Granted it is a little late this year, but today is the start of winter weather awareness week in Maine. Todays topic is Winter weather basics: For those who live in Maine, winter weather is a part of life from November through march and, on some occasions, until the end of April! Soon snow, sleet, freezing rain, cold temperatures, and cold wind chills will be common occurrences. While most of the time these weather elements are only a nuisance to our daily routines, at times they can produce hazardous or life-threatening situations for those who are not prepared or for those who do not take the proper precautions. In Maine, normal snowfall averages from 50 to 70 inches along the coast, but gradually increases as you move inland to more than 140 inches in the mountains. In northern Maine, 100 to 120 inches of snow falls annually. The lesser amounts in coastal areas are partly a result of a frequent change-over to sleet, freezing rain, or rain during many well-developed winter storms. To those driving or walking, This mixture of precipitation can be even more dangerous than snow. As residents of Maine are well aware from January 1998, December 2008, and December 2013 large accumulations of freezing rain can cause disastrous conditions. High winds, cold temperatures, cold wind chills, and coastal flooding can also accompany or follow winter storms. To alert the public to potentially dangerous winter weather events or situations, the national weather service issues outlooks, watches, warnings, and advisories. While the exact criteria used to Trigger watches, warnings, and advisories in northern and eastern Maine will discussed in public information statements later this week, you should keep the following general definitions in mind. * Outlook - A hazardous weather outlook is issued daily by National Weather Service offices across the country to alert the public to the potential for any hazardous weather during the next 7 days, including significant winter storms, high wind, coastal flooding, and extreme temperatures. Due to the uncertainty in predicting strength and path of a winter storm more than a few days in advance, the exact impact on the area (if any) will not be known. In addition, national weather service offices may issue special weather statements highlighting the impacts of a major winter storm. * Watch - Watches are issued to alert the public that dangerous winter conditions are possible in the watch area within the next 24 to 60 hours. Products include: winter storm watch, high wind watch, and coastal flood watch. * Warning - Warnings are issued to alert the public that dangerous winter conditions are likely to occur within the next 36 hours or are already occurring. Products include winter storm warning, ice storm warning, ice storm warning, blizzard warning, high wind warning, wind chill warning, and coastal flood warning. * Advisory - Advisories are issued to alert the public that winter conditions are expected to cause significant inconvenience and may be hazardous. If caution is exercised, these situations should not be life threatening. Products include winter weather advisory, freezing rain advisory, wind advisory, and wind chill advisory. Preparedness tip for the day: Automobile accidents are the leading cause of deaths and injuries during and after winter storms. While snow and ice contribute to the slippery conditions, vehicle speed is the single most important factor in determining the likelihood of a death or serious injury from an automobile accident. Under certain conditions, roads can get extremely ice from an inch or less of snow or from freezing drizzle. Patchy black ice, even days after a storm, can be a significant hazard. Many of these hazards are not apparent until it is too late. Slow down before your vehicle begins to slip and slide. Snow and ice can cause accidents, but vehicle speed kills. Just remember: in ice and snow, take it slow! Here is a listing of the topics to be covered in public information Statements during winter weather awareness week. Monday - winter weather basics Tuesday - watch, warning and advisory criteria for winter storms Wednesday - wind chill, extreme cold, frostbite, and hypothermia Thursday - high wind, coastal flood, and dense fog threats Friday - winter weather preparedness
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 16:22:50 +0000
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