EMERGENCY PLANNING > REPC Alerts and Hazards > [March 11, 2022 – 5:00 PM] Wintry Weather & Strong Winds on Saturday – MEMA Situational Report # 1

[March 11, 2022 – 5:00 PM] Wintry Weather & Strong Winds on Saturday – MEMA Situational Report # 1

Published on: March 11, 2022

The National Weather Service (NWS) is predicting a wintry weather event with rain changing to snow tomorrow, Saturday (3/12). Rain will begin falling early Saturday morning and then change to snow from northwest to southeast, starting late in the morning near the Berkshires and later in the afternoon in southeast Massachusetts. Most of the accumulating snow will occur north and west of Hartford to Worcester, especially in the higher elevations. Initially, the snow may be heavy and wet when it changes over but should transition to a lighter and fluffier snow Saturday afternoon. Current predicted snow accumulations are up to 3 inches for central Massachusetts and 4-8 inches for most of western Massachusetts with northern Berkshire County possibly receiving up to 12 inches of snow. Strong northwest winds are possible Saturday night into Sunday, especially near the coast and in the higher elevations, and may gust to 45-55 mph.

Weather conditions Sunday will be clearing and cold, with gradually diminishing winds. Wind gusts will fall below 30 mph by early Sunday afternoon.

Impacts/ Potential Impacts

Slippery travel across the interior Saturday, especially at higher elevations.
Minor wind damage may occur Saturday night into Sunday causing some downed branches or wires.
Localized nuisance flooding/ponding is possible across urban and poor drainage areas.

Weather Forecast Overview

Advisories, Watches and Warnings

Last updated: 16:12 EST on 03-11-2022

Winter Weather Advisory Issued: March 11 at 4:12PM EST Expiring: March 12 at 10:00PM EST
Areas affected: Western Franklin; Western Hampden; Western Hampshire

Winter Weather Advisory Issued: March 11 at 4:12PM EST Expiring: March 12 at 10:00PM EST
Areas affected: Eastern Franklin; Eastern Hampden; Eastern Hampshire; Northern Worcester; Northwest Middlesex County; Southern Worcester

Winter Storm Warning Issued: March 11 at 3:34PM EST Expiring: March 13 at 1:00AM EST
Areas affected: Northern Berkshire

Winter Storm Warning Issued: March 11 at 3:34PM EST Expiring: March 13 at 1:00AM EST
Areas affected: Southern Berkshire

Wind Advisory Issued: March 11 at 3:01PM EST Expiring: March 13 at 7:00AM EST
Areas affected: Northern Worcester; Western Franklin; Western Hampden; Western Hampshire

Wind Advisory Issued: March 11 at 3:01PM EST Expiring: March 13 at 10:00AM EST
Areas affected: Barnstable; Dukes; Eastern Essex; Eastern Norfolk; Eastern Plymouth; Nantucket; Southeast Middlesex; Suffolk

Preparedness and Safety Information

Safety and preparedness tips for extreme cold:https://www.mass.gov/info-details/extreme-cold-safety-tips
Winter storm preparedness and safety information:https://www.mass.gov/info-details/winter-storm-safety-tips
Safe winter driving tips:https://www.mass.gov/winter-weather-driving
Winter safety tips for pets:https://www.mass.gov/service-details/winter-pet-safety-tips
Power outage preparedness and safety information:https://www.mass.gov/info-details/power-outage-safety-tips

Stay Informed

For additional information and updated forecasts, see www.weather.gov/boston (National Weather Service Norton) and www.weather.gov/albany (National Weather Service Albany)

Utilize MEMA’s real-time power outage viewer to stay informed about current power outages in your community and region, and across the state, including information from utility companies about restoration times: http://mema.mapsonline.net/public.html

Online Resources

Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency www.mass.gov/mema  MEMA’s Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/MassachusettsEMA  MEMA Twitter @MassEMA  Federal Emergency Management Agency www.fema.gov  National Weather Service Boston/ Norton, MA  www.weather.gov/boston  National Weather Service/Albany, NY www.weather.gov/albany  National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov

National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center  www.spc.noaa.gov Northeast River Forecast Center www.weather.gov/nerfc/

National Hurricane Center www.nhc.noaa.gov

Mass211 www.mass211.org

Critical Information

The Department of Public Utilities and Electric Distribution Companies (EDCs) are monitoring the weather forecast closely for tomorrow. At this time, EDC plans and preparations are underway for this event and will continue to be formalized as the event nears.

EDC plans and preparations:

Eversource:

Declaring a Type 4 ERP event as of 4:00 pm Saturday

o Restoration activities are generally accomplished within 24-48 hours period.

o Typically, up to 5% (14,000 – 70,000) customer interruptions

Opening all 5 EOCs Saturday
- Boston
- Southborough
- Yarmouth
- Springfield
- New Bedford
Secured additional, external crews.
Pre-staging additional line and tree crews on Martha’s Vineyard.
Continuing to conduct Incident Management Team calls.
Municipal Officials have been receiving storm planning updates from the community relations.
Life support and critical facility outbound calls are being performed.

National Grid:

Monitoring weather forecast.
Adjusting internal staffing plan in preparation for a high activity day; and
Secured additional, external contract crews to assist with potential impact to distribution system.

Unitil:

Monitoring weather forecast.
At the ready to respond to scattered outages and customer interruptions as they arise.
Ensuring resources are adjusted as needed.

MEMA Operations

The State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) is operating at Level 1 (Steady State Monitoring). MEMA will continue to monitor the situation and will disseminate additional Situational Awareness Statements (SAS), as necessary.

Departments

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