SKYWARN award

WX1BOX and NWS Taunton Ham Operations Receives Award for Excellence

SKYWARN awardMembers of the Taunton SKYWARN ARC Team received an Excellence Award from the meteorologists at the Taunton National Weather Service office on November 15, 2008. The award was presented to the group by NWS Taunton forecasters Bob Thompson, Glenn Field, Bill Babcock and Eleanor Vallier-Talbot.

“Today was a special meeting,” remarked ARES SKYWARN Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY. “I wasn’t expecting the trophy that’s sitting on top of the power supply here at the station. I was surprised. Very well done, I must say.”

An article on the excellence award was posted on both the Eastern Massachusetts ARRL Section Page as well as the National ARRL web page/ARRL Letter and the WBZ Weather Blog. The complete national article which included the fact that strong to damaging winds occurred later that day after the award presentation and SKYWARN Meeting as well as the WBZ Weather Blog article appears below:

ARRL Web Page National Article

WBZ Weather Blog Article on WX1BOX award

The award meant even more to the amateur radio team since it was funded not by NOAA but rather, by the forecasters at the station who paid for it out of their own pockets. WX1BOX team

The award reads: “Presented to NWS-TAUNTON AMATEUR RADIO TEAM / WX1BOX With Sincere appreciation for your long-standing commitment to the National Weather Service and the people of southern New England… and with particular recognition for your tireless support during the unusual 2008 severe weather season. This award belongs to all of our Amateur Radio SKYWARN Coordinators, Net Control Operators, Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters and non-Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters who relay reports based on the SKYWARN Criteria to the NWS Taunton office.

Given the historic severe weather season of 2008 and the amount of severe weather received, it was a great effort on the part of everyone to provide all the critical reports as they have done so for many years now for past significant weather events. NOAA / NWS – Taunton November 2008″

photos courtesy Bill Ricker, N1VUX

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National Weather Service to Be a Category on 11/26/08 Jeopardy! Program

Hello to all….

Warning Coordination Meteorologist, Glenn Field-KB1GHX, requested that I make SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators aware of the fact that the National Weather Service will be featured as a category on the show ‘Jeopardy!’

Please see announcement below:

From:
Curtis D. Carey
Communications Director, NOAA National Weather Service

Date:
Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Subject Line:
National Weather Service on /Jeopardy!/

Clue: Rain or shine, /Jeopardy!/ host Alex Trebek will introduce a new category featuring this federal agency on Wednesday, November 26.

Answer: What is the National Weather Service?

If you’re a fan of the TV game show /Jeopardy!/, you will want to watch on Wednesday, November 26, for the debut of a new category: The National Weather Service. Jeopardy! producers worked with staff in the Upton, NY, Weather Forecast Office to develop clues and answers. Jeopardy! also shot weather forecasting scenes there and collected radar and other images to be used in video clues.

Check your local listings for air time.

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Pager #: (508) 354-3142
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://beta.wx1box.org
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Additional SKYWARN Training Class Announced for Hillsborough County NH

Hello to all….

The following announcement was created by Scott Reynolds-KC2JCB, Hillsborough County NH SKYWARN Coordinator and Meteorologist-In-Charge of CWSU in Nashua, NH and this additional training site has been posted on the SKYWARN Training Schedule link off the main menu of the web site:

Hillsborough County ARES will hold a SKYWARN Training Class on Wednesday June 18th, from 700-930 pm, at the Salvation Army Annex, 1 Montgomery Avenue, Nashua, NH 03060. Directions are given below, and will also be posted on the HC ARES website soon (http://www.hcnh-ares.org/). This class will serve as the June monthly general meeting for HC ARES.

For those interested in attending from outside of Hillsborough (or Cheshire) County, your information will be forwarded to NWS Gray ME for inclusion into their database.

Registration is suggested. To register or to get any questions answered about the class or SKYWARN in Hillsborough County, please email hc-skywarn@comcast.net.

Hope to see you there.

73 de KC2JCB

DIRECTIONS:>From the north…
Everett Turnpike/Route 3 South to Exit 4. Turn left at end of ramp onto East Dunstable Road. Follow to the end and turn left at the light onto Daniel Webster Highway/Main Street. Montgomery Ave will be your 3rd right (1/4 mile or less)…the SA Annex is immediately on your right.>From the south,,,
Route 3 North to Exit 4. Turn right at end of ramp onto East Dunstable Road. Follow to the end and turn left at the light onto Daniel Webster Highway/Main Street. Montgomery Ave will be your 3rd right (1/4 mile or less)…the SA Annex is immediately on your right.


