[W1SMH] Fwd: Situational Awareness Statement: Powerful Winter Storm Sunday into Monday

Sat Feb 11 18:49:12 EST 2017

Ray Cord

On Saturday, February 11, 2017, Hamel, Jaclyn (CDA) (CDA) <Jaclyn.Hamel at MassMail.State.MA.US> wrote:

MASSACHUSETTS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS STATEMENT

DATE: 2/11/2017
TIME: 6:00 PM

SUBJECT: Powerful Winter Storm Sunday into Monday
Situation
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the majority of the Commonwealth (except Cape Cod and the Islands). A Blizzard Watch is in effect for Essex County, Eastern Plymouth County, Barnstable County and Nantucket. Late tonight into Sunday morning, the leading edge of the storm will produce icy conditions due to a period of freezing drizzle in Eastern MA, the Greater Boston area and through Worcester. The combination of freezing drizzle as well as surface temperatures dropping into the teens and 20's overnight will yield icy and sometimes dangerous travel conditions on untreated roadways and walkways. Anyone traveling during the night should allow for extra time and be prepared for rapidly changing road conditions.
Snow will overspread the area Sunday morning and will continue, heavy at times, into the day on Monday, ending during the afternoon and evening hours. The snow will be heavy and wet Sunday afternoon and evening (snowfall rates of 2 to 4 inches per hour possible). On Sunday, especially in Southeast MA, the conditions may mix with sleet, freezing rain or be all rain. Snow will be light and steady late Sunday night through Monday. Snow may linger into early Monday afternoon in Eastern MA.
Heavy snow will make many roads impassable and may produce widespread power outages due to the weight of the snow on tree limbs and power lines. Strong winds will lead to blowing snow, reduced visibility, and additional power outages.
Snowfall

* Berkshires: 10 to 14 inches
* North of the Mass Pike: 12 to 18 inches
* Along and South of the Mass Pike: 6 to 12 inches
* Essex county: 12 to 18 inches
* Southern Bristol and Southern Plymouth counties: 6 to 8 inches
* Coastal Plymouth county: 6 to 10 inches
* Cape Cod: 4 to 8 inches
* Nantucket: 2 to 4 inches
Winds
Strong winds most of Monday. Northwesterly winds 35-45 mph developing early Monday morning, tapering off Monday night. Damaging wind gusts 50-65 mph for coastal MA, Cape Cod and the Islands. Blowing and drifting snow will promote reduced visibility 1/4 of a mile or less.
Coastal Flooding
A coastal flood advisory is in effect from 11am to 2pmSunday for the MA east coast (from Boston to Plymouth). For the Sunday midday high tide (1 to 1.5 feet above normal high tide), minor coastal flooding of vulnerable shore roads is likely. Any inundation of low spots should be less than 1 foot. Minor beach erosion is also possible. A coastal flood watch is in effect from Monday morning through Monday afternoon for the MA east coast (from Boston to Plymouth). For the Monday early afternoon high tide (1.5 to 2 feet above normal), minor to moderate coastal flooding may occur. More significant beach erosion is possible.
A coastal flood watch is in effect from late Monday morning through Monday afternoon for the MA east coast (Salisbury to Rockport, North side of Cape Cod from Sandwich to Eastham and Nantucket). Minor to moderate coastal flooding is possible Salisbury to Rockport including the Plum Island area as well as Nantucket Harbor. Moderate with pockets of moderate to major coastal flooding is possible from Sandwich to Eastham; where damage to the most vulnerable structures along the immediate shore and shoreline roads is possible due to the combination of storm surge and large breaking waves. Inundation of 1 to 3 feet in low spots is possible.
Large waves of 15 to 20 feet just offshore will likely cause significant erosion of ocean exposed shorelines along Eastern MA. The erosion along the North side of Cape Cod (from Sandwich to Eastham), the ocean side of Cape Cod (from Truro to Chatham) and the East side of Nantucket may be severe in places.
Impacts

* Snowfall may result in poor visibility and difficult travel Sunday/Monday
* Potential impacts to Monday morning commute
* Power outages with downed limbs and power lines due to the weight of the snow
* Shore roads may become impassable due to coastal flooding around Monday midday high tide
NWS Graphics
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Watches/Warnings:
Blizzard Watch
Issued: February 11 at 4:29PM EST
Expiring: February 13 at 7:00PM EST <https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=MA12583E463E64.BlizzardWatch.12583E70C580MA.BOXWSWBOX.59b340c4207702a377723ec2af05c3d7>

