Winter Weather Products Issued By The NWS - Review before the season gets going!

[BergenSkywarn]

Below is a breakdown of the several types of Winter Weather Products issued based upon expected conditions by the NWS. Meteorological Winter will start on December 1 and run thru March 1, but as we've seen already, the Fall season can also bring some of these conditions into the area.

 

To review the official definitions of the various types of frozen precipitation, please visit the BergenSkywarn Website's Definitions Webpage at:

http://www.bergenskywarn.org/Pages/BergenSkywarnSelDefin.htm . When report these conditions to the NWS you need to be as accurate as possible with your description.

 

George

Deputy SKYWARN Coordinator Bergen County NJ

 

!!! WEATHER ALERT This Is A BergenSkywarn WEATHER ALERT !!!

                      www.bergenskywarn.org 

  TTAA00 KNYC 231547
  CTZ005>012-NJZ002>006-011-NYZ067>081-311000-
 
  PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
  NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE UPTON NY
  600 AM EDT FRI OCT 30 2009
 
  ...THIS IS WINTER WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK...
 
  PLEASE JOIN THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND THE NEW YORK STATE
  DISASTER PREPAREDNESS COMMISSION IN PROMOTING WINTER WEATHER
  EDUCATION INCLUDING SAFETY.
 
  TODAY'S THEME IS WINTER WEATHER WATCHES...WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES.
 
  THERE ARE FOUR WARNINGS: BLIZZARD...ICE STORM...WINTER STORM AND
  WIND CHILL.
 
  THERE ARE THREE ADVISORIES: WINTER WEATHER...FREEZING RAIN AND
  WIND CHILL.
 
  WATCHES AND WARNINGS ARE ISSUED FOR POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING
  HAZARDOUS WEATHER. WATCHES ARE ISSUED 12 TO 48 HOURS BEFORE THE
  EVENT IS EXPECTED. WARNINGS ARE ISSUED UP TO 36 HOURS BEFORE THE
  EVENT. ADVISORIES ARE ISSUED FOR LESS SERIOUS EVENTS UP TO 36 HOURS
  BEFORE THEY OCCUR.
 
  A BLIZZARD WATCH AND WARNING WILL BE ISSUED FOR WINDS AVERAGING AT
  LEAST 35 MPH AND FALLING OR BLOWING SNOW PRODUCING VISIBILITIES LESS
  THAN 1/4 MILE FOR AT LEAST 3 HOURS.
 
  A WINTER STORM WATCH AND WARNING WILL BE ISSUED FOR...
 
  HEAVY SNOW...WHEN AN AVERAGE OF AT LEAST 6 INCHES IN 12 HOURS OR 8
  INCHES IN 24 HOURS IS FORECAST.
 
  FREEZING RAIN...WHEN AT LEAST ONE HALF INCH OF ICE IS FORECAST.
 
  A COMBINATION OF HEAVY SNOW...SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN.
 
  A FLOOD WATCH AND WARNING WILL BE ISSUED FOR FLOODING OF RIVERS
  ...SMALL STREAMS...STREETS AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. HEAVY RAIN
  LASTING AT LEAST 6 HOURS IS USUALLY A MAJOR CAUSE OF FLOODING.
 
  A COASTAL FLOOD WATCH AND WARNING WILL BE ISSUED FOR AT LEAST
  WIDESPREAD MODERATE TIDAL FLOODING OF THE SHORES.
 
  A HIGH WIND WATCH AND WARNING WILL BE ISSUED FOR WINDS AVERAGING AT
  LEAST 40 MPH FOR AT LEAST 1 HOUR OR FOR WIND GUSTS REACHING AT LEAST
  58 MPH FOR ANY DURATION.
 
  A WIND CHILL WATCH AND WARNING WILL BE ISSUED WHEN THE COMBINATION
  OF AIR TEMPERATURE AND WIND SPEED PRODUCE WIND CHILL VALUES OF AT
  LEAST MINUS 25 DEGREES.
 
  ADVISORIES WILL BE ISSUED FOR LOWER AMOUNTS OR VALUES AND COVER
  WINTER WEATHER...BLOWING SNOW...FREEZING DRIZZLE OR RAIN...DENSE
  FOG...WIND AND WIND CHILL.
 
  FOR SPECIFIC NWS CRITERIA...ACCESS OUR WINTER WEATHER WEB PAGE AT:
  
 http://www.weather.gov/okx/winterweather/php