Scott Reynolds KC2JCB
Hillsborough County NH ARES
AEC-SKYWARN/Public Information Officer
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Updated: New SKYWARN Newsletters in the Archive 5/8/08

Hello to all….

Over the last several weeks, several newsletters have been posted including SKYWARN Newsletter #253 on Thursday May 8th, 2008. All SKYWARN Newsletters including the most recent editions can be found in the SKYWARN Newsletter archive with the most recent newsletters via the links below:

SKYWARN Newsletter #246
SKYWARN Newsletter #247
SKYWARN Newsletter #248
SKYWARN Newsletter #249
SKYWARN Newsletter #250

SKYWARN Newsletter #251

SKYWARN Newsletter #252
SKYWARN Newsletter #253

73,Rob-KD1CY.
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator for NWS Taunton

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Newburyport SKYWARN Training Cancellation, Reschedule to June

Hello to all..

I received some horrible news Friday Evening. Ralph York-N1ZAG, Newburyport EMA Communications Officer passed away unexpectedly at the age of 60 years old and that the folks in Newburyport EMA wanted to reschedule the SKYWARN Training class. After considerable discussion with those who were registered with the class and between me and Jim Palmer-KB1KQW on whether we should host the class at a different location for March 8th, we have decided to cancel the March 8th class and reschedule the class at the Newburyport EMA or similar location for either Saturday June 7th or Saturday June 14th.

This has been an awkward situation to handle and we hope this is the best decision for everyone. My sincerest condolences have been extended to Ralph York’s family as well as to Newburyport Emergency Management as this has been a big loss for the community of Newburyport. Below is the obituary of Ralph York-N1ZAG:

Ralph K. York

NEWBURYPORT — Ralph Kenneth “Dusty” York, 60, lifelong Newburyport resident, died unexpectedly Wednesday morning, Feb. 27, 2008 at Anna Jaques Hospital. He was the husband of Sheila M. (Green) York, to whom he had been married 37 years.

Born in Newburyport, June 20, 1947, he was the son of the late Edward and Esther (Packer) York and was a graduate of Newburyport High School. He was a veteran of the Vietnam War, serving with the United States Navy.

For many years Mr. York was a mechanic at Sylvania Company in Danvers, and also drove a cab with Port Taxi.

Actively involved in the Newburyport community, Mr. York was one of the founders of the Newburyport Youth Football League; was an active member of the Newburyport Pioneer League; and volunteered many years with Newburyport Emergency Management.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by three sons and one daughter, Kenneth Sasseville; Edward T. York; Adam M. York; and Heather A. LaRocque; numerous grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and his brother, Howard York and wife Barbara.

ARRANGEMENTS: Visiting hours at Elliott, Woodworth & Rogers Family Funeral Home, 35 Green St., Newburyport, will be Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. Funeral services and interment will be private at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to Newburyport Emergency Management, 59 Low St., Newburyport, MA 01950.

Over the past few months, we have lost a number of dedicated Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters as stated in the past few newsletters and in this note. My condolences once again to those involved in SKYWARN who have lost loved ones over the past several months.

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Pager #: (508) 354-3142
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://beta.wx1box.org
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Rebecca Gould KE5HFU, NWS Forecaster, Speaking to W5MAF-NWS Midland, Texas

SKYWARN Recongition Day 2007 Report

Rebecca Gould KE5HFU, NWS Forecaster, Speaking to W5MAF-NWS Midland, TexasThe following is the SKYWARN recognition Day 2007 report for WX1BOX Operations. It was another successful event at WX1BOX for SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) 2007. The following Amateur Radio Operators participated in SRD 2007 from WX1BOX:

KD1CY-Rob Macedo
KB1KQW-Jim Palmer
KA1NCF-Eric Horwitz
KB1MRH-Matt Dempsey
W1VFB-Greg Glynn
KB1LXH-Don Burke
N1PJ-PJ Howe
KB1CYO-Phil McLaughlin
KB1FVN-Joanne McLaughlin
Glenn Field-KB1GHX Talking on EchoLinkKB1G-Bill Boyes
W1EAV-Chris Washburn
K2DCD-Dennis Dura (Manager of Preparedness and Response at ARRL HQ)
KB1GHX-Glenn Field (Warning Coordination Meteorologist at NWS Taunton)
KE5HFU-Rebecca Gould (Forecaster At NWS Taunton formerly from NWS Midland, TX)

From NWS Taunton, we made 207 unique contacts and 239 contacts if you counted duplicates. We worked 51 NWS offices from our location qualifying our operation for the F1 Tornado Certificate.