Areas affected: Nantucket

Blizzard Watch
Issued: February 11 at 4:29PM EST
Expiring: February 13 at 7:00PM EST <https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=MA12583E463E64.BlizzardWatch.12583E70C580MA.BOXWSWBOX.0e385bd6035955933be93419bdf941fa>

Areas affected: Barnstable

Blizzard Watch
Issued: February 11 at 4:29PM EST
Expiring: February 13 at 7:00PM EST <https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=MA12583E463E64.BlizzardWatch.12583E70C580MA.BOXWSWBOX.58bed1a92150b1ff5a4c42d6f1a4200f>

Areas affected: Eastern Essex; Eastern Plymouth; Western Essex

Winter Storm Warning
Issued: February 11 at 4:29PM EST
Expiring: February 13 at 4:00AM EST <https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=MA12583E463E64.WinterStormWarning.12583E62E2D0MA.BOXWSWBOX.40e33a6b44b0fa1b0d5daa05e51f9f87>

Areas affected: Eastern Essex; Eastern Plymouth; Western Essex

Winter Storm Warning
Issued: February 11 at 4:29PM EST
Expiring: February 13 at 7:00PM EST <https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=MA12583E463E64.WinterStormWarning.12583E70C580MA.BOXWSWBOX.7b08b4d44252f01e33ec76af88dd03a7>

Areas affected: Central Middlesex County; Eastern Franklin; Eastern Hampshire; Northern Worcester; Northwest Middlesex County; Southeast Middlesex; Western Franklin; Western Hampshire

Winter Storm Warning
Issued: February 11 at 4:29PM EST
Expiring: February 13 at 7:00PM EST <https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=MA12583E463E64.WinterStormWarning.12583E70C580MA.BOXWSWBOX.254d9c57e0e8d9a34f4b14644534109f>

Areas affected: Eastern Hampden; Eastern Norfolk; Southern Worcester; Suffolk; Western Hampden; Western Norfolk

Winter Storm Warning
Issued: February 11 at 4:29PM EST
Expiring: February 13 at 7:00PM EST <https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=MA12583E463E64.WinterStormWarning.12583E70C580MA.BOXWSWBOX.e37eaa5f9282a75eb13503c781408982>

Areas affected: Northern Bristol; Western Plymouth

Winter Storm Warning
Issued: February 11 at 4:29PM EST
Expiring: February 13 at 7:00PM EST <https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=MA12583E463E64.WinterStormWarning.12583E70C580MA.BOXWSWBOX.bc947a06f561a05f7958b2a1d3e47103>

Areas affected: Southern Bristol; Southern Plymouth

Winter Storm Warning
Issued: February 11 at 2:57PM EST
Expiring: February 13 at 7:00PM EST <https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=MA12583E45FB34.WinterStormWarning.12583E70C580MA.ALYWSWALY.fdc0b01f8ad480e313b247cd77f39d78>

Areas affected: Northern Berkshire; Southern Berkshire

Coastal Flood Watch
Issued: February 11 at 3:38PM EST
Expiring: February 13 at 4:00PM EST <https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=MA12583E461AD8.CoastalFloodWatch.12583E64B790MA.BOXCFWBOX.9c229b9f0dfcf5d01be11209d8405f25>

Areas affected: Barnstable; Eastern Essex; Nantucket

Coastal Flood Watch
Issued: February 11 at 3:38PM EST
Expiring: February 13 at 4:00PM EST <https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=MA12583E461AD8.CoastalFloodWatch.12583E64B790MA.BOXCFWBOX.f88f755b21e42134c3794155f5789e07>

Areas affected: Eastern Norfolk; Eastern Plymouth; Suffolk

MEMA Operations

The State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) at MEMA Headquarters in Framingham is currently at Level 1 (Steady State/Monitoring). The SEOC will likely activate to Level 2 (Partial) tomorrow and will establish the activation time after the morning call with the NWS.

The SEOC will participate in a conference call with the National Weather Service tomorrow morning.

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

Preparedness and Safety Information
* Flooding preparedness and safety information is available at: http://www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/mema/emergencies/floods
* For safety tips and guidance for clearing snow off of roofs, see http://www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/mema/emergencies/winter-storms/roof-collapse.html
* 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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