Hello to all..

On behalf of the entire Amateur Radio Group at WX1BOX, the Amateur Radio station for NWS Boston/Norton Massachusetts, and the forecaster staff at NWS Boston/Norton, we would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Holiday season. 2019 was another interesting year for weather across the region. Some of the highlights included a relatively quiet winter season that did have a brief period of active weather with a damaging wind event on February 25th, 2019, a significant winter storm Sunday Evening March 3rd into Monday Morning March 4th, rain, thunderstorms, and strong to damaging winds on April 15th for the Boston Marathon, the July 23rd Cape Cod Tornado event, several other active severe weather events in the spring to summer season, a significant nor’easter that brought hurricane force wind gusts and many power outages to Southern New England on October 16th-17th 2019 followed by another potent damaging wind event on October 31st through November 1st. The year ended with an active first half of 2019 with several winter storms bringing heavy snowfall including the 3-day storm of December 1st through December 3rd 2019, the Monday December 9th-10th heavy rainfall event, Wednesday December 11th winter storm and December 17th icing event. A complete slate of SKYWARN training classes were completed largely by Amateur Radio Operator instructors with some assistance from NWS forecasters. On Monday May 6th, 2019, members of Rhode Island and Eastern Massachusetts ARES and SKYWARN and other Amateur Radio SKYWARN spotters from around Southern New England participated in the 2019 Hurricane Awareness Tour from Quonset State Airport in North Kingstown, RI. Amateur Radio Operators supported event logistics and had a special event station that made contact with WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane Center in Miami Florida who came on the air to support his event.

As has been the case for the last several years, many of you provided critical reports, pictures and videos that supported and resulted in the protection of life and property and timely warnings being issued based on the surface reporting and ground truth that is so critical in confirming what the radar is or is not seeing. This information was then shared with the media, local, state and federal emergency management and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that are always looking for situational awareness and disaster intelligence to gauge the level of response and recovery required for an incident. They remain extremely impressed with all the work that all of you do and they extend their appreciation. That appreciation of the weather and damage reports is highly recognized by many of the media outlets as well who thank SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators on television and over social media such as Facebook and Twitter. This mission could not be done without all of your support.

The winter season of 2019 was quiet for most of the season with very small snowstorms and below average winter storms. That said, there was one active week between February 25th and March 4th. It started on February 25th with widespread pockets of wind damage with trees and wires down, power outages and wind gusts over 60 MPH in many locations across Southern New England. After a couple of smaller winter storms, a coastal storm, responsible for a significant severe weather outbreak in the Southeast United States, would affect the region with a widespread 6-12″ of snow and a band of 12-18″ of snow across portions of interior Southern New England. The snow was heavy and wet but the lack of stronger winds precluded a more damaging event. Nonetheless, the heavy wet snow caused pockets of tree and power line damage in the areas that received the most snow across interior and coastal Southern New England.

In April, a storm system brought thunderstorms with heavy rainfall impacting the morning of the 2019 Boston Marathon with the lightning over the area causing some minor contingencies to be invoked for the start of the race. Some of the thunderstorms were severe with wind gusts of around 60 MPH causing pockets of tree and wire damage. These severe thunderstorms stayed just south of the race route that morning with wind gusts of up to 48 MPH in Wrentham, Massachusetts while Hopkinton, Mass at the start line of the race only had wind gusts to 30 MPH. The race was largely dry after thunderstorms that morning but later in the day, some rain showers with gusty winds and wind gusts 40-50 MPH moved through the area including along the race route but towards the end of the race with only minor race impacts.

Severe thunderstorm events started up in late May and extended into June and July. Several notable events included thunderstorms with hail that affected numerous Amateur Radio Field Day sites on Saturday June 22nd. Several Amateur Radio Field Day sites across Rhode Island and Eastern Massachusetts were affected by these thunderstorms until the thunderstorms cleared out during the early evening. The following weekend, two days of severe weather affected portions of Southern New England. On Saturday June 29th, Golf Ball Sized hail affected locations such as Lincoln RI, Cumberland, RI and Attleboro and North Attleboro, Massachusetts. On Sunday June 30th, another round of severe thunderstorms affected the region with Quarter to half-dollar sized hail and larger affecting the Warwick, RI area. On both days pockets of tree and wire damage also occurred.

As we moved into July, several flood and severe weather events occurred during the month. On July 22nd, several tornado warnings were issued for Cape Cod but no tornado occurred. Wind damage with numerous trees down occurred in a section of Harwich, Mass but it was determined to be from straightline winds.

