Hello to all..

Southern New England SKYWARN was featured on The Weather Channel in the Weatherview segement aired over the weekend. This segment has been captured and put online for people who wish to see it. This can be seen via the following link:

http://www.nsradio.org/video/features/mediaclips/WeatherChannel/

In addition, videos on the winter of 2010-2011 and the Indiana-Michigan-Ohio video ‘Amateur Radio SKYWARN’s Best Practices in Southern New England’ are also on the SKYWARN video page. These videos along with the complete archive of SKYWARN videos can be seen at the following link:

http://video.nsradio.org

Special thanks to The Weather Channel and Meteorologist Eric Fisher for working with us on the segment on The Weather Channel. We appreciate the publicity on the SKYWARN program.

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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Hello to all..

The National Weather Service Taunton Massachusetts forecast office in coordination with the National Hurricane Center will be hosting the P3 Hurricane Hunter Aircraft, part of the NOAA/National Hurricane Center Hurricane Awareness Tour, on Monday May 2nd, 2011 at the Otis Air Force Base (AFB) in Falmouth Massachusetts. Public tours will be open from 230-530 PM. School tours will occur between 930 AM-130 PM. This is similar to what was done in 2007 at Quonset State Airport in Rhode Island. A flyer on the Hurricane Awareness Tour can be seen via the following link:

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box//HAT_tour.shtml

http://beta.wx1box.org/local/4_6_11_hat_pns.txt

In addition to the P3 Hurricane Hunter Aircraft, there will be numerous information booths from numerous agencies at the base for the Hurricane Awareness Tour. This will include a ‘special event’ Amateur Radio Station to make contacts via Amateur Radio nationally and internationally and will include making contact with the National Hurricane Center Amateur Radio Station in Miami Florida, WX4NHC. Amateur Operators will also be providing event communications for National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center personnel. The list of other Information booths for the Hurricane Awareness Tour is shown below:

National Weather Service Taunton
Northeast River Forecast Center (NERFC)
Two HAM stations (One sponsored by the Falmouth Amateur Radio Association with a second sponsored by Cape Cod Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES))
URI Hurricane: Science and Society
Mass Military Reservation
Stellwagen Bank
Radio Station – WQRC
UMass Lowell – AMS/NWA
Cape Cod Medical Reserve Corps
Blue Hill Observatory and Science Center
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) – Region 1

We ask for wide distribution of this announcement and are looking forward to a great turnout for this event. This announcement will be retransmitted and updated with any changes as we draw closer to this special event.

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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Hello to all..

On Tuesday Evening March 29th at 7 PM, David R Vallee, Hydrologist-In-Charge
of the Northeast River Forecast Center co-located with the National Weather
Service Forecast Office in Taunton Massachusetts will give a presentation on
the March Floods of 2010 at the North Providence Public Library on 1810
Mineral Spring Avenue in North Providence, RI. This date coincides with
the first anniversary of the second major flood episode that occurred in
March 2010 in Rhode Island and Eastern Massachusetts.

Amateur Radio Operators and SKYWARN Spotters were critical in documenting
the historic flooding that occurred last March. This presentation offers
the opportunity to understand the meteorology and conditions that set the
scenario for the historic flooding that occurred in March 2010 around the
region. A complete abstract on what the presentation will cover can be
seen at the following link:

http://beta.wx1box.org/local/Dave_Vallee_Floods_of_2010_Talk_North_Providence_RI.pdf

We hope to see many folks at this special presentation on the March Floods of 2010!

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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Hello to all..

..Round 1 of Major Winter Storm has ended but a more powerful Round 2 of this Major Winter Storm is on tap for much of Southern New England..
..Please note for all SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators that this storm and its ‘two rounds’ of precipitation are being classified as 1 storm event so please add totals from day-1 and day-2 together for reporting purposes. Thanks for your efforts..
..The New England Echolink/IRLP Reflector system issues have been resolved. For the duration of this event to assure we maintain the usage of Echolink and IRLP, the *NEW-ENG* Echolink conference node: 9123/IRLP 9123 system will remain connected to Echolink Conference *WX_TALK* node: 7203/IRLP 9219 for the duration of this major winter storm event..
..A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect through 1 AM Thursday for Southern New Hampshire for an additional 10-15″ of snow. Some mix with sleet is possible here but the precipitation should stay predominantly snow for the duration of this event. The morning commute will be severely impacted as snow redevelops between 2-4 AM..
..A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect through 1 AM Thursday for Franklin, Essex, Hampshire, Middlesex, and Northern Worcester Counties for an additional 7 to 12 inches of snow and up to one tenth ice accretion. Snow will redevelop between 1-5 AM and become heavy at times. The snow will likely mix with or change briefly to sleet and freezing rain before changing back to light snow before evening Wednesday Night. The snow/sleet/freezing rain and the weight of this frozen precipitation combined with prior winter storms may cause isolated pockets of tree and power line damage and isolated power outages..
..A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 1 AM Thursday for Hampden, Southern Worcester, Suffolk and Norfolk Counties of Massachusetts for 5-8″ of snow and one to two tenths of icing. Snow will redevelop between 1-5 AM and become heavy at times and severely impact the morning commute. The snow will then change to sleet and freezing rain by late morning or midday and then change back to light snow before ending. The weight of the snow/ice from this storm combined with previous storms could cause isolated pockets of tree and power line damage and isolated power outages..
..A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 1 AM Thursday for Northern Connecticut and Northwest Rhode Island for an additional 3-6″ of snow and up to one-quarter inch radial ice accretion. Snow will redevelop between 1-4 AM and become heavy at times and mix with or change to sleet and freezing rain by mid-morning severely impacting the morning commute. Mixeds precipitation will change back to light snow by evening before ending Wednesday Night. The weight of the snow/ice from this storm combined with previous storms could cause isolated pockets of tree and power line damage and isolated power outages..
..A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect through 1 AM Thursday for Central Rhode Island, Northern-Central Bristol and North-Central Plymouth Counties of Massachusetts for additional 2-4 inches of snow and one-tenth inch of icing. Snow will redevelop between 3-5 AM and become heavy during the morning commute and then change to freezing rain by mid-morning before a change to plain rain by early afternoon. The precipitation will change back to light snow Wednesday Night before ending. Isolated pockets of tree and wire damage cannot be ruled out from this event..
..A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect for South Coastal Masaschusetts and Rhode Island through 1 AM Thursday and a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect through 9 AM Wednesday for Cape Cod. Freezing Drizzle may occur at times overnight before changing over to a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain between 3 to 5 AM which will change to rain by mid to late morning and will change back to light snow Wednesday Night before ending. An additional coating to 2 inches of snow and a light coating of ice will occur in this area. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect through 5 AM for Freezing Rain/Freezing Drizzle before it changes over to rain Wednesday Morning. Isolated pockets of tree and wire damage cannot be ruled out from this event..
..SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will deactivate at 8 PM ET Tuesday Evening and will reactivate at 3 AM ET Wednesday Morning lasting through Wednesday Evening..
..Connecticut ARES will move to level-2 stand-by at 6 AM due to the impacts of this storm. Eastern Massachusetts ARES will go on stand-by at 6 AM ET Wednesday for storm impact as well. The Massachusetts State EOC will move to partial activation at 4 AM Wednesday February 2nd, 2011. ARES/RACES groups across Southern New England should closely monitor the progress of this major winter storm..

