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THE FOLLOWING SUMMARIZES A FEW CHANGES TO OUR WINTER WEATHER
PROGRAMS.

THE SUITE OF WINTER STORM WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORY PRODUCT HEADLINES
HAS BEEN CONDENSED TO SIMPLIFY THE NOTIFICATION PROCESS FOR ALL
CUSTOMERS. THIS SHOULD RESULT IN LESS CONFUSION REGARDING WINTER
WEATHER HEADLINES POSTED IN NEW ENGLAND AND ADJACENT STATES.
THE SNOW AND ICE AMOUNT CRITERIA FOR TRIGGERING
WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORY ISSUANCES HAVE NOT CHANGED.

OUTLOOKS FOR THE PUBLIC...EMERGENCY MANAGERS...AND OTHER WEATHER
SENSITIVE INTERESTS WILL CONTINUE TO BE ISSUED UNDER THE HAZARDOUS
WEATHER OUTLOOK /HWO/ PRODUCT. OUTLOOKS ARE ISSUED WHEN FORECASTER
CONFIDENCE OF MEETING OR EXCEEDING WARNING CRITERIA IS 30 PERCENT OR
GREATER IN THE DAY 3 TO DAY 5 PERIOD.

WINTER STORM WATCHES ARE ISSUED 12 TO 48 HOURS IN ADVANCE OF A STORM
WHEN CONFIDENCE REACHES 50 PERCENT. WARNINGS OR ADVISORIES ARE
ISSUED WHEN FORECASTER CONFIDENCE EQUALS OR EXCEEDS 80 PERCENT.
THESE CAN BE ISSUED FROM A FEW HOURS TO 36 HOURS IN ADVANCE OF THE
STORM...AND IN RARE CASES AS MUCH AS 48 HOURS IN ADVANCE. ALL WINTER
STORM WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORY PRODUCTS ARE ISSUED VIA THE /WSW/
PRODUCT HEADER.

THESE WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORY DECISIONS ARE COLLABORATED WITH
ADJACENT FORECAST OFFICES AND NATIONAL CENTERS THROUGH MULTIPLE
FORECAST MODEL ANALYSIS...DETERMINISTIC PREDICTION FROM MULTIPLE
MODEL ANALYSIS...AND ALSO PROBABILISTIC CONSIDERATIONS DERIVED FROM
ENSEMBLES OF MODEL GUIDANCE.

STARTING THIS 2008-2009 WINTER SEASON...THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS WILL
NO LONGER BE EXPLICITLY ISSUED...

SNOW ADVISORY
SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY
BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY
SLEET ADVISORY
OCEAN EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY.

INSTEAD...THE ABOVE TYPES OF ADVISORIES WILL BE COMBINED UNDER ONE
HEADLINE...

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY.

IN ADDITION...THE FOLLOWING WARNINGS WILL NO LONGER BE ISSUED...

HEAVY SNOW WARNING
OCEAN EFFECT HEAVY SNOW WARNING

INSTEAD...THE ABOVE WARNINGS WILL BE COMBINED UNDER ONE HEADLINE...

WINTER STORM WARNING.

BLACK ICE...WHICH FORMS ON NIGHTS THAT FEATURE CLEAR SKIES WITH
LIGHT WIND AND TEMPERATURES THAT FALL TO NEAR FREEZING...ALLOWS ROAD
MOISTURE TO FREEZE INTO PATCHES OF ICE OR FROST...ESPECIALLY ON
BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES. BLACK ICE HAS PREVIOUSLY PROMPTED SPECIAL
WEATHER STATEMENTS /SPS/... HOWEVER THIS SEASON A WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY /WSW/ MAY BE ISSUED WHEN SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC IMPACT IS
EXPECTED AND USUALLY ISSUED WITH ONLY 12 HOURS OR LESS OF ADVANCE
NOTICE.

AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS ARE THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATHS AND INJURIES
DURING AND AFTER WINTER STORMS. WHILE SNOW AND ICE CONTRIBUTE TO
THE SLIPPERY CONDITIONS...VEHICLE SPEED IS A MAJOR FACTOR IN
DETERMINING THE LIKELIHOOD OF A DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY FROM AN
AUTOMOBILE OR TRUCK ACCIDENT. UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS...UNTREATED
SURFACES CAN BECOME EXTREMELY SLIPPERY FROM AN INCH OR LESS OF SNOW
OR JUST FROM FREEZING DRIZZLE.