On July 23rd, 2019, a meso-low pressure system with a ring of severe thunderstorms caused significant straightline wind damage and 3 tornadoes, effectively doubling the number of tornadoes on record for Cape Cod in one day with wind damage and wind gusts over 60 MPH recorded on Martha’s Vineyard. Straightline wind gusts as high as over 90 MPH were recorded on Cape Cod. Many trees, wires and utility poles were downed along with structural damage to a few structures. SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators along with several automated weather stations around Cape Cod were the first to report the significant severe weather conditions in the region. Within a few hours, Cape Cod ARES and SKYWARN produced over 100 pictures of the damage in the region. At the height of the storm, over 53,000 were without power across Cape Cod and parts of Marthas Vineyard. Cape Cod ARES was active with shelter and support of the Barnstable County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and Multi Agency Coordination Center (MACC) in Barnstable, Massachusetts. The Amateur Radio and SKYWARN Spotter efforts drew media attention with 2 phone interviews with FOX-25 TV in Boston as well as an article on the ARRL web site. The ARRL web story can be seen at the following link:

http://www.arrl.org/news/cape-cod-ares-and-skywarn-provide-support-in-rare-cape-cod-tornado-event

On July 31st, 2019, a potent severe weather event affected much of interior Southern New England all the way into the Metro Boston area with wind gusts of 73 MPH recorded at Boston Logan Airport. Pockets of tree and wire damage and hail up to Quarter to Half Dollar sized occurred across interior Southern New England. Straightline wind damage in more numerous pockets occurred across parts of Winthrop and Boston, Massachusetts along with areas further west in parts of Southern Worcester County Massachusetts and along the Massachusetts and Rhode Island border. This was one of the more notable severe weather events of the summer season.

As we moved into August, several flood and hail, wind damage events occurred over the course of the month. The most notable event was on August 19th where reports of hail up to Golf Ball and 2″ diameter in the Agawam and Springfield, Mass area with pockets of wind damage in this area and across portions of the remainder of interior Southern New England. As we moved into September, there were several weather events in the first week of September, the most notable of which was on Wednesday September 4th, 2019, where severe thunderstorms occurred across portions of Western Massachusetts and Connecticut with the fourth tornado of the severe weather season occurring in Coventry to Mansfield, Connecticut. Dorian would then make a pass close enough to Cape Cod and the Islands to produce tropical storm force conditions across this area with wind gusts to around 40 MPH into other parts of Southeast Coastal Massachusetts. Severe weather season was quiet until Wednesday October 2nd where a few severe thunderstorms in Rhode Island caused pockets of straightline wind damage and a weak, brief EF0 Tornado in Portsmouth, RI bringing the total tornado count for 2019 to 5 for the season. The 5 tornadoes were above normal for the season but well below the 11 tornadoes that occurred in the 2018 severe weather season.

As we moved into October and November, wind events and coastal storms were scattered about these months. The most notable events was the coastal storm of October 16th and 17th 2019 which had widespread pockets of tree and power line damage and power outages and widespread rainfall of 2-4″ with isolated higher amounts. Several hundred thousand people were without power in Southern New England including over 250,000 in Massachusetts alone. Hurricane force wind gusts occurred in portions of Southern New England with widespread wind gusts of 58 MPH or greater meeting High Wind Warning criteria. SKYWARN Amateur Radio Operations used self-activation given the strongest winds happening during the overnight. Some flooding of road ways occurred from the heavy rainfall in urban and poor drainage areas. On October 31st into November 1st, another round of strong to damaging winds with a cold front and area of low pressure brought a second round of damage to the area but not as significant as the October 16-17th event though there were power outages in the tens of thousands across Southern New England. November had several wind events and some areas in Northwest Massachusetts having their first snowfall of the 2019-2020 winter season.

In December, the first half of the month was very active and kicked off by the first major winter storm for the region as a 3-day winter storm affected the region. Reports in parts of North-Central and Western Massachusetts ranged between 15-29″ of snow with other areas receiving 4-12″ of snow over a long duration 3-day period. Some strong wind gusts in the 40-50 MPH range with isolated higher gusts were also recorded causing some minor tree and power line damage. An extended period of SKYWARN activation starting with Ops on the Sunday Night and Self-Activation with Amateur Radio call-up nets on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday Night December 9th through Tuesday December 10th, 2019, heavy rainfall was widespread in the region with the highest rainfall amounts in Southeast New England where 2-4″ of rain occurred. Immediately following this storm, late Tuesday Night December 10th into Wednesday December 11th a moderate snowstorm bringing a widespread 3-6″ of snow with isolated higher amounts of 7-8″ across much of Southern New England with the highest amounts over parts of Central and Eastern New England. This storm adversely affected the Wednesday Morning December 11th commute. Another heavy rain event occurred Friday December 13th into Saturday December 14th with some minor flooding issues. This event brought some strong winds over Wind Advisory level with brief wind gusts to over 60 MPH on Nantucket Island. Finally, on Tuesday December 17th, after a period of light snow and some areas receiving 2-5″ of snow, icing of largely 1/8-1/3rd of an inch with isolated amounts of 1/2″ inch of ice occurred in portions of Southern New England. This even resulted in a few isolated pockets of tree and wire damage in parts of Northern Connecticut, Rhode Island and interior Southeast Massachusetts.

With the high pace of events in the first half of December, we have not had a chance to post any Facebook photo albums of the storm events. Over the next week if the weather remains quiet enough, we will post those photo albums of these storm events on our Facebook and Twitter feeds. Many thanks to all SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators for photos and videos from these events in December and year round in 2019.

