Hello to all…

..Another Winter Storm will bring the potential of rain changing over to a wintry mix and then over to snow especially for interior Southern New England with a flash freeze likely..
..A Winter Storm Warning is now in effect from 1 AM to 7 PM Friday for Western Hampshire, Franklin, Northern Worcester and Northern Middlesex Counties of Massachusetts for 1-4″ of snow and 0.10-0.20″ of ice accretion creating hazardous travel conditions. At this time ice accretion should remain below levels to cause issues with tree and power line damage but this aspect will be monitored closely with spotter reports on precip type and snow/sleet versus icing amounts critical to the forecast..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect from 4 AM to 7 PM Friday for Central and Southeast Middlesex, Essex, Hampden, Eastern Hampshire, Southern Worcester, Norfolk, and Suffolk Counties of Massachusetts for up to 1 inch of snow and sleet and up to 0.10″ of icing causing slippery travel conditions. These amounts can vary based on the amount of rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow occurs in the region..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect from 6 AM to 7 PM Friday for Northern Connecticut, North-Central Rhode Island and North Central Plymouth County of Massachusetts for up to 1 inch of snow and sleet and around 0.10″ of ice causing slippery travel conditions. These amounts can vary based on the amount of rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow occurs in the region..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect from 10 AM to 7 PM Friday for South Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island including Cape Cod for up to 1 inch of snow and sleet and around one tenth inch of ice causing slippery travel conditions. These amounts can vary based on the amount of rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow occurs in the region..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation with Amateur Radio call-up nets are likely on Friday..

Another winter storm though less impactful then this past weekend’s blizzard will impact the region late Thursday Night into Friday with rain changing to a brief period of freezing rain and then sleet and snow from north to south across the region with a flash freeze possible. The headlines depict the current thinking. The main key factor in this storm event includes the amounts of precipitation that fall as plain rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow as this could drastically change the severity of the winter storm. At this time, a rain to period of freezing rain will change to sleet and snow. This will cause hazardous travel but little to no infrastructure issues to trees and power lines unless temperature profiles change to allow for either more wet snow or freezing rain accumulation. Trends will be monitored in the precipitation type throughout this event and spotter reports on snow/sleet, ice and rain accumulations along with precipitation type will be critical to the forecast.

SKYWARN Self-Activation with Amateur Radio call-up nets are likely on Friday. Another coordination message will be posted by 11 PM Thursday Evening with a schedule of Amateur Radio Nets on various repeaters posted. Below is the NWS Boston/Norton Winter Storm Warning/Winter Weather Advisory Statement, Snow and Ice Maps and Area Forecast Discussion..

NWS Boston/Norton Winter Storm Warning/Winter Weather Advisory Statement & Snow/Ice Maps:
https://www.weather.gov/box/winter

NWS Boston/Norton Area Forecast Discussion:
https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=BOX&product=AFD&issuedby=BOX

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://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box

Hello to all…

..Another Winter Storm will bring the potential of rain changing over to a wintry mix and then over to snow especially for interior Southern New England with a flash freeze also possible..
..A Winter Storm Watch remains in effect from late Thursday Night through Friday Evening for Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden, Worcester, Middlesex, Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk Counties of Massachusetts for 1-4″ of snow and sleet and up to 0.10″ of ice with the highest amounts of snow and sleet along and north of Route 2 with a flash freeze possible. Additional Winter Weather headlines could be posted for areas south of the Winter Storm Watch area in future updates..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation with Amateur Radio call-up nets are likely on Friday..

Another winter storm though less impactful then this past weekend’s blizzard will impact the region late Thursday Night into Friday with rain changing to a brief period of freezing rain and then sleet and snow from north to south across the region with a flash freeze possible. The headlines depict the current thinking. The main key factor in this storm event includes the amounts of precipitation that fall as plain rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow as this could drastically change the severity of the winter storm. At this time, a rain to brief period of freezing rain will change to sleet and snow. This will cause hazardous travel but little to no infrastructure issues unless temperature profiles change to allow for either more wet snow or freezing rain accumulation. Trends will be monitored in the precipitation type throughout this event and spotter reports on snow/sleet, ice and rain accumulations along with precipitation type will be critical to the forecast.

SKYWARN Self-Activation with Amateur Radio call-up nets are likely on Friday. Another coordination message will be posted by 10 AM Thursday Morning. Below is the NWS Boston/Norton Winter Storm Watch Statement Snow and Ice Maps and Area Forecast Discussion..

