[W8MWA] Alert: Requests from WV Homeland Security & NWS Pittsburgh

[Jeffrey Fritz]

*Due to the importance of these messages, I am sharing them with both club
lists as well as the North Central West Virginia Skywarn Net list. It is
admidly lengthy but still please review it. *

*If the NWS forecast does come true as stated below, we will activate
the North Central West Virginia Skywarn Net on the W8MWA repeater (145.430
MHz, -600 offset, PL 103.5 Hz.) Activation will likely be on Sunday evening
and again on Monday morning. Operational details and activation times will
be shared tomorrow via these mailing lists and on the W8MWA repeater. *

The following request was sent directly to Skywarn and to our local ham
clubs from the NWS Pittsburgh. It will be followed by a request from WV
Homeland Security, Emergency Management Division and then the most recent
forecast update from the NWS Pittsburgh.

*Please take a moment to review all the following.*

Jeff, WB1AAL

===========================================

North Central West Virginia Net Spotters,

Please remember to send snowfall reports via the North Central WV Skywarn
Net on *Sunday before you go to bed and again on Monday morning. They will
be critically important to Emergency Management Services and First
Responders.*

weather.gov/pittsburgh/winter has all the details and our weather briefings
are found on the top right of our web page now! weather.gov/pittsburgh

THANK YOU!

NWS Pittsburgh
===========================================
Due to the upcoming winter storm expected to impact the entire state of
West Virginia, the director of the West Virginia Emergency Management
Division has requested the activation of our statewide Radio Amateur Civil
Emergency Service (RACES) program with assistance from the Amateur Radio
Emergency Service (ARES) and Skywarn members. Our State EOC is requesting
assistance in relaying the following information:

   - Critical life threatening emergencies
   - Damage to critical infrastructure such as bridges or
   electrical equipment
   - Hazardous material releases
   - Sudden weather changes such as significant or rapid icing
   - Any emergency where all other communications are unavailable

We thank you for serving the State of West Virginia and assisting us in
providing life saving services and capabilities to its citizens.

Jonathan B Rodriguez

State Planning Officer

WV Department of Homeland Security

Emergency Management Division

==========================================

>From the NWS Pittsburgh:











*At times today we have talked about the possibility of a "wet snow or ice
sandwich". What that means is that the temperatures are expected to be very
low as snow begins bringing a drier fluffy snow at the storm's onset.As we
move into the day Sunday, the temperatures will rise. In areas like the Mon
Valley, Morgantown, Fairmont and the WV ridges, this means a likely
turnover to sleet and freezing rain. The snow will no longer be dry and
fluffy but rather heavy and wet. Both of these factors will increase the
likelihood of power outages, especially in North Central WV. It can also
disrupt and change plowing operations as ice or heavy wet snow settles on
top of a drier snow.The problem becomes more complex on Sunday night into
Monday morning as temperatures fall once again and precipitation turns back
over to snow everywhere. Snow becomes dry and fluffy once again and sits on
top of the heavy wet snow/sleet/ice underneath it.These changes in
precipitation type manifest themselves in lower snow totals and increasing
ice totals across the Mon Valley and the WV ridges.The cutoff between heavy
snow/ice is likely to be VERY THIN and is difficult to place with
confidence at this time. Across this line, snow totals will vary
greatly.This flip/flop back and forth between snow and other precipitation
types will likely complicate both power outages and plowing operations
across North Central WV, especially during the day Sunday. With a wetter
snow and rapidly plummeting temperatures Monday, those that wait to clear
snow until Monday could find the snow acting more like blocks of frozen
cement.*

Jeff, WB1AAL
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/w8mwa/attachments/20260124/cb3c384e/attachment-0001.html>