As we move forward in 2020, we will be continuing our commitment to SKYWARN training. Planning has started and sessions will be posted for 2020 SKYWARN Training starting in January. There will be a presence at the American Meteorological Society (AMS) 100th Anniversary Conference Weatherfest on Sunday January 12th from Noon-4 PM and planning is ongoing for this event. We know that we’ve continued to have a large influx of SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators after a full slate of SKYWARN Training classes. We will also look at ways spotters and Amateurs can become more active in supporting efforts to gather critical reports from other areas beyond where they are located and do so in a precise manner.

We will also continue to embrace new technologies while maintaining all the other technologies utilized to gather as much real-time and precise meteorological and damage report information as possible and this effort will be pushed more heavily as we get into 2020. We will attempt to look at expanding DMR usage and potentially look at DSTAR Amateur Radio as an additional means for reporting during severe weather and we are still looking at a new Amateur Radio technology called NBEMS, the Narrow Band Emergency Messaging System, as a potential means to gather weather spotter data digitally over Ham Radio. These are added capabilities that we will be looking at and will not replace the continued core technologies within VHF and UHF (2 Meters/440 MHz) SKYWARN Amateur Radio Repeaters and simplex capabilities, our usage of Echolink/IRLP Amateur Radio linked repeaters, Amateur Radio HF and 6 Meters capabilities as well as monitoring of weather stations ingested over APRS and into the Mesonet networks that have supported and helped with seeing what is happening on the ground.

We will also be looking at other ways to engage both Amateur Radio and non-Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters via other ways to get near real-time and historical spotter reports and near real-time video and pictures as well as historical video and pictures after a major severe weather event via a project the WX1BOX Amateur Radio team is working over the past year. Further details on this will be announced as the project progresses along with additional projects being worked over the past Spring as well. This will further enhance our abilities to gather situational awareness and disaster intelligence information in a short period of time

We continue to have our twitter feed setup and you can follow WX1BOX on Twitter by following our Amateur Radio Call-Sign, WX1BOX and have our WX1BOX Facebook page available as well. NWS Boston/Norton has also continued the use of their Twitter and Facebook feeds as well over the course of 2019. Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators can follow WX1BOX and ‘NWSBoston’ on Twitter and on Facebook can ‘like’ these pages. They are available via the following links:

WX1BOX Amateur Radio SKYWARN Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/wx1box

NWS Boston/Norton Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/NWSBoston/

WX1BOX Amateur Radio SKYWARN Twitter Feed:
http://twitter.com/wx1box

NWS Taunton Twitter feed:
https://twitter.com/NWSBoston

We, again, want to provide a tremendous THANK YOU to all of you that supported SKYWARN and the National Weather Service during 2019. We wish everyone once again, a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holiday Season and hope people enjoy their time with family and friends during this joyous holiday season!

Respectfully Submitted,

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

Hello to all…

..Snow and Ice will have a significant impact on the Tuesday Morning Commute across Southern New England. Ice accretion may be thick enough to result in isolated pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages if ice accretion values are thick enough..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 1 AM to 7 PM Tuesday for Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden, Worcester, and North-Central Middlesex Counties of Massachusetts for 3-5 inches of snow and a light glaze of ice..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 1 AM to 7 PM Tuesday for Northern Connecticut, and Northwest Providence County Rhode Island for 2-4″ of snow and up to two-tenths of an inch of ice. In this area, ice accretion may be thick enough to result in isolated pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages depending on the ice thickness..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect 1 AM to 1 PM Tuesday for the remainder of Rhode Island, Eastern Essex, Southeast Middlesex, Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth Counties of Massachusetts for 1-3″ of snow and a light glaze of ice..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation with Amateur Radio call-up nets will monitor this winter storm for Tuesday..

Another winter storm is slated to impact Southern New England for Tuesday. The headlines depict the current thinking. Key factors of this storm include:

1.) The morning commute will be significantly impacted by snow and ice and the heaviest accumulating snow will fall during the commute. This will result in slippery road conditions and slowed travel during this period. Allow plenty of time to get to your destination or delay travel until later in the day.
2.) The evening commute could have some impacts in western and central New England but not as bad as the morning commute.
3.) Ice accumulations across Northern Connecticut and Northwest Rhode Island could cause some isolated pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages if the higher end ice thicknesses are realized and this will be monitored.
4.) The snow versus snow/mix to freezing rain has oscillated north and south based on the various models. This will ultimately dictate snow and ice amounts in the region and will be monitored.
5.) Models have trended a bit heavier with the precipitation which has led to bumping up the snow and ice amounts slightly in the region and this will be monitored.

