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

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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
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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


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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