The first round of this storm dumped a widespread 4-8″ with isolated higher amounts away from Southeast New England where 2-5″ of snow occurred. Some sleet and freezing drizzle has put a crust of ice on top of the snow. Freezing drizzle will occur in the lighter precipitation through early Wednesday Morning before heavier precipitation moves in the region so caution is advised on travel overnight. Below is the NWS Taunton Public Information Statement and Local Storm Report on the first round of precipitation and damage from this major winter storm:

NWS Taunton Public Information Statement (Snow and Ice Reports):
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.nous41.KBOX.html

NWS Taunton Local Storm Report:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.nwus51.KBOX.html

For round two of this storm, the Storm Coordination Message headlines depict the current thinking. A significant amount of precipitation will occur over the region and more than what occurred on Tuesday. The main questions will be where does the snow/ice line sets up and what will be the predominant form of precipitation. This will have impacts on snow totals and potentially storm impact. If the snow is heavy and wet or ice glaze can form on trees and power lines, damage from the storm could increase. If its a lighter fluffy snow, the risk of damage will be considerably less though weakened infrastructure could still be affected by the storm causing isolated pockets of damage. This will be examined carefully throughout the duration of this second round of this major winter storm and the headlines of this message reflect current thinking. It will be dependent on how deep the cold air will be over the region and how much the cold air thins out and remains cold at the surface over the warning areas as this will affect whether the precipitation is snow, sleet, freezing rain or rain.

Spotter reports on snowfall/sleet accumulation, ice accretion and changeover in precipitation type will be very critical in this event and will be shared with other Non-Governmental agencies, local, regional and state emergency management, and the media. Any pictures or video uploaded on to youtube of the conditions or storm related damage will be extremely helpful. If they are sent along here via email, credit will be given to the spotter/Amateur Radio Operator who gave the info.

SKYWARN Activation with formal Ops at NWS Taunton ended at 730 PM this evening and will resume on 3 AM Wednesday lasting through Wednesday Evening. Connecticut and Eastern Massachusetts ARES are going to stand-by at 6 AM Wednesday. Other ARES/RACES groups around the area should monitor the progress of this major winter storm. This will be the last coordination message on this event. Below is the NWS Taunton Winter Storm Warning/Winter Weather Advisory statement, NWS Taunton snow total graphic and Hazardous Weather Outlook:

NWS Taunton Winter Storm Warning/Winter Weather Advisory Statement and snow total graphic:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus41.KBOX.html
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/StormTotalSnow/

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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Hello to all…

..Dangerous Major Severe Winter Storm/Blizzard to pound Southern New England with Heavy Snowfall and the potential for strong to damaging winds and blizzard to near blizzard conditions for the region..
..A Blizzard Warning is now in effect from 2 AM to 8 PM Wednesday for Eastern Essex, Southeast Middlesex, Suffolk, Eastern Norfolk, Southern Plymouth, Barnstable and Dukes Counties of Massachusetts for blizzard conditions and 12-16″ of snow with isolated higher amounts except for Eastern Barnstable and Dukes Counties where 4-8″ of snow will occur with isolated higher amounts. Sustained winds of 20-30 MPH with gusts up to 45-55 MPH are possible except for Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard where sustained winds of 30-40 MPH with gusts to 65 MPH are possible. The winds and heavy snow will cause blizzard conditions for the region and the potential for pockets of tree and wire damage in this region..
..A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from Midnight tonight through 8 PM Wednesday for Southern Bristol County Massachusetts, Newport County Rhode Island and Block Island Rhode Island for 8-12″ of snow with isolated higher amounts. Winds of 10-20 MPH with gusts to 35 MPH are expected in this area with the potential near blizzard conditions at times. The winds and heavy snow will cause blizzard conditions for the region and the potential for pockets of tree and wire damage in this region..
..A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from Midnight to 8 PM Wednesday for the remainder of the NWS Taunton County Warning Area except for Nantucket Island for 12-16″ of snow with isolated higher amounts with the potential for near blizzard conditions at times. Winds of 10-20 MPH with gusts to 35 MPH are expected in this area..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Nantucket Island from 2 AM to 10 PM Wednesday for 2-4″ of snow before the changeover to rain. A High Wind Warning is also in effect for
Nantucket Island from 2 AM to 7 PM Wednesday for sustained winds of 30-40 MPH with gusts to 65 MPH. This area could see pockets of tree and wire damage due to the strong winds..
..Coastal flooding is not expected due to low astronomical high tides, however, some minor splashover on the most vulnerable shore roads and beach erosion are possible on north and east facing coastal areas of Eastern Massachusetts..
..SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will commence at 3 AM Wednesday..
..ARES/RACES groups should closely monitor the progress of this system. Winds are still expected to be less than the previous 12/26-12/27/10 major nor’easter/blizzard but with near blizzard to blizzard conditions now more likely in portions of the NWS Taunton County Warning Area, ARES/RACES groups should seek advice from local/regional ARES/RACES leadership. Eastern Massachusetts ARES will be placed on stand-by for Wednesday into early Thursday Morning for this major nor’easter blizzard event..
..Massachusetts State EOC and Massachusetts Emergency Management Regional offices will be in a partial activation mode for this major storm..