Jim Palmer-KB1KQW, North Shore Assistant SKYWARN Coordinator, making contactsOperations were on VHF/UHF across many of the SKYWARN repeaters that were reachable from our location, EchoLink/IRLP and HF. HF band conditions suffered significantly from QSB but a number of contacts were made on 20, 40 and 80 meters. The VoIP and VHF/UHF modes made up for the erratic HF conditions. There was a reasonably large number of folks on the area repeaters looking for our NWS office as we scheduled time on each repeater and tried to get to each repeater following the schedule that we published.

Warning Coordination Meteorologist-Glenn Field, KB1GHX, brought pizza for the Amateur Radio Operators and made a couple of contacts as he came in on a day off to be with us for a few hours Saturday Afternoon.

NWS Taunton-WX1BOX Operator, Phil McLaughlin-KB1CYO on HF Another highlight from our SRD activities was having Dennis Dura-K2DCD, Manager of Preparedness and Response from ARRL HQ at our SRD in NWS Taunton. Dennis made a few contacts on EchoLink including with the NWS Mount Holly/Philadelphia Office where Dennis was the former NWS Mount Holly/Philadelphia Office SKYWARN Coordinator. Due to a pending winter storm that was expected to affect the area on the Sunday Night and Monday after SRD, we did not get as many forecasters on the air as we would have liked but we did make a special connection for the newest forecaster at NWS Taunton. Rebecca Gould-KE5HFU transferred from the NWS Midland, TX Office to NWS Taunton, Mass. in mid-November. She made her first 2 contacts on Amateur Radio ever which included WX7CHS, NWS Cheyenne Wyoming and her former NWS office, W5MAF in NWS Midland, TX. These contacts were made over EchoLink.
Eric Horwitz-KA1NCF logging contacts with his program Netlog
As we have done for the last several years, we have continued testing and work with Eric Horwitz-KA1NCF software package known as “Netlog” which could be utilized in SKYWARN events and activations along with public service events. We are hoping to utilize this more during actual activations right from the NWS Office and it is being utilized by some SKYWARN Coordinators with their nets in the field. More information on the Netlog program can be found by emailing Eric Horwitz-KA1NCF at ka1ncf@ka1ncf.org. Special thanks to Bill Boyes-KB1G for the pictures and for also letting us utilize his Icom HF radio in addition to the Alinco DX-70-TH radio that is installed at the NWS Office. We are looking forward to SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) 2008.

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Storm Coordination Message #3A

Hello to all….

…..A brief update on the storm situation. The Strongest Winds have been delayed 4-6 Hours. Winds will pick up toward mid-late morning with the strongest winds with the potential for hurricane force winds over portions of Cape Cod and the Islands expected toward mid-late afternoon….
…..SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will still start around 7 AM but will be fairly informal until 9-10 AM this morning. Please see Storm Coordination Message #3 for complete data including links for latest watches and warnings….

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Pager #: (508) 354-3142
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (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 #3

Hello to all….

….Noel is transitioning into a large and powerful extratropical ocean storm and will bring damaging winds to much of Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island with hurricane force wind gusts possible over Cape Cod and the Islands. Significant urban and poor drainage flooding with some level of river and stream flooding is also possible and there is a threat for moderate Coastal Flooding over Cape Cod and the Islands….
….A High Wind Warning is in effect from 6 AM to 9 PM Saturday for Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island….
….A High Wind Warning is in effect from 4 AM to Midnight Saturday for Cape Cod and the Islands….
….A Wind Advisory is in effect from 8 AM to 6 PM Saturday for Southeast New Hampshire, Central Massachusetts and North-Central and Northeast Connecticut….
….A Flood Watch is in effect from Saturday Morning through Saturday Evening for Rhode Island and Southeast Massachusetts from Boston and Norfolk County south to the coast….
….A Coastal Flood Watch is in effect from Saturday Morning through Saturday Evening for the morning and evening high tide cycles for Cape Cod and the Islands….
….Hurricane Force Wind Warnings and Storm Warnings are in effect for the Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island coastlines. See Hazardous Weather Outlook for specific areas for coastal warnings….
….Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency’s State EOC and Region Two HQ will be doing a limited activation starting at 7 AM with RACES support….
….Local ARES/RACES Groups should closely monitor the progress of this significant ocean storm and seek advice from local ARES and RACES leadership on any possible activation….
….SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will occur starting at 7 AM Saturday and last through late Saturday Night/early Sunday Morning….