NWS Boston/Norton Winter Storm Watch Statement & Snow/Ice Maps:
https://www.weather.gov/box/winter

NWS Boston/Norton Area Forecast Discussion:
https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=BOX&product=AFD&issuedby=BOX

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://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box

Hello to all…

..Another Winter Storm will bring the potential of rain changing over to a wintry mix and then over to snow especially for interior Southern New England with a flash freeze also possible..
..A Winter Storm Watch is now in effect from late Thursday Night through Friday Evening for Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden, Worcester, Middlesex, Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk Counties of Massachusetts for 2-6″ of snow and sleet with the highest amounts of snow and sleet along and north of Route 2 with a flash freeze possible. Additional Winter Weather headlines could be posted for areas south of the Winter Storm Watch area in future updates..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation with Amateur Radio call-up nets are likely on Friday. A more detailed coordination message on this winter storm will be posted by 1100 PM Wednesday Evening. Below is the NWS Boston/Norton Winter Storm Watch Statement Snow and Ice maps and Area Forecast Discussion..

NWS Boston/Norton Winter Storm Watch Statement & Snow/Ice Maps:
https://www.weather.gov/box/winter

NWS Boston/Norton Area Forecast Discussion:
https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=BOX&product=AFD&issuedby=BOX

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://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box

Hello to all…

..Historic Blizzard slammed Southern New England, particularly Central and Eastern New England, with heavy snowfall, blizzard conditions, minor to moderate coastal flooding at the time of high tide and significant tree and power line damage from the combination of wet snow and damaging winds over Cape Cod and the Islands. At the height of the storm, over 115,000 were without power in Massachusetts with additional outages in Rhode Island and Connecticut..
..An Amateur Radio story will be posted to the ARRL web site and a photo album to the WX1BOX Facebook page within the next day or two. Post storm snowfall, wind damage and coastal flood reports, pictures and videos can be posted as a reply to this message, via our WX1BOX Facebook and Twitter feeds or through the email address pics@nsradio.org with credit given to the spotter for the report unless otherwise indicated..
..We are also interested in any additional spotter reports across our coverage area particularly across the max snowfall zone from Stoughton and Sharon to Whitman to Bridgewater and down through Northern Bristol County Massachusetts from this historic blizzard and in the communities of Ashby, Ayer and Clinton, Massachusetts..
..Another Post Storm Blizzard Coordination Message will be posted by Thursday 2/3/22. Below is the NWS Boston/Norton Local Storm Report of spotter reports for snowfall, coastal flooding and wind damage reports, Public Information Statement on where blizzard conditions were met, Public Information Statement on Spotter reports, WX1BOX Amateur Radio Team reports log and the Record Event Reports for this historical blizzard from NWS Boston/Norton and the Blue Hill Observatory..

NWS Boston/Norton Local Storm Report – Snowfall Reports:
https://wx1box.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/LSR_Spotter_Reports_1_30_22.pdf

NWS Boston/Norton Local Storm Report – Wind and Coastal Flood Reports:
https://wx1box.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/LSR_Spotter_Reports_1_30_22_wind_gust_wind_damage_coastal_flooding.pdf

NWS Boston/Norton – Public Information Statement – Blizzard Determinations:
https://wx1box.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/pns_1_30_22_blizzard_determinations.pdf

NWS Public Information Statement – Snowfall & Wind Reports:
https://wx1box.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/PNS_snowfall_1_29_22.pdf

NWS Public Information Statement – Snowfall Reports:
https://wx1box.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/PNS_wind_and_snowfall_1_29_22_Part_1.pdf

WX1BOX Amateur Radio Log of Reports:
https://wx1box.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/reports_1_29_22.pdf

NWS Boston/Norton Record Event Reports – Boston, Providence and Worcester:
https://wx1box.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/record_reports_blizzard_of_2022.pdf

Blue Hill Observatory Report on Record Snowfall at Blue Hill:
https://bluehill.org/historic-blizzard-of-2022-impacted-new-england-with-strong-winds-and-record-snowfall/

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://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box

