[W1SMH] Weather for Amateur Radio Field Day & Lightning Safety Awareness Week

[Martin Pyne]

Hello,=20
Below is a brief weather outlook for field day as well as some tips for
lightning safety while we will be in "lightning rod city" this weekend. =
See
you all on Friday.
73,
Marty Pyne, KB1DRL
SMHARC Vice President
-----------------------------------

Hello to all....

As mentioned in a previous email, this weekend is Amateur Radio Field =
Day.
Amateur Radio Field Day for the non-Amateurs on the general email list =
is
when many Amateur Radio Clubs and groups of Amateurs setup temporary =
Amateur
Radio stations in the field to practice setting up stations for field
operations in the event of an emergency and to contact as many people =
across
the country as possible in a 24-hour period. It is one of Amateur =
Radio's
biggest events and it is a nationwide Amateur Radio event. Massachusetts
Governor Mitt Romney has declared Saturday June 28th, Amateur Radio Day, =
in
the state of Massachusetts. The following links are links to where Field =
Day
sites are in Eastern Massachusetts and an article on the proclamation =
issued
by Governor Romney. Field Day sites on this map can be visited by anyone =
for
those who want to learn more about it.

http://ema.arrl.org/fd/
http://ema.arrl.org/article.php?sid=3D144

Since there will be many Amateurs out this weekend setting up these
stations, many of which outdoors, we would like to briefly discuss the
weather for Field Day weekend. At this time, the threat for =
thunderstorms
and the potential for at least scattered severe weather is confined to
Friday Afternoon and Friday Night from roughly Noon-9 PM. There is the
potential for at least scattered severe weather tomorrow with at the =
very
least pulse type activity. In any event, thunderstorms are a good bet =
for
much of the region. Any Field Day sites planning to do setup on Friday
should pay close attention to the weather and if threatening weather
approaches seek safe shelter immediately. Even if severe weather does =
not
occur at your specific site setup, lightning is one of the biggest =
threats
to setup of these sites. Do NOT take chances. If thunderstorms approach,
stop setup work and seek safe shelter. Lightning can strike as much as =
20
miles away from the parent thunderstorm. Also, if you have antennas =
setup
make sure they are properly grounded to avoid the loss of antenna =
equipment
as best as possible. The current forecast now has the Saturday and =
Sunday
dry with no threat of thunderstorms.

SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Taunton are possible to even likely =
for
Friday. Amateur Radio Operators involved with Field Day setup tomorrow
should have a way to stay in contact with their local SKYWARN Repeater =
where
SKYWARN Net Controls and perhaps even our Ops at NWS Taunton will be on =
the
air looking for reports and we can higlight location of the storms for =
all
concerned. For Saturday and Sunday, no thunderstorms are expected but if =
the
forecast changes, Field Day sites should make an effort to monitor their
local SKYWARN repeater. Severe Weather Coordination messsages for severe
thunderstorm potential on Friday will most likely be issued this evening =
if
conditions look the same as they do this morning.

This week is also lightning safety awareness week nationwide. =
Information on
lightning safety can be obtained from the following web-site:

http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov


Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Southeast Massachusetts ARES District Emergency Coordinator SEMARA ARES
Emergency Coordinator Pager #: (508) 354-3142 Home Phone #: (508) =
994-1875
(After 6 PM) Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503  (After 6 PM) Work Phone #:
1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929  (8 AM-5 PM) Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://users.rcn.com/rmacedo