BLACK ICE CAN INTERRUPT NORMAL DRY SURFACE TRAVEL AND CAUSE AN
ACCIDENT. BLACK ICE IS ICY PAVEMENT FOUND UNDER CLEAR SKY..LIGHT
WIND..NIGHTTIME CONDITIONS. IT CAN BE CAUSED BY DAYTIME MELTWATER
FROM ROADSIDE SNOW BANKS THAT FREEZE AFTER SUNDOWN...OR FROM FROST
DEVELOPING ON ROAD SURFACES AS HIGH RELATIVE HUMIDITY CONDENSES ON
THE BELOW FREEZING SURFACES. SINCE BOTH OF THESE CONDITIONS ARE NOT
FALLING PRECIPITATION...MOTORISTS MAY NOT BE ALERT TO THE
CONDITIONS. WHEN THE NWS BECOMES AWARE OF A DEVELOPING BLACK ICE
SITUATION...SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENTS OR A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY
CAN BE ISSUED.

WIND COMBINED WITH ICE OR WET SNOW LADEN TREE LIMBS CAN CAUSE POWER
OUTAGES AND IN SOME CASES...INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE. IF YOUR CAR
IS NOT GARAGED AND WIND WARNINGS ARE ISSUED...IT MAY BE SAFER TO
PARK YOUR CAR WHERE TREE LIMBS CANNOT BLOW ONTO YOUR VEHICLE.

A CLIMATOLOGY OF NON THUNDERSTORM HIGH WIND EVENTS IN SOUTHERN NEW
ENGLAND SHOWS THAT THE MAJORITY OCCUR DURING THE COOL SEASON FROM
NOVEMBER THROUGH MARCH. OUR STUDY FOUND THE PRIMARY DAMAGING WIND
DIRECTIONS /8 POINTS ON THE COMPASS/ TO BE WESTERLY AND SOUTHERLY.
A SECONDARY MAXIMUM IS ASSOCIATED WITH NORTHEAST WIND.

SOUTH OR WEST CASE DAMAGING WIND CAN OCCUR ANYWHERE IN SOUTHERN NEW
ENGLAND. NOR`EASTER ASSOCIATED DAMAGING WIND TENDS TO OCCUR FROM
HARTFORD TO NORTHERN RHODE ISLAND AND THEN IN MUCH OF THE
MASSACHUSETTS AND SOUTHEAST RHODE ISLAND COASTAL PLAIN.

COLD CONDITIONS CAN CAUSE A VARIETY OF DIFFICULTIES INCLUDING
FROSTBITE AND HYPOTHERMIA.

THE LAST TIME TEMPERATURES DROPPED TO 5 BELOW ZERO OR COLDER IN
PROVIDENCE AND BOSTON WAS JANUARY 2004...WHILE THE HIGHER ELEVATION
LOCATION OF WORCESTER AND THE COUNTRYSIDE LOCATION OF WINDSOR LOCKS
HAVE MORE FREQUENT EXPOSURES TO 5 BELOW ZERO WEATHER...MOST RECENTLY
IN JANUARY 2005.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUES WIND CHILL WARNINGS WHEN THE
COMBINED WIND AND TEMPERATURE/S EFFECTS FEEL LIKE 25 BELOW ZERO IN
SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND AND 30 BELOW ZERO IN NEW HAMPSHIRE...VERMONT...
AND SOUTHERN MAINE.

FROSTBITE IS A CONDITION IN WHICH THE BODY TISSUE ACTUALLY FREEZES.
THE MOST SUSCEPTIBLE AREAS FOR FROSTBITE INCLUDE THE FINGERS...
TOES...NOSE AND EAR LOBES.

HYPOTHERMIA DEVELOPS WHEN THE BODY LOSES HEAT FASTER THAN IT CAN
PRODUCE IT. WARNING SIGNS START WITH SHIVERING AND THEN PROCEED TO
INCLUDE MEMORY LOSS...DISORIENTATION...INCOHERENCE...SLURRED
SPEECH...DROWSINESS AND APPARENT EXHAUSTION. AT THIS POINT IMMEDIATE
ATTENTION IS NECESSARY WHICH INCLUDES WARMING THE PERSON PROPERLY.

TEMPERATURES DO NOT HAVE TO BE BELOW FREEZING FOR HYPOTHERMIA TO
DEVELOP. IT CAN DEVELOP IN ELDERLY PEOPLE IN A COOL ROOM WITH FEW...
IF ANY...WARNING SIGNS.