Hello to all…

..A major winter storm and blizzard will impact much of Southern New England late Friday Night into Saturday Night with heavy snowfall, the potential for blizzard and near blizzard conditions for a portion of the region, extreme snowfall rates and thundersnow, strong to damaging winds in East and South Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island and the potential for minor to moderate coastal flooding at the time of high tide cycles particularly Saturday Evening but also Saturday Morning as well. Model consensus continues to firm for a high impact system to pound the region..
..A Blizzard Warning is now in effect from 7 AM Saturday to 5 AM Sunday for East Coastal Massachusetts including Boston and Eastern Norfolk County Mass, Cape Cod and Marthas Vineyard for 18-24″ with isolated higher amounts or a band of higher amounts up to 30 inches in this area and wind gusts 60-70 MPH likely with isolated higher gusts to hurricane force possible. There will be considerable blowing and drifting of snow and the potential for scattered pockets of tree and power line damage with scattered to numerous pockets of tree and power line damage and power outages in portions of Cape Cod and Marthas Vineyard..
..A Blizzard Warning is now in effect from 12 AM Saturday to 12 AM Sunday for Bristol and Western and Southern Plymouth Counties for 18-24″ with isolated higher amounts or a band of higher amounts of up to 30 inches in this area and wind gusts to 60 MPH likely with isolated higher wind gusts possible. These winds could cause isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated to scattered power outages in addition to considerable blowing and drifting snow..
..A Blizzard Warning is now in effect from 12 AM Saturday to 12 AM Sunday for Rhode Island, Western Essex, Central and Southeast Middlesex Counties of Massachusetts for 15-19″ of snow with isolated higher amounts or a band of higher amounts to 24″ in this area and wind gusts to 60 MPH likely with isolated higher gusts possible. These winds could cause isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated to scattered power outages in addition to considerable blowing and drifting snow ..
..A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 12 AM Saturday to 12 AM Sunday for Nantucket for 8-18″ of snow and wind gusts to 70 MPH likely and hurricane force wind gusts possible. These winds could cause scattered to numerous pockets of tree and power line damage and power outages..
..A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect from 12 AM Saturday to 12 AM Sunday for Northern Connecticut, Worcester, Eastern Hampden, Eastern Hampshire and Eastern Franklin Counties of Massachusetts for 7-15″ of snow with isolated higher amounts possible in eastern areas of this warning and wind gusts to 45 MPH likely. These winds could cause isolated pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages..
..A Winter Storm Warning is now in effect from 1200 AM Saturday to 1200 AM Sunday for Western Hampshire, Western Hampden Counties of Massachusetts for 5-8″ of snow and wind gusts to 40 MPH possible. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 12 AM Saturday to 12 AM Sunday for Western Franklin County Massachusetts for 4-6″ of snow and wind gusts to 35 MPH possible..
..A Coastal Flood Advisory is in effect for East Coastal Massachusetts and Cape Cod and the Islands from minor to moderate coastal flooding of shore roads at the time of the Saturday Morning and Saturday Evening high tide cycles. Coastal flooding will be monitored closely in case those issues become higher than anticipated..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation with Amateur Radio Call-Up Nets are likely Saturday and potentially Sunday Morning for this significant blizzard/storm system and the final net schedule is posted below understanding change could happen as required pending storm conditions. This will be the last coordination message as we shift into operations mode..
..ARES/RACES Groups in Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island should closely monitor the progress of this system and seek advice from local leadership. Pictures and videos of snowfall, wind damage and coastal flooding when the event unfolds can be sent as a reply to the message or to the email address pics@nsradio.org..

Models are all showing a powerful coastal storm system will impact Southern New England late Friday Night into Saturday Night. Model solutions are pretty much locked into the current scenario and the current forecast and headlines depict current thinking. Key factors include:

1.) The all important forecast track of this system is fairly locked in at this point. Key areas of changes will be largely regarding how heavy the snows are on the western side of the system and where, if any, cutoff in precipitation will be.
2.) There will be the potential for extreme snowfall rates of 4-5″ per hour in eastern portions of the Winter Storm Warning area and in the Blizzard Warning area. This may allow for even higher totals than currently forecasted and will be monitored closely for where these heaviest snow bands line up in the Blizzard and possibly Winter Storm Warning areas. Frequent spotter reports on snowfall will help determine the snowfall ranges in realtime as the storm hits.
3.) The strongest winds are currently timed between the two high tide cycles but minor to pockets of moderate coastal flooding are likely in East Coastal Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the Islands and if those winds shift to one of the high tide cycles it could increase the risk of greater coastal flooding at the time of high tides both Saturday morning and Saturday Evening with the northern coastal exposures of East Coastal Massachusetts at highest risk. Coastal Flood Advisories are now posted for the Saturday Morning and Evening high tide cycles.

With all of the blowing and drifting snow expected with the blizzard and near blizzard conditions, we advise spotters to take additional measurements, as much as 10-20 and average them in an attempt to get the most accurate snow measurement possible. We appreciate all SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators support in making this happen.

SKYWARN Self-Activation with Amateur Radio Call-Up Nets are likely Saturday and potentially Sunday Morning for this significant blizzard/storm system and the final net schedule is posted below understanding change could happen as required pending storm conditions. This will be the last coordination message as we shift into operations mode. ARES/RACES Groups in Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island should closely monitor the progress of this system and seek advice from local leadership. Pictures and videos of snowfall, wind damage and coastal flooding when the event unfolds can be sent as a reply to the message or to the email address pics@nsradio.org.