Model solutions are in very strong agreement on a powerful major nor’easter with near blizzard to blizzard conditions now becoming more likely over portions of the NWS Taunton County Warning area. The headlines of this coordination message cover the pertinent impacts to the region from this system. The storm impact in terms of wind will be less over areas hard hit by the 12/26-/12/27/10 event but it will be a contributing factor to severe winter/near blizzard to blizzard conditions for the region. The snow rates and accumulation will rival the 12/26-12/27/10 blizzard in Eastern New England and should exceed that event in Central and Western New England.

In an attempt to increase participation further, SKYWARN Coordinators from the region are working on call-up planning on local SKYWARN area repeaters. This will allow Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters to plan snow removal activities and other personal items around gathering data for the SKYWARN Nets. It is noted that the schedule for these nets could change on the fly depending on how the storm situation evolves. Here is some of the information gathered to date from area SKYWARN Coordinators:

Hartford-Tolland County SKYWARN Net – 146.790 PL: 82.5 information provided by Roger Jeanfaiver-K1PAI, Hartford-Tolland County SKYWARN Coordinator:
Call-up Nets planned at 530 AM 730 AM, 930 AM, 1130 AM and will be evaluated in the afternoon pending storm developments

Windham County CT SKYWARN Net – 147.225-Killingly CT Repeater PL: 156.7 Hz information provided by Bernie Dubb-KB1DGY, Windham County SKYWARN Coordinator:
Windham County Skywarn will be conducting nets tomorrow (Wed 1/12) at 9:00 A.M., 11:00 A.M., 1 P.M., 3 P.M., 5 P.M. and immediately after the ARES 4N net at 8:00 P.M. on 147.225 / PL 156.7. This schedule may be adjusted as indicated.

Rhode Island SKYWARN Net – 146.700-Cranston, RI Repeater (The 146.760-Scituate RI repeater is having issues currently) from N1JMA-Martin Mendelson, K1OCD-Adam Hobgood and KB1G-Bill Boyes, RI SKYWARN Coordinators:
Hourly call-up nets from 5 AM to Noon. Assessment on the net schedule will be done at noon time based on storm events.

The New England reflector system, Echolink *NEW-ENG* Node: 9123/IRLP 9123 will be active and always monitored by NWS Taunton looking for SKYWARN reportable criteria snowfall and storm related damage reports. If additional coordinators report timeframes for their nets between now and Midnight Wednesday, the coordination message will be updated with that information. After Midnight, we will be in storm operations mode and there won’t be time to update the message.

SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will commence at 3 AM Wednesday. ARES/RACES groups should closely monitor the progress of this system. Winds are still expected to be less than the previous 12/26-12/27/10 major nor’easter/blizzard but with near blizzard to blizzard conditions now more likely in portions of the NWS Taunton County Warning Area, ARES/RACES groups should seek advice from local/regional ARES/RACES leadership. Eastern Massachusetts ARES will be placed on stand-by for Wednesday into early Thursday Morning for this major nor’easter blizzard event. The Massachusetts State EOC and Massachusetts Emergency Management Regional offices will be in a partial activation mode for this major storm. There maybe one more coordination message updating the status of the SKYWARN Net call-ups over other parts of the region if further info is received prior to midnight Wednesday.

As has been the case in other major storm incidents, precision in reporting is critical and the large amount of reporting is helpful. The data is utilized not only by the National Weather Service but also local, state and federal emergency management, media, American Red Cross and Salvation Army in damage assessment scenarios. All reporting during this event per the SKYWARN reporting criteria will be greatly appreciated. Below is the NWS Taunton Blizzard/Winter Storm Warning/Winter Weather Advisory Statement, High Wind Warning Statement, Snowfall prediction map and Hazardous Weather Outlook:

NWS Taunton Blizzard/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 Snowfall Prediction Map:
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/StormTotalSnow/

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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Hello to all..

SKYWARN Newsletter #269 is now available in the SKYWARN Newsletter archive off the main menu of the web site.

Regards,

Rob Macedo (KD1CY)

ARES SKYWARN Coordinator for NWS Taunton Massachusetts

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Hello to all..

The following is a post storm report on the major nor’easter that affected the NWS Taunton County Warning Area on Sunday December 26th into Monday December 27th, 2010. This major nor’easter event followed a storm system that occurred on Monday December 20th, 2010 that caused a significant snowfall on Cape Cod and the Islands with a light to moderate snowfall in other parts of East Coastal Massachusetts. The December 20th storm system was not handled well by computer weather models and led to lower forecaster confidence as the major nor’easter of Sunday December 26th into Monday December 27th, 2010 became a significant threat. Computer weather models with the 12/26-12/7/10 storm performed markedly better in resolving the storm solution up to 6 days ahead of time despite briefly ‘losing’ the major storm solution in the 72-96 hour time range which has been a typical phenomenon over the past several years. Higher forecaster confidence within 48 hours of the event resulted in Winter Storm Watches for much of the NWS Taunton County Warning Area with Blizzard and Winter Storm Warnings issued for the region. Coastal Flood Watches were issued for East Coastal Massachusetts and were later upgraded to Coastal Flood Warnings. High Wind Warnings were issued over Cape Cod and the Islands where after a period of snow, the precipitation changed to rain. The most significant snow accumulations occurred near the Cape Cod Canal from West Barnstable to Sandwich Massachusetts.

