Hello to all..
..The following is the fifth and final message in a series of messages on Amateur Radio Field Day Weekend and providing information on the weather during this period. This is a tradition spanning over 13 years for Amateur Radio Operators involved with Field Day and the NWS Taunton SKYWARN Program..
..A windswept rain is expected to develop across much of the NWS Taunton coverage area Saturday Evening through midday Sunday followed by the chance for isolated strong to severe thunderstorms late Sunday Morning into Sunday Afternoon. This will likely make Amateur Radio Field Day activities wet during the second half of the weekend. Field Day sites are advised to bring rain gear and to prepare for possible windy conditions that could develop as well as for the chance of lightning and thunderstorm activity with the potential for isolated strong to severe thunderstorms. A widespread 1-3″ of rainfall is likely Saturday Evening into Sunday. Isolated higher amounts of 3-4″ are also possible..
..The Flood Watch has been expanded in areal coverage. A Flood Watch is now in effect for Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island except for Cape Cod and the Islands from tonight through Saturday Afternoon. A Flood Watch remains in effect for Western Hampshire, Western Hampden and Western Franklin Counties from 2 AM Sunday through late Sunday Night. Urban and poor drainage flooding and possibly small stream flooding is the main threat..
..The Wind Advisory has been expanded in areal coverage. A Wind Advisory is now in effect from 3 AM to Noon Sunday for Rhode Island for sustained winds of 15-25 MPH with wind gusts to 35-45 MPH with isolated higher gusts closer to the coast and in higher terrain areas. A Wind Advisory remains in effect for East Coastal Massachusetts including Cape Cod and the Islands from 3 AM-Noon Sunday for Southeast winds at 20-30 MPH with wind gusts to 45-50 MPH. These winds will be capable of causing isolated pockets of tree and wire damage and can cause problems for outdoor Field Day sites with portable outdoor antenna systems, tents, canopies etc. These portable antenna systems, tents and canopies will need to be tied down well given the strong winds. Areas outside of the Wind Advisory in the higher terrain of Western New England could see wind gusts as high as 30 to possibly 40 MPH during the overnight hours into early Sunday Afternoon..
..A High Surf Advisory is now in effect from 8 AM to 8 PM Sunday for East and South Coastal Massachusetts and South Coastal Rhode Island due to strong winds causing high surf and rip current conditions on area beaches..
..Depending on the track of the storm, isolated strong to severe thunderstorms with an attendant lightning risk and having the potential for strong to damaging winds and heavy rainfall is also possible. The greatest risk appears to be confined to Southeastern New England late Sunday Morning into Sunday Afternoon with the warm sector staying south of the Mass Pike. This will continue to bear watching..
..Amateur Radio Field Day Weekend is an annual event where Ham Operators across the United States setup at Emergency Operations Centers, field locations, home locations etc. to operate and test their equipment and skills and make as many radio contacts as possible during the weekend. Many locations can be visited by the public and Amateur Radio Field Day can be a form of outreach to Ham and non-Ham Operators. It is also noted that several states have given proclamations to Amateur Radio/Ham Radio Operators for either an ‘Amateur Radio Day or Amateur Radio Week’ during the month of June or an ‘Amateur Radio Month’ for this month. It is both a fun/preparatory event for Ham Radio Operators for Emergency Communications scenarios..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor the storm through this evening and to the first half of the overnight hours. SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will commence no later than 530 AM EDT looking for reports of storm conditions and to guard Amateur Radio Field Day sites across Southern New England by providing latest weather data as required..
There are a large number of Amateur Radio Field Day sites across the NWS Taunton Coverage Area and adjacent NWS Coverage Areas. Here are some links to information on these Amateur Radio Field Day Sites from across the region:
Amateur Radio Field Day Information: http://www.arrl.org/field-day
Amateur Radio Field Day National Locator: http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator
Eastern Massachusetts Field Day Home Page: http://fd.ema.arrl.org/
After dry conditions through Saturday Afternoon with increasing and thickening clouds, storm impacts will begin to be felt later this Saturday Evening and especially during the overnight hours through Noon Sunday. We have broken the various potential weather hazards into sections with this storm:
Heavy Rainfall and Flood Potential:
Rain should commence between 4-8 PM from west to east based on current weather forecast models. Rain will become heavy overnight after midnight with the heaviest rain between 2-11 AM. Rain should end from west to east during the early afternoon. The Flood Watch has been expanded in areal coverage. A Flood Watch is now in effect for Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island except for Cape Cod and the Islands from tonight through Saturday Afternoon. A Flood Watch remains in effect for Western Hampshire, Western Hampden and Western Franklin Counties from 2 AM Sunday through late Sunday Night. Urban and poor drainage flooding and possibly small stream flooding is the main threat. Widespread 1-3″ rainfall is expected with isolated 3-4″ amounts possible in areas that received the heaviest downpours for the longest period of time.