Below is the confirmed Amateur Radio Net Schedule for the first initial nets, net control will announce the next net to take place on the frequencies listed below but the next nets will likely be 2 hours after the ones listed and continue every 2 hours except increase to hourly updates when the snowfall rates increase 2″ per hour or more in a given area as needed:

600 AM: Cape Cod and Islands WX Net – 147.375-Falmouth Repeater PL: 110.9 Hz
630 AM: Western Mass Emergency Net – HF – serving Western and Eastern Mass and surrounding areas: 3944 KHz
645 AM: MMRA Repeater Network
700 AM: South Coast SKYWARN Net: 147.000-Dartmouth Repeater PL: 67.0 Hz
700 AM: Norfolk County SKYWARN Net: 146.895-Walpole Repeater PL: 123.0 Hz
700 AM: Worcester County SKYWARN Net: 146.970-Paxton Repeater PL: 114.8 Hz
700 AM: Western Mass SKYWARN VHF Net: 146.940-Mount Tom Repeater PL: 127.3 Hz
715 AM: Boston SKYWARN Net – 145.230 Boston Repeater PL: 88.5 Hz
715 AM: NB1RI RI SKYWARN Net: NB1RI linked repeater system
730 AM: Hartford-Tolland County SKYWARN Net – 146.790-Vernon, CT Repeater – PL: 82.5 Hz
730 AM: Metro Boston/Middlesex County SKYWARN Net: 146.640-Waltham Repeater – PL: 136.5 Hz
800 AM: Cape and Islands SKYWARN Net – 146.955-Barnstable Repeater PL: 88.5 Hz
800 AM: North Shore SKYWARN Net – 145.470-Danvers Repeater PL: 136.5 Hz
900 AM: Westford/PART – Northern Middlesex County SKYWARN Net – 146.955-Westford Repeater PL: 74.4 Hz
** – The Echolink *NEW-ENG3* Conference node: 9123/IRLP 9123 will be monitored throughout the duration the event. The 147.180-Bridgewater Repeater will be connected through that system and some of the nets listed above will be connected to for those repeaters that have Echolink and IRLP capability.
*** – Other repeaters may be monitored on an as needed basis based on Amateur Radio Operator availability.

Below is the NWS Boston/Norton Blizzard Warning/Winter Storm Warning/Winter Weather Advisory Statement, Snowfall Maps, Coastal Flood Advisory Statement and Area Forecast Discussion:

NWS Boston/Norton Blizzard Warning/Winter Storm Warning/Winter Weather Advisory Statement & Snowfall Maps:
https://www.weather.gov/box/winter

NWS Boston/Norton Coastal Flood Advisory Statement:
https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=BOX&product=CFW&issuedby=BOX

NWS Boston/Norton Area Forecast Discussion:
https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=BOX&product=AFD&issuedby=BOX

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://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box

Hello to all…

..A major winter storm and blizzard will impact much of Southern New England late Friday Night into Saturday Night with heavy snowfall, the potential for blizzard and near blizzard conditions for a portion of the region, strong to damaging winds in East and South Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island and the potential for minor to moderate coastal flooding at the time of high tide cycles particularly Saturday Evening but also Saturday Morning as well. Model consensus continues to firm for a high impact system to pound the region..
..A Blizzard Warning is now in effect from 7 AM Saturday to 5 AM Sunday for East Coastal Massachusetts including Boston and Eastern Norfolk County Mass, Cape Cod and Marthas Vineyard for 18-24″ with isolated higher amounts or a band of higher amounts in this area and wind gusts 60-70 MPH likely with isolated higher gusts to hurricane force possible. There will be considerable blowing and drifting of snow and the potential for scattered pockets of tree and power line damage with scattered to numerous pockets of tree and power line damage and power outages in portions of Cape Cod and Marthas Vineyard..
..A Blizzard Warning is now in effect from 12 AM Saturday to 12 AM Sunday for Bristol and Western and Southern Plymouth Counties for 18-24″ with isolated higher amounts or a band of higher amounts in this area and wind gusts to 60 MPH likely with isolated higher wind gusts possible. These winds could cause isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated to scattered power outages..
..A Blizzard Warning is now in effect from 12 AM Saturday to 12 AM Sunday for Rhode Island, Western Essex, Central and Southeast Middlesex Counties of Massachusetts for 15-19″ of snow with isolated higher amounts or a band of higher amounts in this area and wind gusts to 60 MPH likely with isolated higher gusts possible. These winds could cause isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated to scattered power outages..
..A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 12 AM Saturday to 12 AM Sunday for Nantucket for 9-16″ of snow and wind gusts to 70 MPH likely and hurricane force wind gusts possible. These winds could cause scattered to numerous pockets of tree and power line damage and power outages..
..A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect from 12 AM Saturday to 12 AM Sunday for Northern Connecticut, Worcester, Eastern Hampden, Eastern Hampshire and Eastern Franklin Counties of Massachusetts for 7-15″ of snow with isolated higher amounts possible in eastern areas of this warning and wind gusts to 45 MPH likely. These winds could cause isolated pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages..
..A Winter Storm Watch is now in effect for Western Hampshire, Western Hampden and Western Franklin Counties of Massachusetts for 5-7″ of snow and wind gusts to 40 MPH possible..
..Additional Watches, Warnings and Advisories and adjustments to some warnings could be required in future updates depending on the model guidance. A shift in guidance as little as 50-100 miles east or west could have far reaching impacts on what the region experiences but the trend is clearly toward an impactful storm for almost the entire area. The greatest confidence in significant impacts is in the Blizzard and Winter Storm Warning areas..
..Minor to moderate coastal flooding at the time of the Saturday Morning and particularly Saturday Evening high tide cycles are possible in East Coastal Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the Islands. This will be monitored as we get closer to this storm event..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation with Amateur Radio Call-Up Nets are likely Saturday and potentially Sunday Morning for this significant storm system and an initial net schedule is posted below with an updated schedule posted in the last coordination message to be sent by 1000 PM Friday Evening. ARES/RACES Groups in Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island should closely monitor the progress of this system and seek advice from local leadership. Pictures and videos of snowfall, wind damage and coastal flooding when the event unfolds can be sent as a reply to the message or to the email address pics@nsradio.org..