SKYWARN Self-Activation with Amateur Radio call-up nets will monitor this winter storm for Tuesday. If time allows another coordination message will be posted Tuesday Morning but given we will be in operations mode, this may be the only message on this storm event. Below is the NWS Boston/Norton Winter Weather Advisory statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook, Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook and the snow and ice maps:

NWS Boston/Norton Winter Weather Advisory Statement:
https://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus41.KBOX.html

NWS Boston/Norton Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.flus41.KBOX.html

NWS Boston/Norton Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://www.weather.gov/box/ehwo

NWS Boston/Norton Snowfall Maps:
https://www.weather.gov/box/winter

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

Hello to all…

..Strong Wind Gusts Over Much of Southern New England as storm system that brought rainfall region wide with some strong wind gusts in Southeast New England intensifies as it moves into the Canadian Maritimes..
..A Wind Advisory is in effect through 9 PM EST Sunday for Block Island RI, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Island and a Wind Advisory is in effect through 7 PM EST Sunday for Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden, Worcester, Middlesex, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Plymouth and Barnstable Counties of Massachusetts for sustained winds of 20-30 MPH with gusts to 50 MPH likely. These winds will likely cause isolated pockets of tree and power line damage and isolated power outages. Areas outside of the Wind Advisory will see wind gusts around 40 MPH through the day into early Sunday Evening.
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor the strong wind gusts for Sunday Morning through Sunday Evening. This will be the only message on the strong winds unless a significant upgrade to the situation occurs and time allows for an update. Below is the NWS Boston/Norton Wind Advisory Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook and Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook..

NWS Boston/Norton Wind Advisory Statement:
https://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus71.KBOX.html

NWS Boston/Norton Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.flus41.KBOX.html

NWS Boston/Norton Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://www.weather.gov/box/ehwo

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

Hello to all…

..Storm system bringing heavy rain and the potential for flooding between the heavy rainfall and rapid snowmelt in the region along with strong to damaging winds in Southeast New England and especially Cape Cod and the Islands..
..A Flood Watch is in effect through late Saturday Night for the entire NWS Boston/Norton Coverage area for 1.5 to 3″ of rain with isolated higher amounts of up to 3.5″. This rainfall coupled with snow melt in many areas and recent heavy rainfall has the potential to cause urban and poor drainage flooding as well as the potential for river flooding. It is also noted several rivers are under river flood watches as well and the statement detailing that is listed below..
..A High Wind Warning is in effect from 8 AM to 3 PM Saturday for Cape Cod and the Islands for sustained winds of 25-35 MPH and gusts between 50-60 MPH and isolated higher gusts possible. These winds can cause isolated to scattered pockets of tree and power line damage and power outages..
..A Wind Advisory is in effect through 2 PM Saturday for Plymouth and Southern Bristol Counties of Massachusetts and Bristol, Newport Counties and Block Island Rhode Island for sustained winds of 15-30 MPH with gusts to around 50 MPH. These winds will cause isolated pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages..
..Additional wind headlines may be needed for later Saturday Night into Sunday and additional coordination messages will be posted to cover that potential..
..Very minor coastal flooding and splashover is possible during the midday high tide across East and South Coastal Massachusetts and South Coastal Rhode Island and a coastal flood statement has been issued to cover that potential..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor the storm system for measured rainfall, flooding and wind measurement and wind damage reports throughout the day Saturday. Self-Activation will also cover the potential for strong winds later Saturday Night into Sunday as well..

Storm system is in progress over the region with rainfall amounts already between 1 and 1.65″ noted across the region. Additional rainfall is expected and the heavy rainfall coupled with snow melt and prior heavy rain events earlier in the week could result in flooding of urban and poor drainage areas as well as small rivers and streams across the region. For that reason, a Flood Watch continues for the entire NWS Boston/Norton coverage area. Strong to damaging winds are expected in Southeast New England and especially Cape Cod and the Islands later this morning and early this afternoon as well. The headlines depict the current thinking. Key factors include:

1.) Ability for strong to damaging winds to mix down to the surface. Despite an inversion keeping some of the winds from reaching the surface, precipitation drag and any convective heavy showers or even a thunderstorm or two could bring those strong winds down to the surface.
2.) Amount of rainfall and snow melt that occurs will dictate how widespread any flooding will be and where the highest amounts of rainfall occur.

SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor the storm system for measured rainfall, flooding and wind measurement and wind damage reports throughout the day Saturday. Self-Activation will also cover the potential for strong winds later Saturday Night into Sunday as well. This will be the only coordination message for this portion of the storm but additional coordination messages will be posted as needed for any additional wind headlines issued. Below is the NWS Boston/Norton Flood Watch Statement, River Flood Watch Statement, High Wind Warning/Wind Advisory Statement, Coastal Flood Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook, Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook and Rainfall/Precipitation Forecast:

NWS Boston/Norton Flood Watch Statement:
https://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wgus61.KBOX.html

NWS Boston/Norton River Flood Watch Statement:
https://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KBOX/1912140318.wgus61.html

NWS Boston/Norton High Wind Warning/Wind Advisory Statement:
https://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus71.KBOX.html

NWS Boston/Norton Coastal Flood Statement:
https://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.whus41.KBOX.html

NWS Boston/Norton Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.flus41.KBOX.html

NWS Boston/Norton Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://www.weather.gov/box/ehwo

NWS Boston/Norton Rainfall/Precipitation Forecast:
https://www.weather.gov/box/PQPFTest

