* SKYWARN Newsletter #2


Hello to all,

Topics for this week of the SKYWARN Newsletter:

SKYWARN Documents Soon to be on the way via regular mail and email
SKYWARN Training Site Plans
Severe Weather strikes Southern New England on Aug 23rd and 24th
Tropics are Heating Up

SKYWARN Documents...

The SKYWARN documents are ready for distribution and I hope to send them
out via regular mail some time this week. I was unable to get them out by the
end of this week due to the Severe Weather events of Aug. 23rd and 24th.
To those who stated they wanted it by email that will be forthcoming
this week as well.

The following people please take note:

Roger Jeanfaivre-K1PAI
Gil Follett-WA1GDJ
Gary O'Kula-N3CLZ
Terry Stader-KA8SCP

Please help me keep people informed and send the SKYWARN documents to others
in your jurisdiction, particularly those that are on the SKYWARN Document
and other emergency communication types in the area.

SKYWARN Training Sites to be Organized...

Currently, I have been approached by the vice president of the Falmouth
Amateur Radio Association, Henry Brown, N1SNH, for training in that area
next spring. He already has a site and its a simple manner of a good
date for the training next spring.

I will be attempting to contact several people within NWS Taunton's
warning area of responsibility for training in the next two to three
weeks. Again, the goal is to have a set training schedule of 10-15
sites near or not too far past the Thursday January 16, 1997 SKYWARN
meeting, if Glenn Field's schedule allows. More information to follow
as I talk to Glenn Field and to people in the area.

Severe Weather Strikes Southern New England....

On Aug. 23rd and 24th, severe weather struck in two waves in Southern
New England. The first wave affected Western New England with damaging
winds in excess of 60 MPH, and .75 to near 1 inch sized hail.

The second wave of severe weather struck offshore of the South Coast
of Massachusetts. Block Island Rhode Island had winds in excess of 60
MPH, with a sailboat capsizing offshore. Also, data that I have just
received this morning from a station on Nantucket Island, and a station
who was portable on Cuttyhunk Island indicated that there was a confirmed
waterspout down offshore of Cuttyhunk. More details to follow as I
make contact with the spotter who reported it. This will be followed up
with a phone call to NWS or email to them for their research purposes.

Here's the Local Storm Report compiled through Saturday August 24th...

911 
WWUS30 KBOS 240210
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS


TIME       .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0457 PM    WESTFIELD                 MA   58 MPH TSTM GUST
08/23/96   HAMPDEN                        ALSO...WIRES TAKEN DOWN BY
                                          A TREE ON COURT STREET AT
                                          458 PM EDT.  A 30-YEAR-OLD MAN
                                          WAS KILLED AND 6 PEOPLE WERE
                                          INJURED AT 930 PM...SEVERAL
                                          HOURS AFTER THE STORM...WHEN
                                          A LARGE TREE FELL ON A CROWD
                                          GATHERED FOR A DOWNTOWN FOOD
                                          FESTIVAL.  THE TREE HAD BEEN
                                          WEAKENED BY THE EARLIER STORM.

0507 PM    HOLYOKE                   MA   .75 INCH HAIL
08/23/96   HAMPDEN

0507 PM    WEST SPRINGFIELD          MA   60 MPH TSTM GUST
08/23/96   HAMPDEN

0514 PM    WEST SPRINGFIELD          MA   .88 INCH HAIL
08/23/96   HAMPDEN

0600 PM    STAFFORD                  CT   WIND DAMAGE
08/23/96   TOLLAND                        WIRES DOWN NORTH OF
                                          STAFFORD CENTER.

^
1125 AM    BLOCK ISLAND              RI   60 MPH WIND GUST
08/24/96   WASHINGTON                     REPORTED BY AWOS OBSERVATION

Tropics are Heating Up...

After Hurricane Dolly struck portions of Mexico as a category 1
hurricane, Hurricane Edouard has formed in the Tropical Atlantic and
is now a powerful Category 4 hurricane. While it is too early to say
if Edouard would impact Southern New England all interests should keep
abreast of advisorires, and start to formulate plans IF this storm were
to track near the Bahamas as many storms that track near there affect
our weather in some form later on.

Also, there was Tropical Depression 6 that formed and then dissipated
near the Cape Verde Islands and a new tropical wave that could become
a depression in the next couple of days. The tropics are heating up,
and SKYWARN must be prepared.

Here are the coordinates of Edouard through 2100 UTC.

DATE    TIME    LAT     LONG    WS      PRES    MOTION/SPEED
082196  2100    13.0    29.5    35      1007     
082296  0300    13.1    30.8    35      1007     275     15
082296  0900    13.4    31.8    40      1005     287     12
082296  1500    13.6    33.4    45      1003     277     18
082296  2100    13.6    35.1    45      1003     270     19
082396  0300    13.8    36.4    50      1000     279     15
082396  0900    14.0    38.0    60      1000     277     18
082396  1500    13.9    39.1    70       989     265     12
082396  2100    13.9    40.7    75       987     270     18
082496  0300    14.2    41.6    75       987     289     11
082496  0900    14.3    42.8    80       982     275     13
082496  1500    14.5    44.2    105      970     278     16
082496  2100    14.7    45.5    115      960     279     15
082596  0300    15.3    46.4    140      942     305     12
082596  0900    15.7    47.6    145      935     289     14
082596  1500    16.1    49.0    145      935     289     14
082596  2100    16.8    50.4    145      935     289     15

That's all for this edition of the SKYWARN newsletter, if you have issues
or something that you want discussed in this newsletter, please let me
know.

73,Rob-KD1CY.
SKYWARN Training Coordinator
Greater New Bedford ARES Emergency Coordinator

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