[W1SMH] Fwd: Situational Awareness Statement: Major Winter Storm Thursday

Wed Feb 8 19:48:36 EST 2017

Ray Cord

On Wednesday, February 8, 2017, Schwartz, Kurt (CDA) (CDA) <Kurt.Schwartz at MassMail.State.MA.US> wrote:

MASSACHUSETTS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS STATEMENT

DATE: 2/08/2017
TIME: 4:00 PM
SUBJECT: Major Winter Storm Thursday

SITUATION
The National Weather Service is forecasting a major winter storm to move into Massachusetts from west to east, starting before dawn Thursday morning. Snowfall will reach the Boston area by 6:00 - 7:00 AM and intensify quickly, falling at as much as 2-3 inches per hour. Snowfall will continue through the day on Thursday before tapering off to snow showers Thursday evening. Temperatures will drop throughout the day Thursday and reach single digits Thursday night.

Snowfall Accumulation:
The NWS has a high degree of confidence that much of the Commonwealth will experience total snowfall accumulation of at least 8-14 inches, with locally higher amounts of up to 18 inches.

Winds:
Strong northeasterly winds will develop around midday Thursday across eastern and southeastern MA, including the Cape and Islands. The strongest winds are expected to occur during the afternoon hours, and continue through the evening. Sustained winds of 25-35 mph and gusts of up to 60 mph are possible.

Coastal Flooding:
Splashover and/or areas of minor coastal flooding are possible, mainly around the Thursday morning high tide (between 8:00 AM and 1:00 PM).

Impacts:

* Snow will begin early in the morning commute, and become heavy quickly. Both morning and afternoon commutes will be significantly impacted by this storm.

* Snowfall rates of 2- 3" per hour.

* Dangerous travel with snow covered roads.

* Blowing snow could produce visibility of a quarter of a mile or less. Whiteout conditions possible. Blowing and drifting snow will continue to pose a hazard even after snowfall tapers off Thursday night.

* Blizzard conditions possible on the Cape and Islands and coastal South Shore Thursday afternoon and evening.

* Possible downed tree limbs.

* Isolated power outages.

* Single digit temperatures and potential for sub-zero wind chills starting Thursday night and lasting into Friday morning.

WATCHES/WARNINGS:

Blizzard Warning
Issued: February 08 at 2:17PM EST
Expiring: February 09 at 8:00PM EST<https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=MA12583E1824D4.BlizzardWarning.12583E33E390MA.BOXWSWBOX.f558159764c6670890b18b7e47581cc7>

Areas affected: Barnstable; Dukes; ;Nantucket; Eastern Plymouth

Winter Storm Warning
Issued: February 08 at 2:17PM EST
Expiring: February 09 at 8:00PM EST<https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=MA12583E1824D4.WinterStormWarning.12583E33E390MA.BOXWSWBOX.c88481b019991bf17989e98e75c02cb8>

Areas affected: Eastern Franklin; Eastern Hampden; Eastern Hampshire; Northern Worcester; Northwest Middlesex County; Southern Worcester; Western Franklin; Western Hampden; Western Hampshire

Winter Storm Warning
Issued: February 08 at 2:17PM EST
Expiring: February 09 at 8:00PM EST<https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=MA12583E1824D4.WinterStormWarning.12583E33E390MA.BOXWSWBOX.a8c8186dc898942e42143bdf770c0a14>

Areas affected: Central Middlesex County; Eastern Essex; Eastern Norfolk; Northern Bristol; Southeast Middlesex; Southern Bristol; Southern Plymouth; Suffolk; Western Essex; Western Norfolk; Western Plymouth

Winter Storm Warning
Issued: February 08 at 6:57AM EST
Expiring: February 09 at 6:00PM EST<https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=MA12583E16FBF4.WinterStormWarning.12583E27FCB0MA.ALYWSWALY.25d634fc449a3ebbd789ae15e35ba25d>

Areas affected: Northern Berkshire; Southern Berkshire

NWS GRAPHICS:

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[cid:image002.jpg at 01D28224.19E690E0]

[cid:image003.jpg at 01D28224.19E690E0]

[cid:image004.jpg at 01D28224.19E690E0]

MEMA Operations

The State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) at MEMA Headquarters in Framingham will activate to Level 2 (Partial Activation) at 6:00 AM Thursday morning in order to provide situational awareness and a common operating picture to stakeholders and coordinate requested assistance to cities and towns. In addition to MEMA staff, representatives from the following agencies will be present in the SEOC:

* ESF 1 (Transportation): MassDOT

* ESF 3 (Public Works): DCR

* ESF 4 (Fire Fighting): DFS

* ESF 8 (Mass Care): DPH

* ESF 12 (Energy): DPU

* ESF 13 (Law Enforcement): MSP

* ESF 16 (Military Support): MANG

The SEOC will continue to monitor conditions during the storm and issue additional Situational Awareness Statements as needed.

Preparedness and Safety Information
* Safety and preparedness tips for extreme cold are available at: http://www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/mema/emergencies/cold/
* Winter storm preparedness and safety information is available at: http://www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/mema/emergencies/winter-storms/
* Power outage preparedness and safety information is available at: http://www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/mema/emergencies/power-outage/

Stay Informed
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: www.mass.gov/mema/mobileapp<http://www.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: http://mema.mapsonline.net/public.html
Utilize MEMA's live weather radar and forecasting tools, including the live snowfall forecast map: http://memamaps.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=0da6e4d888b74317b52b7a5064aa3dc2

Online Resources
For additional information and resources, visit:
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency at www.mass.gov/mema<http://www.mass.gov/mema>
MEMA's Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/MassachusettsEMA
MEMA Twitter: @MassEMA<http://twitter.com/massema>
Federal Emergency Management Agency at www.fema.gov<http://www.fema.gov>
National Weather Service/Taunton at www.weather.gov/boston<http://www.weather.gov/boston>
National Weather Service/Albany, NY at www.weather.gov/albany<http://www.weather.gov/albany>
National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center: http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov
National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/
Mass211 at www.mass211.org<http://www.mass211.org>

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