Models are all showing a powerful coastal storm system will impact Southern New England late Friday Night into Saturday Night. Model solutions have trended closer to the coast for a major winter storm and blizzard for the region. The current forecast and headlines depict current thinking with models coalescing on a solution a bit to the west even since last night’s update and increasing confidence in high-end to extreme snowfall totals in Eastern New England with higher snow totals in Western New England. Key factors include:

1.) The all important forecast track of this system is still in flux. All models forecast a very intense coastal storm but vary on the track and ensemble models which are a compilation of model outputs have a wider spread than normal and will be monitored. Deviation of 50-100 miles to the west means a greater area of our region gets impacted with significant snowfall and higher winds while a track further east could confine impacts to central and eastern New England. Trends since the last coordination message have mostly shifted west even with the most easterly reliable model solution. This has created higher confidence in a very impactful storm for the region. Trends through the day will be monitored and will depict additional watches, possible warnings and advisories for various weather hazards from this system.
2.) The western envelope of the system and how far back west the precipitation and wind shield gets. Most models bring this fairly significantly westward while other models show a sharper cutoff affecting the current newly issued Winter Storm Watch area for the east slopes of the Berkshires. This has led to a higher confidence forecast for heavier snow in areas such as Hartford, Springfield and Worcester and now has extreme snowfall depicted for Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
3.) There will be the potential for extreme snowfall rates of 4-5″ per hour in eastern portions of the Winter Storm Warning area and in the Blizzard Warning area. This may allow for even higher totals than currently forecasted and will be monitored closely. Frequent spotter reports on snowfall will help determine the snowfall ranges in realtime as the storm hits.
4.) The strongest winds are currently timed between the two high tide cycles but minor to pockets of moderate coastal flooding are likely in East Coastal Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the Islands and if those winds shift to one of the high tide cycles it could increase the risk of greater coastal flooding at the time of high tides both Saturday morning and Saturday Evening with the northern coastal exposures of East Coastal Massachusetts at highest risk.

SKYWARN Self-Activation with Amateur Radio Call-Up Nets are likely Saturday and potentially Sunday Morning for this significant storm system and an initial net schedule is posted below with an updated schedule posted in the last coordination message to be sent by 1000 PM Friday Evening. ARES/RACES Groups in Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island should closely monitor the progress of this system and seek advice from local leadership. Pictures and videos of snowfall, wind damage and coastal flooding when the event unfolds can be sent as a reply to the message or to the email address pics@nsradio.org.

Below is an approximate Amateur Radio Net Schedule and will be updated again Friday Evening, after these initial nets, net control will announce the next net to take place on the frequencies listed below:

600 AM: Cape Cod and Islands WX Net – 147.375-Falmouth Repeater PL: 110.9 Hz
700 AM: South Coast SKYWARN Net: 147.000-Dartmouth Repeater PL: 67.0 Hz
700 AM: Norfolk County SKYWARN Net: 146.895-Walpole Repeater PL: 123.0 Hz
715 AM: NB1RI RI SKYWARN Net: NB1RI linked repeater system
730 AM: Hartford-Tolland County SKYWARN Net – 146.790-Vernon, CT Repeater – PL: 82.5 Hz
730 AM: Western Mass Emergency Net – HF – serving Western and Eastern Mass and surrounding areas: 3944 KHz
800 AM: Cape and Islands SKYWARN Net – 146.955-Barnstable Repeater PL: 88.5 Hz