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

Hello to all…

..Frontal system will bring a period of snow centered around the Wednesday Morning Commute causing impacts to the commuter rush hour..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 10 PM Tuesday Evening through Noon Wednesday for Northern Connecticut, Rhode Island, Southern Worcester, Norfolk, Suffolk, Bristol and Plymouth Counties of Massachusetts for 1-4″ of snow. Isolated higher amounts could occur in any persistent narrow heavy snow bands that could occur in the advisory area..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation with Amateur Radio Call-Up Nets will monitor for snowfall totals and changeover in precipitation type overnight into Wednesday Morning. This will be the only coordination message for this event unless a significant upgrade to the situation occurs and time allows for an update. Below is the NWS Boston/Norton Winter Weather Advisory Statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook, Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook and snowfall maps..

NWS Boston/Norton Winter Weather Advisory Statement:
https://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus41.KBOX.html

NWS Boston/Norton Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.flus41.KBOX.html

NWS Boston/Norton Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://www.weather.gov/box/ehwo

NWS Boston/Norton Snowfall Maps:
https://www.weather.gov/box/winter

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

Hello to all…

..First significant winter storm of the 2019-2020 winter season likely for much of Southern New England starting around midday Sunday lasting through at least Monday Night and possibly into Tuesday Morning. The winter storm continues to have the potential to bring 6″ or more of snow to the interior and some northeast coastal areas of Southern New England with the potential of 10″ or more of snow in northern and western Massachusetts, more of a mix of rain and snow in Southeast New England, south and west of Boston to Providence as well as strong winds to coastal Southern New England..
..A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect from 11 AM Sunday to 7 AM Tuesday for Franklin, Western Hampshire, Western Hampden, Northern Worcester and Northern Middlesex Counties of Massachusetts for 10-16″ of snow and up to one-tenth inch of ice. A Winter Storm Warning is now in effect for from 11 AM Sunday to 7 AM Tuesday for Central Middlesex County Massachusetts for 9-12″ of snow and one-tenth of an inch of ice..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect from 11 AM Sunday to 7 AM Tuesday for Hartford and Tolland Counties of Connecticut for 4-11″ of snow and one-tenth to one-quarter inch of ice. The snow and ice will fall over a greater than 24 hour period resulting in a prolonged event such that it classifies as advisory criteria..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect from 11 AM Sunday to 7 AM Tuesday for Eastern Hampden, Eastern Hampshire, Southern Worcester and Western Essex Counties of Massachusetts for 8-12″ of snow with isolated higher amounts and up to one-tenth inch of ice. The snow and ice will fall over a greater than 24 hour period resulting in a prolonged event such that it classifies as advisory criteria..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect from 11 AM Sunday to 7 AM Tuesday for Eastern Essex, Norfolk, Southeast Middlesex and Suffolk Counties Massachusetts for 3-6″ of snow and 7-11″ of snow inland with up to one-tenth inch of ice. Wind Gusts to around 40 MPH are likely especially at the coast. The snow and ice will fall over a greater than 24 hout period resulting a prolonged event that it classifies as advisory criteria..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect from 11 AM Sunday to 7 AM Tuesday for Windham County Connecticut and Northwest Providence County Rhode Island for 3-8″ of snow and around one-tenth or two-tenths of an inch of ice..
..In all Winter Storm Warning and advisory areas, the consistency of the snow will start out normal and then become heavy and wet along with the ice. This combination may result in isolated pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages that will be monitored..
..Other areas of Southeast Massachusetts and Rhode Island will see snow change to rain and then potentially back to snow before ending. Strong wind gusts of 40-50 MPH are possible in Southeast coastal New England late Sunday Night into Tuesday Morning potentially prompting Wind Advisories…
..The coastal flood threat is minimal due to low astronomical tides despite a long duration of east and northeast winds in the area but this will be monitored..
..SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Boston/Norton will commence from 4 PM Sunday Afternoon to around 1 AM Monday Morning with Amateur Radio Call-up Nets during this timeframe. SKYWARN Self-Activation will continue to monitor the storm through Monday into Tuesday Morning with Amateur Radio Call-Up nets occurring as needed. WX1BOX Amateur Radio Ops may be considered again for a portion of Monday depending on the intensity of precipitation as the storm intensifies and moves out of the region..

The first significant winter storm of the 2019-2020 winter season still appears likely for Southern New England. The winter storm will significantly impact the Sunday Afternoon and evening travel for travelers returning from Thanksgiving and will have some impacts the Monday Morning and evening commutes. The headlines depict current thinking. Winter Storm Warnings have been expanded to cover Central Middlesex County Massachusetts. Much of the rest of the Winter Storm Watch area has been converted to Winter Weather Advisories though total snowfall for the entire event Tuesday Morning could be greater than 6″ in various parts of the advisory area. The reason for the advisories versus warnings is those snow amounts will pile up over an extended period of time where as the warning area will see the higher totals in a shorter timeframe. There still remains discrepancies in the model guidance on the amount of warming that occurs with some reliable guidance indicating colder conditions while other reliable guidance depicting warmer conditions Key factors have been updated a bit and are as follows:

1.) The storm track will be crucial and with the storm track, the amount of cold air with this system. Some very reliable models including the European model suite is depicting more colder air and a heavier snow scenario. Other models are warmer with a closer to Southern New England coast track. The headlines depict current thinking but changes in snow and ice amounts will be ongoing. Spotter reports will be key in helping make these changes for this storm event.
2.) The speed of the system and its ability to keep heavier snow going. This is expected to be a long duration storm system with a storm track slowly moving eastward south of the coast. Some model guidance indicates a stronger backlash snow for eastern areas as cold air moves back in but other model guidance does not show this due to a lack of moisture. This aspect will bear watching.
3.) Within the warning and advisory areas, the consistency of snow and extent of ice accumulation could result in isolated pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages. This will bear watching throughout the storm event.
4.) The strength of the winds at the coast will continued to be monitored for Wind Advisories. Wind gusts to around 40 MPH are likely at the coast with the potential to hit Wind Advisory levels.

SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Boston/Norton will commence from 4 PM Sunday Afternoon to around 1 AM Monday Morning with Amateur Radio Call-up Nets during this timeframe. SKYWARN Self-Activation will continue to monitor the storm through Monday into Tuesday Morning with Amateur Radio Call-Up nets occurring as needed. WX1BOX Amateur Radio Ops may be considered again for a portion of Monday depending on the intensity of precipitation as the storm intensifies and moves out of the region. We are planning Amateur Radio Call-Up Nets on some of the main repeaters during the course of the late afternoon/evening hours. Rough start timeframes are as follows:

Western Mass/Northern Connecticut: 4-5 PM
Central Mass: 6-7 PM
Eastern Mass/Rhode Island: 8-9 PM

Check your main SKYWARN Amateur Radio repeater for updates.

This will be the last scheduled update for this winter storm event as we move into operations mode. If time allows and significant changes occur, we’ll post interim storm updates given the duration of the event. Below is the NWS Boston/Norton Winter Storm Warning/Winter Weather Advisory statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook, Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook and Snow and Ice maps:

NWS Boston/Norton Winter Storm Warning/Winter Weather Advisory Statement:
https://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus41.KBOX.html

NWS Boston/Norton Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.flus41.KBOX.html

NWS Boston/Norton Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://www.weather.gov/box/ehwo

NWS Boston/Norton Snowfall Maps:
https://www.weather.gov/box/winter

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

Hello to all…

..First significant winter storm of the 2019-2020 winter season likely for much of Southern New England starting around midday Sunday lasting through at least Monday Night and possibly into Tuesday Morning. The winter storm continues to have the potential to bring 6″ or more of snow to the interior and some northeast coastal areas of Southern New England with the potential of 10″ or more of snow in northern and western Massachusetts, more of a mix of rain and snow in Southeast New England, south and west of Boston to Providence as well as strong winds to coastal Southern New England..
..A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect from 11 AM Sunday to 7 AM Tuesday for Franklin, Western Hampshire, Western Hampden, Northern Worcester and Northern Middlesex Counties of Massachusetts for 10-18″ of snow..
..A Winter Storm Watch is remains in effect from Sunday Morning to Tuesday Morning for Eastern Hampshire, Eastern Hampden, Southern Worcester, Central Middlesex and Western Essex Counties of Massachusetts for 8-14″ of snow and up to one tenth inch of ice..
..A Winter Storm Watch is remains in effect for Hartford and Tolland Counties of Connecticut from Sunday Morning to Tuesday Morning for 5-10″ of snow ice accumulations of up to two-tenths of an inch of ice as snow may mix with sleet and freezing rain for a time late Sunday Night through early Monday Morning before changing back to snow..
..A Winter Storm Watch is remains in effect from Sunday Morning to Tuesday Moring for Eastern Essex, Southeast Middlesex, Norfolk and Suffolk Counties of Massachusetts for 3-5″ of snow along the immediate coast with 6-12″ elsewhere and wind gusts as high as 40 MPH. This area could see a snow to wintry mix to rain back to snow scenario at the coast with a snow to wintry mix back to snow inland from the coast..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect from 11 AM Sunday to 7 AM Tuesday for Windham County Connecticut and Northwest Providence County Rhode Island for 3-6″ of snow and around one-tenth of an inch of ice..
..Other areas of Southeast Massachusetts and Rhode Island will see snow change to rain and then potentially back to snow before ending. Strong wind gusts of 40-50 MPH are possible in Southeast coastal New England depending on the speed, track and intensity of the coastal storm late Sunday Night into Tuesday Morning potentially prompting Wind Advisories…
..The coastal flood threat is minimal due to low astronomical tides despite a long duration of east and northeast winds in the area but this will be monitored..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation is likely to monitor this storm system with Ops at NWS Boston/Norton possible to likely over portions of this long duration storm event. Further details on the activation plan will be determined Saturday Evening into early Sunday Morning..

