will bring strong to damaging winds, a brief period of heavy rain possibly accompanied by thunderstorms and the possibility of minor splashover at the time of high tide to South Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

A High Wind Warning is in effect from 9 PM this evening until 3 AM Wednesday for Cape Cod and the Islands including Block Island Rhode Island for sustained winds of 25-35 MPH with gusts to 55-60 MPH. Stronger winds could develop in any thunderstorms. These winds would be sufficient to cause isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and power outages over the area. A Wind Advisory is in effect for the remainder of Coastal Massachusetts including the North Shore and Metro Boston area and the Blue Hills of Norfolk County as well as South-Central Rhode Island for sustained winds of 25-35 MPH with gusts up to 50 MPH. The winds in the adviosry area could be sufficient to cause isolated pockets of tree and wire damage.

SKYWARN Activation in some form is likely during the High Wind Warning/Wind Advisory timeframe. Ops at NWS Taunton are possible. This will likely be the only complete coordination message on this event with a shortened coordination message sent updating the status of potential Ops at NWS Taunton. Below is the NWS Taunton High Wind Warning/Wind Advisory statement and Hazardous Weather Outlook:

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

Respectfully Submitted,

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

December 24, 2011 Rob Macedo Leave a comment

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. 2011 will be known as a historic weather year in Southern New England. 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 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 have been 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 2011 reveal that it was a historic weather year for our region. It started with the repeated snowstorms of January into early February where the Blizzard of 2011 on January 12th, 2011 dumped widespread snowfall amounts of 1-2 feet with isolated 30″ amounts in the interior and 6-12″ of snow away from Cape Cod and the Islands and winds gusting to over 60 MPH over the coast, Cape Cod and the Islands and Southeastern New England. The repeated storms after the Blizzard resulted in numerous roof collapses across Southern New England that were tracked by SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators during the storms with follow-up done after the winter storms passed by local and state emergency management where buildings were still having roof issues days after the winter storms ended.

As we moved into summer, the historic June 1st, 2011 tornado outbreak affected New England, specifically Massachusetts and also into Northern New Hampshire and Maine. The biggest tornado being the EF-3 Western Massachusetts long-track tornado that caused the worst damage in years over an area starting from Granville/Westfield into West Springfield, Springfield, Wilbraham, Monson, Brimfield, Sturbridge, Southbridge and Charlton. This tornado was on the ground for 70 minutes and 39 miles and killed 3 people with 200 injuries. Amateur Radio Operators and SKYWARN Spotters played their biggest role since the program began in earnest in this region in 1995. Amateur Radio Operators and SKYWARN Spotters kept the National Weather Service, Emergency Management, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and the media informed across its entire track from initial touchdown through its eventual lifting in Charlton, Massachusetts. Debris was deposited 40-70 miles away and was reported by SKYWARN Spotters and Ham Radio Operators as far east as Millbury, Myllis, and Milton, Massachusetts. This event underscores the importance of weather spotting and gathering critical situational awareness and disaster intelligence in near real-time so that agencies can gear up a proper response and recovery effort as early as possible. It also underscores that when a tornado is spotted versus a tornado warning based upon purely radar indication alone without a report of the tornado being spotted, the public pays more attention to the warning when it is spotted and radar inciated and seeks cover immediately otherwise the death toll and injuries may have been much higher given this large tornado’s crossing over the Springfield metropolitan area. A total of 4 tornadoes were confirmed in Massachusetts on June 1st with additional confirmed tornadoes in Northern New England.

After several other potent severe weather events from June through August, Hurricane Irene would visit New England as a strong tropical storm. Irene caused significant wind damage across much of Southern New England particularly in Connecticut, Central and Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island with moderate storm surge flooding across all areas of the coast. The worst river/stream/urban flooding seen in years occurred across Vermont, Western Connecticut and Western Massachusetts especially in Berkshire, Western Hampden, Western Hampshire, and Franklin Counties of Massachusetts with minor to moderate floding in other parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Northern Rhode Island. Rainfall amounts in the hardest hit areas were 5-10″ with higher amounts in Vermont. The region was rain soaked from earlier systems in August which further aggravated the flooding over the region. Irene was the strongest tropical system to affect the region since Hurricane Bob in August 1991.

After several storms produced flooding over the region in September through early October, including the North Shore of Massachusetts unexpected Flash Flood event of October 4th, 2011 which left localized urban flooding in Peabody, Lynn and Swampscott, Massachusetts flooded for almost a day after 5-7″ of rain were dumped on the area in just a couple of hours, a rare October Snowstorm dubbed ‘Snowtober’ affected the region just before Halloween on October 29th and 30th. With foiliage still on the trees and a heavy wet snowfall especially across valley areas of Western Massachusetts, Connecticut, through Central and Northeast Massachusetts and Southeast New Hampshire, widespread tree and power line damage occurred. The storm rivaled and in some cases created more power outages than Irene in August. A widespread 4-8″ snowfall with isolated 12″ amounts occurred in valley locations of interior Massachusetts north and west of I-95 and especially from I-495 north and west with amounts of 12-24″ with isolated 30″ amounts in the higher elevations and especially in Northwest Massachusetts and Southwest New Hampshire. Power would be out for 3-5 days with some locations espically in Connecticut and Southwest Massachusetts having power outages for 7 days or longer. It was the worst major snowstorm to affect the reigon in October in history and historic in terms of snowfall for the interior regions. At the coast, winds gusted over 60 MPH with mostly rain ending as a period of snow before the storm departed.

As we move forward in 2012, we will be renewing our commitment to SKYWARN training. The training presentation will be reorganized and updated with more sessions offered over the course of the year. 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. We will be renewing our efforts to utilizing Amateur Radio HF and 6 Meters where required, Amateur Radio simplex as well as continued usage of all the SKYWARN Amateur Radio Repeaters and radio linked systems via the Internet that are at our disposal 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.

In terms of new technologies, we have our twitter feed setup and you can follow WX1BOX on twitter by following our Amateur Radio Call-Sign, WX1BOX. Over the past year, we have setup a WX1BOX Facebook page and NWS Taunton has setup their facebook page as well. SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators on facebook can ‘like’ these pages. They are available via the following links:

WX1BOX Amateur Radio SKYWARN Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wx1box-National-Weather-Service-Taunton-Amateur-Radio-Skywarn-Group/216287391738620#!/pages/Wx1box-National-Weather-Service-Taunton-Amateur-Radio-Skywarn-Group/216287391738620

NWS Taunton Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wx1box-National-Weather-Service-Taunton-Amateur-Radio-Skywarn-Group/216287391738620#!/US.NationalWeatherService.Boston.gov

We are also looking at other ways to get near-real time video and pictures while also continuing to receive pictures and videos hours and days after a major severe weather event. This will further enhance our abilities to gather situatiuonal awareness and disaster intelligence information in a short period of time.

We, again, want to provide a tremendous THANK YOU to all of you that supported SKYWARN and the National Weather Service during this historic 2011 weather season. 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,

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