Other frequencies for nets to be scheduled and updated by the next coordination message:
147.180-Bridgewater Repeater
146.640-Waltham Repeater
145.230-Boston Repeater
MMRA Repeater Network
146.970-Paxton Repeater
146.940-Mount Tom Repeater

Another coordination message will be posted by 1000 PM Friday Evening. Below is the NWS Boston/Norton Blizzard Warning/Winter Storm Warning/Watch Statement, Snowfall Maps and Area Forecast Discussion:

NWS Boston/Norton Blizzard Warning/Winter Storm Warning/Watch Statement & Snowfall Maps:
https://www.weather.gov/box/winter

NWS Boston/Norton Area Forecast Discussion:
https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=BOX&product=AFD&issuedby=BOX

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://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box

Hello to all…

..A potential major winter storm will impact portions of Southern New England, particularly Eastern New England, late Friday Night into Saturday Night with heavy snowfall, the potential for blizzard or near blizzard conditions for a portion of the region, strong to damaging winds in East and South Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island and the potential for minor to moderate coastal flooding at the time of high tide cycles particularly Saturday Evening but also Saturday Morning as well. Model consensus has firmed up a bit today but still some uncertainties in the forecast for western areas and the potential for even more extreme snowfall accumulations than noted here..
..A Winter Storm Watch remains in effect for all of Rhode Island and Eastern Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Plymouth, Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket Counties of Massachusetts from Late Saturday Night through Sunday Evening for 15-24″ of snow and isolated higher amounts with wind gusts up to 55 MPH in the interior and 65-70 MPH Gusts with isolated higher gusts in Coastal Southern New England. These winds could cause isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages with the potential for numerous pockets of tree and wire damage and power outages over parts of Cape Cod and the Islands..
..A Winter Storm Watch remains in effect for Tolland and Windham Counties of Connecticut, Worcester, North-Central Middlesex and Western Essex Counties of Massachusetts Late Friday Night through Saturday Evening for 8-17″ of snow with the highest amounts in the eastern portions of this Winter Storm Watch area with wind gusts of up to 40-45 MPH possible..
..A Winter Storm Watch is now in effect for Hartford, Eastern Franklin, Eastern Hampshire and Eastern Hampden Counties of Massachusetts for 4-9″ of snow and wind gusts up to 40 MPH possible..
..Additional Watches, Warnings and Advisories could be required in future updates depending on the model guidance. A shift in guidance as little as 50-100 miles east or west could have far reaching impacts on what the region experiences. The greatest confidence in significant impacts is in the current Winter Storm Watch areas but could shift into other parts of the region depending on the track and the western edge of the major storm envelope..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation with Amateur Radio Call-Up Nets are likely Saturday and potentially Sunday Morning for this significant storm system. ARES/RACES Groups in Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island should closely monitor the progress of this system and seek advice from local leadership. Pictures and videos of snowfall, wind damage and coastal flooding when the event unfolds can be sent as a reply to the message or to the email address pics@nsradio.org..

Models are all showing a powerful coastal storm system will impact Southern New England late Friday Night into Saturday Night. Model solutions are still moving and have spread in the guidance and therefore we need to monitor closely the trends. The current forecast and headlines depict current thinking with models coalescing on a solution a bit to the west and increasing confidence in high-end to extreme snowfall totals in Eastern New England with higher snow totals in Western New England. Key factors include:

1.) The all important forecast track of this system is still in flux. All models forecast a very intense coastal storm but vary on the track and ensemble models which are a compilation of model outputs have a wider spread than normal and will be monitored. Deviation of 50-100 miles to the west means a greater area of our region gets impacted with significant snowfall and higher winds while a track further east could confine impacts to southeast coastal New England. Trends since the last coordination message have mostly shifted west except for one reliable model suite which shifted east. This creates more spread but removing the one model suite as an outlier means a general trend westward which is why Winter Storm Watches have been expanded north and west in the region. Trends through the day will be monitored and will depict additional watches, possible warnings and advisories for various weather hazards from this system.
2.) The western envelope of the system and how far back west the precipitation and wind shield gets. Some models bring this fairly significantly westward while other models show a sharper cutoff west of the current Winter Storm Watch areas. With the storm track shift mostly west by most models, this cutoff zone has also shifted further west which is why the Winter Storm Watch area has been expanded through the rest of Northern Connecticut and into Western Massachusetts along and east of the Connecticut River.
3.) Timing and strength of the strongest winds and how far west this extends which will determine wind damage impacts in Eastern New England and how far inland it reaches along with coastal flood impacts.