The first significant winter storm of the 2019-2020 winter season still appears likely for Southern New England. The winter storm will significantly impact the Sunday Afternoon and evening travel for travelers returning from Thanksgiving and could significantly impact the Monday Morning and evening commutes. The headlines depict current thinking and there is still spread in the models right now concerning the track and speed of this coastal storm hence why Winter Storm Watches remain posted for much of the area and the only change was for Winter Weather Advisories Windham County Connecticut and Northwest Providence County Rhode Island. Key factors for this storm include and remain the following:

1.) The storm track will be crucial and with the storm track, the amount of cold air with this system. Some very reliable models including the European model suite is depicting more colder air and a heavier snow scenario. Other models are warmer with a closer to Southern New England coast track. As we move into Saturday Night and Sunday, model guidance will come into better agreement and that will adjust snow, wintry mix and rain amounts across the entire region.
2.) The speed of the system and its ability to keep heavier snow going. This is expected to be a long duration storm system with a storm track slowly moving eastward south of the coast. If the system’s slow track verifies and is able to wrap around good moisture and heavy precipitation, this could mean heavier snow amounts in interior southern New England depending on key factor 1 on the storm track.
3.) The storm intensity which will impact key factor 2 particularly if slow moving.
4.) The strength of the winds will hinge on key factors 2 and 3.

SKYWARN Self-Activation is likely to monitor this storm system with Ops at NWS Boston/Norton possible to likely over portions of this long duration storm event. Further details on the activation plan will be determined Saturday evening into early Sunday Morning. Another coordination message will be posted by 1000 AM Sunday Morning. Below is the NWS Boston/Norton Winter Storm Warning/Watch/Winter Weather Advisory statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook, Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook and Snow and Ice maps:

NWS Boston/Norton Winter Storm Warning/Watch/Winter Weather Advisory Statement:
https://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus41.KBOX.html

NWS Boston/Norton Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.flus41.KBOX.html

NWS Boston/Norton Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://www.weather.gov/box/ehwo

NWS Boston/Norton Snowfall Maps:
https://www.weather.gov/box/winter

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

Hello to all…

..First significant winter storm of the 2019-2020 winter season likely for much of Southern New England starting around midday Sunday lasting through at least Monday Night and possibly into Tuesday Morning. The winter storm has the potential to bring 6″ or more of snow to the interior and some northeast coastal areas of Southern New England with the potential of 10″ or more of snow in northern and western Massachusetts, more of a mix of rain and snow in Southeast New England, south and west of Boston to Providence as well as strong winds to coastal Southern New England..
..A Winter Storm Warning is now in effect from 11 AM Sunday to 7 AM Tuesday for Franklin, Western Hampshire, Western Hampden, Northern Worcester and Northern Middlesex Counties of Massachusetts for 10-18″ of snow..
..A Winter Storm Watch is now in effect from Sunday Morning to Tuesday Morning for Eastern Hampshire, Eastern Hampden, Southern Worcester, Central Middlesex and Western Essex Counties of Massachusetts for 8-14″ of snow and up to one tenth inch of ice..
..A Winter Storm Watch is now in effect for Hartford and Tolland Counties of Connecticut from Sunday Morning to Tuesday Morning for 5-10″ of snow ice accumulations of up to two-tenths of an inch of ice as snow may mix with sleet and freezing rain for a time late Sunday Night through early Monday Morning before changing back to snow..
..A Winter Storm Watch is now in effect from Sunday Morning to Tuesday Moring for Eastern Essex, Southeast Middlesex, Norfolk and Suffolk Counties of Massachusetts for 3-5″ of snow along the immediate coast with 6-12″ elsewhere and wind gusts as high as 40 MPH. This area could see a snow to wintry mix to rain back to snow scenario at the coast with a snow to wintry mix back to snow inland from the coast..
..Areas along the immediate southern and eastern edges of the Winter Storm Watch may see a wintry mix of precipitation sufficient for Winter Weather Advisories to be posted and this will be monitored. Strong wind gusts of 40-50 MPH are possible in Southeast coastal New England depending on the speed, track and intensity of the coastal storm..
..The coastal flood threat is minimal due to low astronomical tides despite a long duration of east and northeast winds in the area but this will be monitored..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation is likely to monitor this storm system with Ops at NWS Boston/Norton possible to likely over portions of this long duration storm event. Further details on the activation plan will be determined Saturday Evening into early Sunday Morning..

The first significant winter storm of the 2019-2020 winter season still appears likely for Southern New England. The winter storm will significantly impact the Sunday Afternoon and evening travel for travelers returning from Thanksgiving and could significantly impact the Monday Morning and evening commutes. The headlines depict current thinking and there is still spread in the models right now concerning the track and speed of this coastal storm. Key factors for this storm include and remain the following:

1.) The storm track will be crucial and with the storm track, the amount of cold air with this system. Some very reliable models including the European model suite is depicting more colder air and a heavier snow scenario. Other models are warmer with a closer to Southern New England coast track. As we move into Saturday, model guidance will come into better agreement and that will adjust snow, wintry mix and rain amounts across the entire region.
2.) The speed of the system and its ability to keep heavier snow going. This is expected to be a long duration storm system with a storm track slowly moving eastward south of the coast. If the system’s slow track verifies and is able to wrap around good moisture and heavy precipitation, this could mean heavier snow amounts in interior southern New England depending on key factor 1 on the storm track.
3.) The storm intensity which will impact key factor 2 particularly if slow moving.
4.) The strength of the winds will hinge on key factors 2 and 3.