WX1BOX, Amateur Radio SKYWARN Operations, commenced at Noon Sunday and were reduced to a self-activation mode by Noon Monday and completely secured by 5 PM Monday Afternoon. Eastern Massachusetts ARES was placed on stand-by for a similar timeframe. The major nor’easter produced a 10-18″ snowfall across portions of Rhode Island and Eastern Massachusetts away from the immediate coast. Amounts of 5-10″ were recorded over South and East Coastal Massachusetts and other parts of Rhode Island. Amounts of 6-12″ with isolated higher amounts were recorded across Northern Connecticut, Western and Central Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire though lower amounts of 3-6″ were observed in valley/shadowed locations. Amounts in northwest portions of the region were a bit lower than anticipated due to a dry slot that formed over portions of this area. This typically happens in intense nor’easters and are difficult to predict prior to the storm’s impact. East of Sandwich and Barnstable through Nantucket Island, snowfall of a coating to 2-3″ occurred in this area before the changeover to rain. The snow was very difficult to measure across the entire County Warning Area as this major nor’easter produced very strong winds. Even well inland, wind gusts of 45-60 MPH were recorded. Near the coast, wind gusts in the 55-70 MPH range occurred with isolated wind gusts to hurricane force recorded. N2NDY-Dale reported a 79 MPH measured wind gust in the Humarock section of Scituate, an 80 MPH measured wind gust was recorded in Wellfleet, Massachusetts and a 79 MPH measured wind gust was recorded in Orleans, Massachusetts. Another weather station in Scituate, Massachusetts on Humarock beach recorded a wind gust to 95 MPH coincident with the measured wind gust recorded at Dale’s location. That second station data in Scituate is currently under review. Many other wind gusts 58 MPH or greater (or severe wind criteria) were recorded. Moderate to major coastal flooding was recorded over much of East Coastal Massachusetts. Hardest hit were areas of Hull and Scituate along with portions of Gloucester and Rockport. Amateur Radio reports from the Gloucester EOC were given by Amateurs from the Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association (CAARA). KB1EKN-Mark Duff, who is also the Hingham Fire Chief, gave numerous reports out of the Scituate, Hull, Hingham area of coastal flooding. The vulnerable portions of Morissey Boulevard in Boston were also impacted by coastal flooding as well as portions of Lynn, Salem, Winthrop and Revere. Amateur Radio reports were forwarded from the 145.47-Danvers North Shore Amateur Radio Association (NSRA) Repeater, 145.23-Boston, 145.25-Norwell and 145.13-Gloucester Repeaters. Cape Cod ARES/SKYWARN held call-ups every hour relaying reports of wind damage, coastal flooding and changeover in precipitation. Nets were held on the 147.375-Falmouth and 146.955-Barnstable Repeaters.

The New England Echolink/IRLP (Internet Radio Linking Project) Reflector System (http://new-eng.com) *NEW-ENG* Echolink conference node: 9123/IRLP 9123 was also utilized during this major nor’easter. Liaisons from other SKYWARN Nets provided reports via this system as well as direct reports from Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters were also received via this system. SKYWARN Nets in Connecticut with Windham County and Hartford-Tolland County SKYWARN came up several times during the nor’easter to relay damage and snowfall reports through the efforts of Windham County SKYWARN Coordinator KB1DGY-Bernie Dubb and Hartford-Tolland County SKYWARN Coordinator Roger Jeanfaivre-K1PAI, Hartford-Tolland County SKYWARN. Eric Tuller-N1QKO, Western Massachusetts Assistant SKYWARN Coordinator and Ray Weber-KA1JJM, Western Massachusetts SKYWARN Coordinator provided reports from their area and relayed the Hartford-Tolland County Connecticut SKYWARN reports to WX1BOX due to high report volume on the impacts of the storm from all parts of the County Warning Area. Jim Blaine-WD4JZO relayed reports of damage and snowfall from Hillsborough County NH ARES/SKYWARN as well.

At the height of the storm, 55,000 were without power in the state of Massachusetts. This due to the damaging winds and in some cases damaging winds in combination with wet snowfall over the region. The coastal flooding was some of the worst seen over portions of the area in the past 15-20 years but was considered below the impacts of the ‘No-Name/Perfect Storm’ of 1991 and December 1992 storms that affected this region. Damage assessment work by the Red Cross is still ongoing over the coastal areas.

Massachusetts Emergency Management (MEMA)/Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES) was active at the State Emergency Operations Center in Framingham Massachusetts, Region 1 Tewksbury, Region 2 Bridgewater, Region 3 Agawam offices with the Worcester city EOC active supporting the city and MEMA operations. A State of Emergency was declared in Massachusetts at approximately 1215 PM Sunday December 26th and was lifted on Tuesday December 28th. MEMA/RACES supported additional data and report gathering for use by MEMA in assessing the storm impact and for NWS Taunton to reassess and change their forecasts for the region as needed. The Region offices were active through Monday afternoon with the State EOC securing operations at 5 PM Monday December 27th. Massachusetts State RACES Radio Officer, Tom Kinahan, N1CPE, Region 1 RACES Radio Officer, Terry Stader-KA8SCP, Region 2 RACES Radio Officer, Bob Mims-WA1OEZ and Region 3 RACES Radio Officer, Steve Rodowicz-N1SR supported Amateur Radio Operations at these locations with several additional Amateur Radio Operators. N2YHK-John Ruggiero, WK1H-Gil Hayes and the Worcester Emergency Communications Team affiliated with Western Massachusetts ARES assured staffing at the Worcester city EOC for local city and state MEMA operations. In New Hampshire, their State EOC upgraded to a level-3 activation during the storm at approximately 630 PM Sunday December 26th as reported by Dave Colter-WA1ZCN, New Hampshire Assistant SEC for Operations and was then returned to a level-1 normal operations mode at 300 PM Monday December 27th as the predominant impact in New Hampshire was heavy snowfall and damage from wind was minimal resulting in only a few small power outages. In Connecticut, a level-2 stand-by of ARES occurred and the Connecticut ARES SEC Net was activated at 8 PM on the KB1AEV Connecticut Linked Repeater system. The Connecticut DEMHS Emergency Operations Center was staffed during the height of the major nor’easter and the Connecticut National Guard placed on stand-by as reported by Steve Williams-K1SJW-Connecticut State SKYWARN Coordinator.