SKYWARN Self-Activation with Amateur Radio Call-Up Nets are likely Saturday and potentially Sunday Morning for this significant storm system. ARES/RACES Groups in Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island should closely monitor the progress of this system and seek advice from local leadership. Pictures and videos of snowfall, wind damage and coastal flooding when the event unfolds can be sent as a reply to the message or to the email address pics@nsradio.org. Another coordination message will be posted by 1100 AM Friday Morning. Below is the NWS Boston/Norton Winter Storm Watch Statement, Snowfall Maps and Area Forecast Discussion:

NWS Boston/Norton Winter Storm Watch Statement & Snowfall Maps:
https://www.weather.gov/box/winter

NWS Boston/Norton Area Forecast Discussion:
https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=BOX&product=AFD&issuedby=BOX

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://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box

Hello to all…

..A potential major winter storm will impact portions of Southern New England, particularly Eastern New England, late Friday Night into Saturday Night with heavy snowfall, the potential for blizzard or near blizzard conditions for a portion of the region, strong to damaging winds in East and South Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island and the potential for minor to moderate coastal flooding at the time of high tide cycles particularly Saturday Evening but also Saturday Morning as well. We are still 2.5-3 days away from the storm impacts so future model runs will determine impacts and there remains spread in the model tracks..
..A Winter Storm Watch remains in effect for all of Rhode Island and Eastern Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Plymouth, Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket Counties of Massachusetts from Late Saturday Night through Sunday Evening for 8-18″ of snow and isolated higher amounts with wind gusts 35-50 MPH in the interior and 50-60+ MPH Gusts in Coastal Southern New England. These winds could cause isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages..
..A Winter Storm Watch is now in effect for Tolland and Windham Counties of Connecticut, Worcester, North-Central Middlesex and Western Essex Counties of Massachusetts Late Friday Night through Saturday Evening for 8-17″ of snow with the highest amounts in the eastern portions of this Winter Storm Watch area with wind gusts of up to 45 MPH possible..
..Additional Watches, Warnings and Advisories could be required in future updates depending on the model guidance. A shift in guidance as little as 50-100 miles east or west could have far reaching impacts on what the region experiences. The greatest confidence in significant impacts is in the current Winter Storm Watch areas but could shift into other parts of the region depending on the track and the western edge of the major storm envelope..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation with Amateur Radio Call-Up Nets are likely Saturday and potentially Sunday Morning for this significant storm system. ARES/RACES Groups in Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island should closely monitor the progress of this system and seek advice from local leadership. Pictures and videos of snowfall, wind damage and coastal flooding when the event unfolds can be sent as a reply to the message or to the email address pics@nsradio.org..

Models are all showing a powerful coastal storm system will impact Southern New England late Friday Night into Saturday Night. Model solutions are still moving and have spread in the guidance and therefore we need to monitor closely the trends. The current forecast and headlines depict current thinking but please note that we are 2.5-3 days away from impacts and trends in guidance of 50-100 miles east or west could have far reaching effect on the impacts to the region. Key factors include:

1.) The all important forecast track of this system is still in flux. All models forecast a very intense coastal storm but vary on the track and ensemble models which are a compilation of model outputs have a wider spread than normal and will be monitored. Deviation of 50-100 miles to the west means a greater area of our region gets impacted with significant snowfall and higher winds while a track further east could confine impacts to southeast coastal New England. Trends since the last coordination message have mostly shifted west except for one reliable model suite which shifted east. This creates more spread but removing the one model suite as an outlier means a general trend westward which is why Winter Storm Watches have been expanded north and west in the region. Trends through the day will be monitored and will depict additional watches, possible warnings and advisories for various weather hazards from this system.
2.) The western envelope of the system and how far back west the precipitation and wind shield gets. Some models bring this fairly significantly westward while other models show a sharper cutoff west of the current Winter Storm Watch areas. With the storm track shift mostly west by most models, this cutoff zone has also shifted further west which is why the Winter Storm Watch area has been expanded through Central Connecticut an Central Massachusetts.
3.) Timing and strength of the strongest winds and how far west this extends which will determine wind damage impacts in Eastern New England and how far inland it reaches along with coastal flood impacts.

SKYWARN Self-Activation with Amateur Radio Call-Up Nets are likely Saturday and potentially Sunday Morning for this significant storm system. ARES/RACES Groups in Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island should closely monitor the progress of this system and seek advice from local leadership. Pictures and videos of snowfall, wind damage and coastal flooding when the event unfolds can be sent as a reply to the message or to the email address pics@nsradio.org. Another coordination message will be posted by 1100 PM Thursday Evening. Below is the NWS Boston/Norton Winter Storm Watch Statement, Snowfall Maps and Area Forecast Discussion:

NWS Boston/Norton Winter Storm Watch Statement & Snowfall Maps:
https://www.weather.gov/box/winter

NWS Boston/Norton Area Forecast Discussion:
https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=BOX&product=AFD&issuedby=BOX

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://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box