IN A HYPOTHERMIC PERSON...COLD BLOOD IS CONCENTRATED IN THE
EXTREMITIES. IF THESE EXTREMITIES ARE WARMED TOO QUICKLY...THE COLD
BLOOD WILL BE RELEASED INTO BODY`S CENTRAL CORE...POSSIBLY LOWERING
THE CENTRAL CORE TEMPERATURE TO A FATAL LEVEL. USE THE FOLLOWING
STEPS TO RAISE THE CORE TEMPERATURE OF A HYPOTHERMIC PERSON.

GET THE PERSON INTO DRY CLOTHING IF THEIR CLOTHES ARE WET.

PUT ON ADDITIONAL CLOTHING TO WARM THE PERSONS HEAD AND TRUNK SUCH
AS A HAT AND VEST.

WRAP THE PERSON IN A WARM BLANKET AND BE SURE THEIR HEAD AND NECK
ARE COVERED. DO NOT COVER THEIR EXTREMITIES.

GIVE THE PERSON WARM LIQUIDS TO DRINK...BUT NO ALCOHOL...DRUGS...OR
COFFEE.

SEEK IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION.

AS THIS 2008-09 WINTER SEASON DEVELOPS...EL NINO - SOUTHERN
OSCILLATION /ENSO/ NEUTRAL CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO
EARLY 2009. THIS MEANS THAT THERE IS NEITHER A CLEAR EL NINO OR LA
NINA SIGNAL IN THE PACIFIC EQUATORIAL WATERS.

FOR SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND OUR WINTER OUTLOOK WITH RESPECT TO NORMALS
IS UNDETERMINED. THERE ARE NO KNOWN RELIABLE GUIDING FACTORS TO
CONFIDENTLY EXPRESS THE SEVERITY OR LACK OF SEVERITY FOR THIS
UPCOMING COMBINED 3 MONTH PERIOD...INCLUDING THE MONTHS OF DECEMBER
JANUARY AND FEBRUARY.

A SAMPLING OF "APPROXIMATE SEASONAL" SNOWFALL NORMALS IN INCHES ARE...

BOSTON MA 41.8 30 YEAR NORMAL 1971-2000
HAVERHILL MA 54.8
WORCESTER MA 60.8 30 YEAR NORMAL 1971-2000
NEW BEDFORD MA 33.1
EDGARTOWN MA 21.7
PROVINCETOWN 19.1

N FOSTER RI 58.6
PROVIDENCE RI 32.9 30 YEAR NORMAL 1971-2000
KINGSTON RI 32.6

HARTFORD CT (N SUBURBS-BDL) 46.0 30 YEAR NORMAL 1971-2000
HARTFORD CT (CITY) 35.1

KEENE NH 61.4
NASHUA NH 62.0

FOR MAJOR SNOWSTORMS...MANY OF US PROBABLY REMEMBER THE DECEMBER
13TH MIDDAY INTO EVENING EVENT ABOUT A YEAR AGO WHEN A QUICK HITTING
6 TO 12 INCH HEAVY SNOWFALL MADE FOR HORRENDOUS TRAFFIC JAMS AND
6 HOUR COMMUTES IN PARTS OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND.

AT WORCESTER...A RECENT 2 FOOT SNOWSTORM WAS THE JANUARY 23-24 2005
EVENT WHERE THE 24.1 INCHES WAS THE FIFTH LARGEST ON RECORD.
THAT STORM DELIVERED BLIZZARD CONDITIONS TO PARTS OF THE SOUTHEAST
NEW ENGLAND COAST. BOSTON RECORDED ITS FIFTH HEAVIEST SNOWFALL ON
RECORD...22.5 INCHES AND PROVIDENCE ITS SECOND HEAVIEST...
23.4 INCHES.

DETAILS OF WHAT TO DO WHEN A HUGE SNOWSTORM IS PREDICTED CAN BE
FOUND IN THE NWS BROCHURE WEBSITE /USE LOWER CASE/
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/OM/BROCHURES/WINTERSTORM.PDF

SUMMARIZING...PLAN AHEAD TO MITIGATE THE ADVERSE IMPACT OF A HUGE
STORM BY ALTERING YOUR PLANS AND CHECKING YOUR WINTER WEATHER
PREPAREDNESS KIT. BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVEREXERT YOURSELF DURING SNOW
REMOVAL.

Details of what to do whan a huge snowstorm is predicted can be found in the following brochure:

http://www.weather.gov/om/brochures/winterstorm.pdf

Direct Link