The data gathered by Amateur Radio Operator SKYWARN Spotters and non-Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters were utilized not just by NWS for their forecasts but by the American Red Cross and local/state/federal emergency management to assess the storm response and recover in near real-time. This is particularly helpful to create a high level of situational awareness and assists greatly in damage assessment done in the recovery phase of a storm scenario. The data availability was very useful and appreciated by all agencies.

Below is the pertinent NWS Taunton Local Storm Reports and Public Information Statements summarizing the major nor’easter impact on the region. The links to the data appear below:

NWS Taunton Local Storm Report Summaries:
http://beta.wx1box.org/local/lsr_12_27_10_2.txt
http://beta.wx1box.org/local/lsr_12_27_10.txt

NWS Taunton Public Information Statement Storm Summaries:
http://beta.wx1box.org/local/pns_blizzard_12_27_10.txt
http://beta.wx1box.org/local/pns_blizzard_12_27_10_2.txt

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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Hello to all…

..Major Winter Storm/Blizzard to Pound Southern New England. All travel and preparations for this dangerous severe winter storm should be completed no later than 3 PM ET..
..A Blizzard Warning remains in effect from Noon Sunday through 6 PM Monday for Southern Worcester County Massachusetts, Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island except for Cape Cod and the Islands for 12-20″ of snow likely with isolated 24″ amounts possible in the northern and western parts of the Blizzard Warning area. Blizzard conditions with near zero visibility and strong winds sustained at 30-40 MPH with gusts up to 60 MPH and possibly even higher gusts possible in the Blizzard Warning area. Pockets of tree and wire damage and power outages will likely occur. It is noted that parts of the Southeast Massachusetts could see amounts closer to or a bit less than 12″ if enough mixing with sleet and rain occurs in this area and may not see blizzard conditions but they still could see a high impact due to damaging wind potential and heavy wet snow..
..A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from Noon Sunday through 6 PM Monday for 12-18″ of snow and considerable blowing and drifting snow with reduced visibilities for Northern Connecticut, Western and North Central Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. Near Blizzard conditions with sustained winds of 25-30 MPH with gusts up to 45 MPH possible with some higher elevation locations gusting as high as 50 MPH probable..
..The Winter Storm Watch for Cape Cod and the Islands is canceled. In this area, 1-4″ of snow will occur but the precipitation is now predominately expected to be rain which will hold down snowfall amounts significantly but strong to damaging winds are likely in this area..
..A High Wind Warning is in effect for Cape Cod and the Islands for sustained winds 30-40 MPH with gusts to 60 MPH and the potential for even higher wind gusts. This will result in pockets of tree and power line damage..
..A Coastal Flood Watch is in effect from Late Sunday Night to Monday Afternoon for East Coastal Massachusetts, Cape Cod and Nantucket Island. A widespread moderate coastal flood event is likely in this area with isolated pockets of major coastal flooding possible for the early Monday Morning high tide between 3-4 AM. A more minor coastal flood event is possible with the Monday afternoon high tide. The Coastal Flood Watch will likely be upgraded to a Coastal Flood Warning later today..
..SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will commence at 3 PM Sunday Afternoon with Ops lasting through the overnight period well into the day on Monday Afternoon. ARES/RACES Groups should seek guidance from their local leadership on this potentially dangerous severe winter storm situation. Eastern Massachusetts ARES has been placed on stand-by for this situation starting at 5 PM Sunday Afternoon through Monday Evening. Massachusetts State EOC and Regional Offices are activating Sunday at 4 PM through Monday Afternoon at 4 PM..

Multi-model agreement and a high confidence forecast now for a major nor’easter winter storm/blizzard for much of Eastern Massachusetts north and west of the Cape Cod Canal, Rhode Island and Southern Worcester County Massachusetts. A Blizzard Warning remains in effect for this region from Sunday at Noon time through 6 PM Monday Evening. Total Snowfall of 15-20″ with isolated amounts of 24″ are likely in the Blizzard Warning area. In addition, damaging winds of 30-40 MPH with gusts to 60 MPH and isolated higher gusts are likely. The combination of snow and wind will create dangerous travel conditions of zero visibilities and the potential for tree and power line damage and power outages in this region.

It is noted that across portions of Bristol and Plymouth County that there is a chance of more mixing with sleet and rain but not until after a significant snowfall occurs. The snow could also be heavy and wet and combined with strong winds could result and tree and power line damage and power outages. The Blizzard Warning may be reduced to a Winter Storm Warning for parts or all of these counties but even with that reduction in the warning status, a significant impact from the storm is still likely.

A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect for Southern New Hampshire, North-Central and Western Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut from Noon Sunday to 6 PM Monday. In this area, 12-18″ of snow is expected with sustained winds of 25-30 MPH with gusts 45 MPH and gusts up to 50 MPH in the higher elevations. This will create a period of near-blizzard conditions in this region with the possibility of isolated pockets of tree and power line damage.