Strong to Damaging Wind Potential:
The Wind Advisory has been expanded in areal coverage. A Wind Advisory is now in effect from 3 AM to Noon Sunday for Rhode Island for sustained winds of 15-25 MPH with wind gusts to 35-45 MPH with isolated higher gusts closer to the coast and in higher terrain areas. A Wind Advisory remains in effect for East Coastal Massachusetts including Cape Cod and the Islands from 3 AM-Noon Sunday for Southeast winds at 20-30 MPH with wind gusts to 45-50 MPH. These winds will be capable of causing isolated pockets of tree and wire damage and can cause problems for outdoor Field Day sites with portable outdoor antenna systems, tents, canopies etc. These portable antenna systems, tents and canopies will need to be tied down well given the strong winds. Areas outside of the Wind Advisory in the higher terrain of Western New England could see wind gusts as high as 30 to possibly 40 MPH during the overnight hours into early Sunday Afternoon.
Coastal High Surf at Area Beaches:
A High Surf Advisory is now in effect from 8 AM to 8 PM Sunday for East and South Coastal Massachusetts and South Coastal Rhode Island due to strong winds causing high surf and rip current conditions on area beaches. Given the weather conditions for heavy rainfall, people are less likely to be at beaches but those that are should use extra caution as the high surf and rip currents can affect poor swimmers and pull them into deeper waters resulting in a safety issue for people in the water. Use caution if headed out to the ocean on Sunday.
Severe weather and Thunderstorm Potential:
Concerning thunderstorm potential, this will be contingent on the warm sector position. At this time, the boundary looks to be right over Southern New England in the vicinity of the Mass. Pike. At this time, there is a continued concern that isolated strong to severe thunderstorms could occur in Southeast New England late Sunday Morning into Sunday Afternoon with strong to damaging winds, the attendant lightning risk and urban and poor drainage flooding as the primary threat. This will be contingent on the level of instability in the atmosphere and where the warm sector position ultimately ends up. Wind shear profiles are sufficient to support isolated strong to severe thunderstorms.
SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor the storm through this evening and to the first half of the overnight hours. SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will commence no later than 530 AM EDT looking for reports of storm conditions and to guard Amateur Radio Field Day sites across Southern New England by providing latest weather data as required. Below are links to the NWS Taunton Flood Watch Statement, Wind Advisory Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook and Area Forecast Discussion for those interested in checking out weather conditions over the course of Amateur Radio Field Day Weekend:
NWS Taunton Flood Watch Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wgus61.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
NWS Taunton Area Forecast Discussion:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.fxus61.KBOX.html
As a reminder, during setup and takedown of Amateur Radio Field Day sites and even while operating, be sure to drink plenty of fluids and eat accordingly. Also having a jacket or sweatshirt during evenings as conditions cool etc. may also be useful while operating this year’s Field Day as well as rain gear given the expected rain and heavy rainfall. The links below features information on Heat Safety as well as Lightning Safety since this year’s Amateur Radio Field Day weekend coincides with Lightning Safety Awareness Week, Flood Safety Information from the NWS Taunton Flood Safety Awareness Week given the potential for heavy rainfall and Severe Weather Safety information from the 2015 severe weather preparedness week given the potential for severe weather during the second half of Amateur Radio Field Day weekend:
NWS Heat Safety Rules:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/heat/index.shtml
NWS Taunton Flood Safety Awareness Week Information:
http://beta.wx1box.org/local/flood_awareness_2015.txt
NWS Taunton Lightning Safety Awareness Week Information:
http://beta.wx1box.org/local/lightning_safety_awareness_2015.txt
NWS Taunton Public Information Statements – Severe Weather Preparedness Week:
http://beta.wx1box.org/local/severe_weather_awareness_2015.txt
NWS Taunton Severe Weather Preparedness Week Web Page:
http://www.weather.gov/box/SevereWeatherPreparednessWeek
Amateur Radio Field Day sites are strongly encouraged to bring a NOAA All-Hazards Weather Radio and a dedicated Ham Radio that can monitor their local SKYWARN Frequency for their area as a best safety and preparedness practice. Also sites that have mobile Internet capability can utilize that capability as a way to monitor for weather information. With Mobile Internet capability, utilizing Echolink to monitor the New England Reflector system on Echolink Conference Node: 9123/IRLP 9123 would be helpful as well. Please see the link below for the latest SKYWARN Frequency information for the region:
http://beta.wx1box.org/node/37
This will be the last coordination message on this storm system and coordinating weather for Amateur Radio Field Day operations as we move into operations mode for the storm and to support weather data for Southern New England Amateur Radio Field Day sites.
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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