Hello to all…

..A potential major winter storm will impact portions of Southern New England, particularly Eastern New England, late Friday Night into Saturday Night with heavy snowfall, the potential for blizzard or near blizzard conditions for a portion of the region, strong to damaging winds in East and South Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island and the potential for minor to moderate coastal flooding at the time of high tide cycles particularly Saturday Evening but also Saturday Morning as well. We are still 2.5-3 days away from the storm impacts so future model runs will determine impacts and there remains spread in the model tracks..
..A Winter Storm Watch is now in effect for all of Rhode Island and Eastern Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Plymouth, Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket Counties of Massachusetts from Late Saturday Night through Sunday Evening for 8-18″ of snow and isolated higher amounts with wind gusts 35-50 MPH in the interior and 50-60+ MPH Gusts in Coastal Southern New England. These winds could cause isolated to scattered pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages..
..Additional Watches, Warnings and Advisories could be required in future updates depending on the model guidance. A shift in guidance as little as 50-100 miles east or west could have far reaching impacts on what the region experiences. The greatest confidence in significant impacts is in the current Winter Storm Watch area but could shift into other parts of the region depending on the track and the western edge of the major storm envelope..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation with Amateur Radio Call-Up Nets are likely Saturday and potentially Sunday Morning for this significant storm system. ARES/RACES Groups in Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island should closely monitor the progress of this system and seek advice from local leadership. Pictures and videos of snowfall, wind damage and coastal flooding when the event unfolds can be sent as a reply to the message or to the email address pics@nsradio.org..

Models are all showing a powerful coastal storm system will impact Southern New England late Friday Night into Saturday Night. Model solutions are still moving and have spread in the guidance and therefore we need to monitor closely the trends. The current forecast and headlines depict current thinking but please note that we are 2.5-3 days away from impacts and trends in guidance of 50-100 miles east or west could have far reaching effect on the impacts to the region. Key factors include:

1.) The all important forecast track of this system is still in flux. All models forecast a very intense coastal storm but vary on the track and ensemble models which are a compilation of model outputs have a wider spread than normal and will be monitored. Deviation of 50-100 miles to the west means a greater area of our region gets impacted with significant snowfall and higher winds while a track further east could confine impacts to southeast coastal New England. Trends over the last 24 hours have trended a bit east but could easily trend back a bit west and will be monitored through the overnight into tomorrow.
2.) The western envelope of the system and how far back west the precipitation and wind shield gets. Some models bring this fairly significantly westward while other models show a sharper cutoff west of the current Winter Storm Watch area. This is why the Winter Storm Watch area is currently over Rhode Island and Eastern Massachusetts from Cape Ann to Boston to Hopkinton and points south.
3.) Timing and strength of the strongest winds and how far west this extends which will determine wind damage impacts in Eastern New England and how far inland it reaches along with coastal flood impacts.

SKYWARN Self-Activation with Amateur Radio Call-Up Nets are likely Saturday and potentially Sunday Morning for this significant storm system. ARES/RACES Groups in Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island should closely monitor the progress of this system and seek advice from local leadership. Pictures and videos of snowfall, wind damage and coastal flooding when the event unfolds can be sent as a reply to the message or to the email address pics@nsradio.org. Another coordination message will be posted by 1000 AM Thursday Morning. Below is the NWS Boston/Norton Winter Storm Watch Statement, Snowfall Maps and Area Forecast Discussion:

NWS Boston/Norton Winter Storm Watch Statement & Snowfall Maps:
https://www.weather.gov/box/winter

NWS Boston/Norton Area Forecast Discussion:
https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=BOX&product=AFD&issuedby=BOX

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://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box

Hello to all…

We appreciate everyone’s patience as we make an off-topic post on the need for Amateur Radio Volunteers for the 2022 Boston Marathon. In addition, there is a continued need for medical volunteers for the 2022 Boston Marathon and those interested in volunteering as a medical or general volunteer can use the register.hamradioboston.org link are brought to the general volunteer page which can be utilized for those that are not Amateur Radio Operators to volunteer. Further details for Amateur Radio volunteers follow below:

Planning is well underway for the 2022 Boston Marathon! The BAA opened volunteer registration continues to be open and it will close on Friday, February 18, 2022. Returning volunteers should have received an email from the BAA with details about how to register.

New volunteers can sign up via http://register.hamradioboston.org/

We have also provided a step by step guide on how to select Amateur Radio volunteer positions during the registration process:
https://hamradioboston.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/44002294773-2022-volunteer-registration-step-by-step-guide

If you have any questions about the upcoming volunteer registration period, or the 2022 Marathon generally, please get in touch anytime via the email address contact@hamradioboston.org

Thank you, and 73,

Boston Marathon Communications Committee
contact@HamRadioBoston.org

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://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box