A High Wind Warning is in effect from Noon Sunday to 6 PM Monday for all of Cape Cod and the Islands and the Winter Storm Watch for Barnstable and Dukes Counties of Massachusetts as well as Block Island Rhode Island has been canceled. Snowfall in this area now only appears to be on the order of 1-4″ of snow with a changeover to rain. That said, the wind and coastal flood impacts in this area are of significant concern.Damaging Winds are likely in this area with a High Wind Warning in effect for sustained winds of 30-40 MPH with gusts to 60 MPH and even higher gusts possible. This will likely cause pockets of tree and power line damage and power outages.

A Coastal Flood Watch is in effect from late Sunday Night through Monday Afternoon for East Coastal Massachusetts, Cape Cod and Nantucket Island. The high tide cycle at 3-4 AM ET will be the most problematic high tide with the potential for widespread moderate to isolated pockets of severe coastal flooding across north and east facing beach exposures. This situation will need to be monitored very closely. An upgrade to a Coastal Flood Warning is likely for the Monday Morning high tide. For the Monday Afternoon high tide cycle, some coastal flooding is possible but due to a change in wind direction to an offshore wind, coastal flood impacts will be less during that high tide cycle.

This has the potential to be a significant multi-faceted and dangerous severe winter weather event. All SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators are urged to monitor local SKYWARN Frequencies, the Echolink/IRLP New Enlgand Reflector system and HF frequencies during this major winter storm/blizzard situation and provide reports per the SKYWARN reporting criteria while being safe doing so. Best practice precision in reporting will be helpful as this information will be utilized by NWS Taunton forecasters for updating their forecasts and by local, state, and federal emergency management to get a near real-time feel for the conditions and damage the major winter storm/blizzard is bringing to the region. The WX1BOX Twitter account and both of my email addresses that send to the SKYWARN list will be monitored throughout the entire event. Storm damage and pictures of the major winter storm snow event are welcome to be sent to both email addresses for dissemination of info to NWS, Media and Emergency Management officials. Credit will be given to the Amateur Operator or SKYWARN Spotter who provided the pictures.

SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will commence no later than 3 PM Sunday Afternoon. ARES/RACES groups should closely monitor the storm situation and seek advice from local/regional ARES/RACES leadership on the situation. This is the last coordination message as we now go into operations mode. Below is the NWS Taunton Blizzard/Winter Storm Warning/Winter Storm Watch Statement, Coastal Flood Watch Statement, High Wind Warning Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook and NWS Taunton Winter Storm Preparedness Public Information Statement:

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

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

NWS Taunton Public Information Statement – Winter Storm Preparedness:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.nous41.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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Hello to all…

..Major Winter Storm/Blizzard to Pound Southern New England. Tonight through Sunday Morning is the time to prepare for this major winter weather event. All travel and preparations for this dangerous severe winter storm should be completed no later than 4 or 5 PM ET..
..A Blizzard Warning is in effect from Noon Sunday through 6 PM Monday for Southern Worcester County Massachusetts, Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island except for Cape Cod and the Islands for 15-20″ of snow likely with isolated 24″ amounts possible. Blizzard conditions with near zero visibility and strong winds sustained at 30-40 MPH with gusts up to 60 MPH and possibly even higher gusts possible in the Blizzard Warning area. Pockets of tree and wire damage and power outages will likely occur..
..A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from Noon Sunday through 6 PM Monday for 12-18″ of snow and considerable blowing and drifting snow with reduced visibilities for Northern Connecticut, Western and North Central Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. Near Blizzard conditions with sustained winds of 25-30 MPH with gusts up to 45 MPH possible with some higher elevation locations gusting as high as 50 MPH probable..
..A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for Barnstable and Dukes Counties Massachusetts and Block Island Rhode Island from Sunday Afternoon through Monday Afternoon for the potential of 6″ or more of snow. In this area, the snowfall potential is not as certain as portions or all of this area could mix with or change to rain for a time holding down snow amounts and rain could be falling as the strongest winds approach this region..
..A High Wind Warning is in effect for Block Island and Nantucket Island for sustained winds 30-40 MPH with gusts to 60 MPH and the potential for even higher wind gusts..
..A Coastal Flood Watch is in effect from Late Sunday Night to Monday Afternoon for East Coastal Massachusetts, Cape Cod and Nantucket Island. A widespread moderate coastal flood event is likely in this area with isolated pockets of major coastal flooding possible for the early Monday Morning high tide between 3-4 AM. A more minor coastal flood event is possible with the Monday afternoon high tide..
..SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will commence at 3 PM Sunday Afternoon with Ops lasting through the overnight period well into the day on Monday Afternoon. ARES/RACES Groups should seek guidance from their local leadership on this potentially dangerous severe winter storm situation..

Multi-model agreement and a high confidence forecast now for a major nor’easter winter storm/blizzard for much of Eastern Massachusetts north and west of the Cape Cod Canal, Rhode Island and Southern Worcester County Massachusetts. A Blizzard Warning is in effect for this region from Sunday at Noon time through 6 PM Monday Evening. Total Snowfall of 15-20″ with isolated amounts of 24″ are likely in the Blizzard Warning area. In addition, damaging winds of 30-40 MPH with gusts to 60 MPH and isolated higher gusts are likely. The combination of snow and wind will create dangerous travel conditions of zero visibilities and the potential for tree and power line damage and power outages in this region.

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for Southern New Hampshire, North-Central and Western Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut from Noon Sunday to 6 PM Monday. In this area, 12-18″ of snow is expected with sustained winds of 25-30 MPH with gusts 45 MPH and gusts up to 50 MPH in the higher elevations. This will create a period of near-blizzard conditions in this region with the possibility of isolated pockets of tree and power line damage.

