The latest from our friends at MEMA: MASSACHUSETTS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY SITUATIONAL AWARENESS STATEMENT DATE: January 3, 2015 TIME: 6:30 AM SUBJECT: Winter Storm To Impact the State Saturday Afternoon and Sunday Watches, Warnings & Advisories Winter Storm Warning: Northern Berkshire County from 4 pm Saturday to 6 am Sunday. Snow and sleet accumulations of 3 to 6 inches before transitioning to sleet and freezing rain; ice accumulation around .10”, snowfall rates this evening up to an inch per hour at times; winds 10 to 15 mph, with gusts to 25 mph. Winter Storm Warning: Franklin County, Western Hampden County, Western Hampshire County, from 4 pm Saturday to 10 am Sunday. 2 to 4 inches of snow before transitioning to sleet and freezing rain around midnight; up to .2” to .4” of ice accretion. Saturday evening, winds should be relatively light at 5 mph to 10 mph. On Sunday, as temperatures rise above freezing, winds will become stronger with gusts to 35 mph. Winter Weather Advisory: Eastern, Central and Southwestern Massachusetts from 4 pm Saturday to 10 am Sunday. Brief period of snow Saturday afternoon before the precipitation changes to sleet and freezing rain, and then to all rain around midnight; a trace of ice accretion. Wind Advisory: South Coastal Massachusetts including Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, from 7 am to 7 pm Sunday. Southwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. Situation Snow will begin in Western and Central Massachusetts between 2 pm and 5 pm today, and in Eastern Massachusetts between 4 pm and 7 pm. In Southeastern Massachusetts, the precipitation may begin as a mix of snow, sleet and rain before changing to all rain. Up to 1” of rainfall is possible in southeastern Massachusetts. In the area of the state this is covered by the Winter Weather Advisory, the precipitation will change over to rain by midnight. Before changing to rain, there may be a period of sleet and freezing rain with a trace of ice accretion. In Southern Berkshire County, there may be 2” to 4” of snow before the changeover the sleet and freezing rain. In the areas of the state covered by the Winter Storm Warnings, snow may be moderate to heavy for periods this evening. To the north of I-90 and west of I-495, 2” to 4” of snow may fall, with up to 6” in some areas of Northern Berkshire County. Ice accretion in the areas covered by the Winter Storm Warnings is forecast to be up to .10”, but .2” to .4” is forecast for Franklin County and Western Hampden and Hampshire Counties. Impacts Road surfaces may be slippery when the snow begins and when the precipitation transitions to sleet and freezing rain, but snowfall amounts are expected to remain under 6”. Strong winds in Southeastern Massachusetts on Sunday could result in downed tree branches and power lines and scattered power outages. Ice accretion, particularly in Franklin County and Western Hampden and Hampshire Counties could result in downed tree branches and power lines, and scattered power outages. Note that the wind on Saturday evening during the periods of sleet and freezing rain is expected to be relatively light (5 mph to 10 mph with some stronger gusts). On Sunday, as temperatures rise above freezing and precipitation turns to rain, winds will become stronger with gusts to 35 mph. Ice Accretion Forecast Map: Snowfall Forecast Map Excluding Berkshire County: Snowfall Total Map for Berkshire County Wind Speed Forecast Map: Ice Index Impact Tool: MEMA Operations The State Emergency Operations Center is operating at Level 1 (Steady State Monitoring). MEMA will continue to monitor the forecast and will issue additional Situational Awareness Statements if there are significant changes to the forecast. MEMA will make a decision later Saturday morning whether to activate the State Emergency Operations Center to Level 2 (Partial Activation) along with certain Emergency Support Functions. Stay Informed For additional information and updated forecasts, see weather.gov/boston (National Weather Service Taunton) and weather.gov/albany (National Weather Service Albany) Utilize Massachusetts Alerts to receive emergency notifications and information from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service. Massachusetts Alerts is a free app that is available for Android and iPhones. To learn more about Massachusetts Alerts, and for information on how to download the free app onto your smartphone, visit: mass.gov/mema/mobileapp. Utilize MEMA’s real-time power outage viewer to stay informed about current power outages in your community and region, and across the state, including information from utility companies about restoration times: mema.mapsonline.net/public.html Online Resources: For additional information and resources, visit: Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency at mass.gov/mema MEMAs Facebook page: facebook/MassachusettsEMA MEMA Twitter: @MassEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency at fema.gov National Weather Service/Taunton at weather.gov/boston National Weather Service/Albany, NY at weather.gov/albany National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center: hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/ National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center: spc.noaa.gov/ Northeast River Forecast Center: weather.gov/nerfc/ Mass211 at mass211.org Kurt Schwartz Undersecretary, Homeland Security & Emergency Management Director, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 16:54:17 +0000
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