Noel has transitioned into a large and powerful extratropical ocean storm and the National Hurricane Center has issued it’s a last advisory. The storm is now undergoing intensification as an extratropical system and models have tracked slightly further west that previous runs. The strong wind field and heavy rain area will extend well beyond the center of the system. Given this information, High Wind Warnings, Wind Advisories, Flood Watches and Coastal Flood Watches have been issued and this coordination message will detail the various items.

A High Wind Warning is in effect from 6 AM to 9 PM Saturday for Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. In Southeast Coastal Massachusetts from roughly Mattapoisett to Plymouth, sustained winds of around 40 MPH with gusts to 70 MPH are expected with the peak of the strongest winds expected in the late morning through the afternoon. In the Boston to Providence corridor, sustained winds of 30-40 MPH with gusts to 60 MPH are possible Saturday Afternoon. Winds will be somewhat less farther inland but will still be sufficient to cause wind damage in this area.

A High Wind Warning is in effect from 4 AM to 12 AM Saturday for Cape Cod and the Islands. In this area, the potential exists for hurricane force wind gusts with gusts as high as 85 MPH possible across the Outer Cape and Nantucket with sustained winds of 40-50 MPH. Across the upper Cape and Martha’s Vineyard, wind gusts of 75 MPH with sustained winds of 35-45 MPH are likely. In all areas, wind gusts of 40-50 MPH are expected to take hold near or shortly after daybreak.

A Wind Advisory is in effect from 8 AM to 6 PM Saturday for Southeast New Hampshire, Central Massachusetts and North-Central and Northeast Connecticut. In this area, sustained winds of 20-30 MPH with gusts to 50 MPH are possible with the strongest winds in the late morning to early afternoon hours.

A Flood Watch is now in effect from Saturday Morning through Saturday Evening for Southeast Massachusetts from the Boston area and Norfolk County south and east through Cape Cod and the Islands as well as Rhode Island. In these areas, 2-5” of rain is expected with isolated higher amounts. The heaviest rain will be over the south and east portions of the Flood Watch area. These rains would bring some flooding to rivers and streams but the more significant issue would be urban and poor drainage flooding over the region.

A Coastal Flood Watch is now in effect from Saturday Morning through Saturday Evening for the morning and evening high tide cycles for Cape Cod and the Islands. In this area, seas and winds may be sufficient to result in areas of moderate coastal flooding at the time of high tide. This will be contingent on water buildup in a short period of time for the morning high tide cycle and wind direction for the evening high tide cycle. Areas outside of the Coastal Flood Watch area may see some pockets of minor coastal flooding at the time of the evening high tide cycle.

Hurricane Force Wind Warnings and Storm Warnings are in effect for the Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island coastlines. Mariners should remain in port until this storm has safely passed. See the NWS Taunton Hazardous Weather Outlook for specific areas that are under coastal warnings.

Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency’s State EOC and Region 2 HQ will be doing a limited activation starting at 7 AM with RACES support requested for these facilities. Local ARES/RACES groups should closely monitor the progress of this significant ocean storm and seek advice from local ARES and RACES leadership on any possible activation. Some local town/city EOC’s are going to be active for this significant storm starting Saturday Morning.

SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton will occur starting at 7 AM Saturday and last through late Saturday Night/early Sunday Morning. We will be looking for reports per the SKYWARN reporting criteria from any and all Amateur Radio Operators and SKYWARN Spotters. We will be utilizing the New England Reflector system on EchoLink *NEW-ENG*/IRLP 9123 and monitoring various SKYWARN Frequencies throughout the day. The latest SKYWARN Frequency list can be seen on the NWS Taunton SKYWARN Home page by clicking http://beta.wx1box.org and clicking the Southern New England SKYWARN Frequency listing off of the Main Menu. We will have AIM screen name WX1BOX active and will be able to receive text email messages via WX1BOX@winlink.org and any pictures and other larger emails through this email address.

Barring a significant shift in watches and warnings or significant delay in the storm’s onset, this will be the last coordination message for this event as we move into activation mode. Below are the links to the various NWS Taunton Watches/Warnings and Outlooks:

Flood Watch:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wgus61.KBOX.html

High Wind Warning/Wind Advisory:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus71.KBOX.html

Coastal Flood Watch/Updated Statements:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.whus41.KBOX.html

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
Pager #: (508) 354-3142
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://beta.wx1box.org
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