A High Wind Warning is in effect from Noon Sunday to 6 PM Monday for all of Cape Cod and the Islands and a Winter Storm Watch is in effect for Barnstable and Dukes Counties of Massachusetts as well as Block Island Rhode Island. Across the Winter Storm Watch area, there is a concern for rain mixing in with the snow in this region and the chances of 6″ or more of snow is lower in this area so a Winter Storm Watch is in effect to cover the winter storm threat. Damaging Winds are likely in this area with a High Wind Warning in effect for sustained winds of 30-40 MPH with gusts to 60 MPH. This will likely cause pockets of tree and power line damage and power outages. Across Nantucket Island, a few inches of snow will occur before a changeover to rain along with the strong to damaging wind potential. A slightly further east track could result in warning snowfall amounts in the Winter Storm Watch area and potential for heavier snows on Nantucket Island.

A Coastal Flood Watch is in effect from late Sunday Night through Monday Afternoon for East Coastal Massachusetts, Cape Cod and Nantucket Island. The high tide cycle at 3-4 AM ET will be the most problematic high tide with the potential for widespread moderate to isolated pockets of severe coastal flooding across north and east facing beach exposures. This situation will need to be monitored very closely. For the Monday Afternoon high tide cycle, some coastal flooding is possible but due to a change in wind direction to an offshore wind, coastal flood impacts will be less during that high tide cycle.

This has the potential to be a significant multi-faceted and dangerous severe winter weather event. All SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators are urged to monitor local SKYWARN Frequencies, the Echolink/IRLP New Enlgand Reflector system and HF frequencies during this major winter storm/blizzard situation and provide reports per the SKYWARN reporting criteria while being safe doing so. Best practice precision in reporting will be helpful as this information will be utilized by NWS Taunton forecasters for updating their forecasts and by local, state, and federal emergency management to get a near real-time feel for the conditions and damage the major winter storm/blizzard is bringing to the region.

SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will commence no later than 3 PM Sunday Afternoon. ARES/RACES groups should closely monitor the storm situation and seek advice from local/regional ARES/RACES leadership on the situation. The next coordination message will be issued by Noon Sunday and will likely be the last message before going into operations mode. Below is the NWS Taunton Blizzard/Winter Storm Warning/Winter Storm Watch Statement, Coastal Flood Watch Statement, High Wind Warning Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook and NWS Taunton Winter Storm Preparedness Public Information Statement:

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

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

NWS Taunton Public Information Statement – Winter Storm Preparedness:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.nous41.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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**UPDATE TO FIRST PARAGRAPH ON CANCELLATION OF SPECIAL EVENT STATION AT
THE SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND WEATHER CONFERENCE. REMAINDER IS UNCHANGED**

The National Weather Service in Taunton Amateur Radio Station, WX1BOX,
will once again be active for SKYWARN Recognition Day 2010. In addition,
for the fourth straight year, the National Weather Service Gray, Maine
Office will also be active under call-sign, WX1GYX. The Boston Amateur
Radio Club will also be active as they have been over the past several
years at the NWS Blue Hill Observatory under call-sign W1BOS/MQE from
9 AM-3 PM Saturday December 4th, 2010. Due to equipment logistical issues at
the site of the Southern New England Weather Conference, the special
event station at the Southern New England Weather Conference, which will be
on  the same day as SRD, sponsored by the Worcester Emergency Communications
Team (WECT) will not be done at the site of the conference. Instead, WECT
will support SRD from their EOC in Worcester, Massachusetts.

This will be the 12th year of SKYWARN Recognition Day and its
anticipated that over 100 NWS Forecast Offices will be participating once
again this year. This event was featured on page 62 of the December 2010
Issue of QST Magazine and web links to information on SKYWARN Recognition Day
can be seen at the following links:

http://hamradio.noaa.gov
http://www.arrl.org/news/skywarn-recognition-day-set-for-december-4

The following is a schedule of repeaters that will be
utilized along with simplex being utilized during certain timeframes
on Saturday at WX1BOX. We hope Amateurs will utilize this schedule and try and
work WX1BOX during these various timeframes. If you don’t hear NWS,
feel free to call for WX1BOX and if the office is monitoring, a
response will be given. When you make contact, give your current
sky condition and temperature as required. Below is the tentative
schedule of operations:

Friday December 3rd, 2010:
7:00-7:30 PM:    146.970-Paxton Repeater (PL: 114.8 Hz)
7:30-8:00 PM:    147.180-Bridgewater Repeater (PL: 67.0 Hz)
8:00-8:30 PM:    145.490-Fairhaven Repeater (PL: 67.0 Hz)
8:30-9:00 PM:    146.955-Westford Repeater (PL: 74.4 Hz)
9:00-9:30 PM:    146.79-Vernon, CT Repeater (PL: 82.5 Hz) (linked via IRLP.)
9:30-10:00 PM:   147.225-Killingly, CT Repeater (PL: 156.7 Hz)
10:00-10:30 PM:  146.760-Scituate, RI or 145.370-Coventry RI Repeater PL: 67.0 Hz
10:30-11:00 PM:  145.470-Danvers Repeater (PL: 136.5 Hz)
11:00-11:30 PM:  146.955-Barnstable PL: 88.5 or 147.375-Falmouth Repeater PL: 110.9
11:30 PM-12:00 AM: 146.640-Waltham Repeater

**Will Attempt to monitor both the New England Network and the
*WX-TALK*/IRLP Reflector 9219 systems during this entire timeframe.