SKYWARN Self-Activation is likely to monitor this storm system with Ops at NWS Boston/Norton possible to likely over portions of this long duration storm event. Further details on the activation plan will be determined Saturday evening into early Sunday Morning. Another coordination message will be posted by 1000 PM Saturday Evening. Below is the NWS Boston/Norton Winter Storm Warning/Watch statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook, Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook and Snow and Ice maps:

NWS Boston/Norton Winter Storm Warning/Watch Statement:
https://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus41.KBOX.html

NWS Boston/Norton Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.flus41.KBOX.html

NWS Boston/Norton Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://www.weather.gov/box/ehwo

NWS Boston/Norton Snowfall Maps:
https://www.weather.gov/box/winter

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

Hello to all…

..On behalf of the WX1BOX Amateur Radio team and NWS Boston/Norton forecasters, we hope everyone had a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday..
..First significant winter storm of the 2019-2020 winter season likely for much of Southern New England starting around midday Sunday lasting through at least Monday Night and possibly into Tuesday Morning. The winter storm has the potential to bring 6″ or more of snow to the interior and some northeast coastal areas of Southern New England, more of a mix of rain and snow in Southeast New England, south and west of Boston to Providence as well as strong winds to coastal Southern New England..
..A Winter Storm Watch is now in effect from midday Sunday through Monday Evening for Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden, Worcester, Northern and Central Middlesex and Western Essex Counties of Massachusetts for 8-12″ of snow with higher amounts possible in the eastern slopes of the Berkshires..
..A Winter Storm Watch is now in effect for Hartford and Tolland Counties of Connecticut from midday Sunday through Monday Evening for 5-10″ of snow ice accumulations of up to two-tenths of an inch of ice as snow may mix with sleet and freezing rain for a time late Sunday Night through early Monday Morning before changing back to snow..
..A Winter Storm Watch is now in effect from Midday Sunday through Monday Evening for Eastern Essex, Southeast Middlesex, Norfolk and Suffolk Counties of Massachusetts for 3-5″ of snow along the immediate coast with 4-8″ elsewhere and wind gusts as high as 40 MPH. This area could see a snow to wintry mix to rain back to snow scenario at the coast with a snow to wintry mix back to snow inland from the coast..
..Areas along the immediate southern and eastern edges of the Winter Storm Watch may see a wintry mix of precipitation sufficient for Winter Weather Advisories to be posted and this will be monitored. Strong wind gusts of 40-50 MPH are possible in Southeast coastal New England depending on the speed, track and intensity of the coastal storm..
..The coastal flood threat is minimal due to low astronomical tides despite a long duration of east and northeast winds in the area..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation is likely to monitor this storm system with Ops at NWS Boston/Norton possible to likely over portions of this long duration storm event. Further details on the activation plan will be determined over the course of the day Saturday into early Sunday Morning..

The first significant winter storm of the 2019-2020 winter season is appearing likely for Southern New England. The winter storm will significantly impact the Sunday Afternoon and evening travel for travelers returning from Thanksgiving and could significantly impact the Monday Morning and evening commutes. The headlines depict current thinking and there is still spread in the models right now concerning the track and speed of this coastal storm. Key factors for this storm include:

1.) The storm track will be crucial and with the storm track, the amount of cold air with this system. Some very reliable models including the European model suite is depicting more colder air and a heavier snow scenario. Other models are warmer with a closer to Southern New England coast track. As we move into Saturday, model guidance will come into better agreement and that will adjust snow, wintry mix and rain amounts across the entire region.
2.) The speed of the system and its ability to keep heavier snow going. This is expected to be a long duration storm system with a storm track slowly moving eastward south of the coast. If the system’s slow track verifies and is able to wrap around good moisture and heavy precipitation, this could mean heavier snow amounts in interior southern New England depending on key factor 1 on the storm track.
3.) The storm intensity which will impact key factor 2 particularly if slow moving.
4.) The strength of the winds will hinge on key factors 2 and 3.

SKYWARN Self-Activation is likely to monitor this storm system with Ops at NWS Boston/Norton possible to likely over portions of this long duration storm event. Further details on the activation plan will be determined over the course of the day Saturday into early Sunday Morning. Another coordination message will be posted by 1000 AM Saturday Morning. Below is the NWS Boston/Norton Winter Storm Watch statement, Hazardous Weather Outlook, Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook and Snow and Ice maps:

NWS Boston/Norton Winter Storm Watch Statement:
https://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus41.KBOX.html

NWS Boston/Norton Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.flus41.KBOX.html

NWS Boston/Norton Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://www.weather.gov/box/ehwo

NWS Boston/Norton Snowfall Maps:
https://www.weather.gov/box/winter

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