**It is possible we may switch off to different repeaters or simplex
during time slots if we run out of contacts.

Saturday December 4th, 2010:
7:00-8:30 AM:   146.595 Simplex
8:30-9:00 AM:   Litchfield County Linked System via KB1AEV repeater system
9:00-9:30 AM:   145.230-Boston Repeater (PL: 88.5 Hz)
9:30-10:00 AM:  146.640-Waltham Repeater
10:00-10:30 AM: 146.895-Walpole Repeater (PL: 123.0 Hz)
10:30-11:00 AM: 147.225-Killingly, CT Repeater (PL: 156.7 Hz)
11:00-11:30 AM: 145.470-Danvers Repeater (PL: 136.5 Hz)
11:30 AM-Noon:  146.79-Vernon, CT Repeater (Linked via IRLP.)
Noon-1:00 PM:   146.595 Simplex
1:00-1:30 PM: 146.685-Plymouth Repeater (PL: 82.5 Hz)
1:30-2:00 PM: 145.130-Gloucester Repeater (PL: 107.2 Hz)
2:00-2:30 PM:   146.955-Barnstable (PL: 88.5) or 147.375-Falmouth Repeater (PL: 110.9)
2:30-3:00 PM:   146.955-Westford Repeater (PL: 74.4)
3:00-3:30 PM:   146.970-Paxton Repeater (PL: 114.8)
3:30-4:00 PM:   147.165-Exeter, RI Repeater (PL: 67.0)
4:00-4:30 PM:   146.760-Scituate, RI or 145.37-Coventry, RI Repeater (PL: 67.0)
4:30-5:00 PM:   145.490-Fairhaven Repeater (PL: 67.0)
5:00-5:30 PM:   147.180-Bridgewater Repeater (PL: 67.0)
5:30-6:00 PM:   449.375-Pack Monadnock, NH Repeater (PL: 88.5 Hz)
6:00-6:30 PM:   146.895-Walpole Repeater (PL: 123.0)
6:30-7:00 PM:   147.000-Dartmouth Repeater (PL: 67.0)

**Will Attempt to monitor both the New England Network and the
*WX-TALK*/IRLP Reflector 9219 systems during this entire timeframe.

**It is possible we may switch off to different repeaters or simplex
during time slots if we run out of contacts.

The following is information EchoLink/IRLP operations during SKYWARN
Recognition Day. Further updates to follow as we get closer to the
event:

Time in UTC NWS Office Call-Sign
0000-0100: WX0GLD (Confirmed to Keep Time Slot)
0100-0200: WX1GYX (Confirmed to Keep Time Slot)
0200-0300: WX4MLB (Confirmed to Keep Time Slot)
0300-0400: W0ABR  (Confirmed to Keep Time Slot)
0400-0500: WX1BOX (Confirmed to keep the time slot but can swap if needed) 
0500-0600: WX9GRB (Confirmed to Keep Time Slot)
0600-0700: WX4HUN (Confirmed to Keep Time Slot)
0700-0800: N0NWS  (Confirmed to Keep Time Slot)
0800-0900: KL7FWX (New NWS Office in Fairbanks Alaska. Will Show Up on Echolink as KL2GS)
0900-1000: KL7FWX (New NWS Office in Fairbanks Alaska. Will Show Up on Echolink as KL2GS)
1000-1100: KL7FWX (New NWS Office in Fairbanks Alaska. Will Show Up on Echolink as KL2GS)
1100-1200: WX7PHX (Confirmed to Keep Time Slot)
1200-1300: W7NWS  (Confirmed to Keep Time Slot)
1300-1400: KL7FWX (New NWS Office in Fairbanks Alaska. Will Show Up on Echolink as KL2GS) 
1400-1500: WX4HUN (Confirmed to Keep Time Slot)
1500-1600: WX1BOX (Confirmed to keep the time slot but can swap if needed)
1600-1800: WX4NC  (Confirmed to keep the time slot, 2 hour time slot and time slot is from last year)
1800-1900: WX6MTR (Confirmed to Keep Time Slot)
1900-2000: K0MPX  (Confirmed to Keep Time Slot)
2000-2100: WX4MLB (Confirmed to keep Time Slot)
2100-2300: WX4NHC (Confirmed to keep Time Slot)
2300-2400: Open

There will be other conference systems utilized for SKYWARN Recognition Day.
They are as follows:

The New England Reflector Gateway System will be utilized by the NWS Taunton, Mass.
and NWS Gray, Maine offices from 0000-0500 UTC and 1200-2400 UTC. The New
England Gateway system is on EchoLink Conference server *NEW-ENG* Node:
9123, IRLP reflector 9123. If other NWS offices would like to join the
system, they are welcome to do so and participants in SKYWARN Recognition
Day can also use that system to make contact with various NWS offices.

Also, the Western Reflector will be having NWS offices calling CQ as in
past years on reflector 9250 and have its gateway system on
IRLP 9258/EchoLink Conference *NV-GATE* Node: 125266 open for NWS offices.
Please contact Kent-W7AOR for additional information on the Western
Reflector.

A few technical reminders for folks interested in making contacts with the
NWS Forecast Offices on the *WX-TALK* Node: 7203/IRLP 9219 and New England
Reflector Gateway IRLP 9123/*NEW-ENG* Echolink Node: 9123 systems:

-The system allows both EchoLink and IRLP connections. For EchoLink users,
you connect to the *WX-TALK* Node: 7203 conference system. For IRLP users,
you would connect to IRLP reflector 9219.

-If you are using EchoLink, the RF node or PC that you’re using must have
EchoLink conferencing disabled. If it is not disabled, the system will
automatically kick the node or PC off of the system.

The reason this occurs is to prevent unintentional interference from a
conferencing station that may not know the node is connected somewhere else.
This will keep traffic moving on the net and reduce interference
considerably.

For more information on VoIP Technical Configuration Tips, please go to our
web site at http://www.voipwx.net where we have a link to that information
on the main menu of the web site. This announcement will also be on the web
site.

We are looking forward to another fun SKYWARN Recognition Day on the
*WX-TALK* Node: 7203/IRLP reflector 9219 system, New England Reflector
Gateway system and Western Reflector system. Thanks to all for there
support!

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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