National Weather Service "Winter Weather Awareness Week" Continues with Definititions of Winter Weather Terms

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
600 AM EST THU NOV 05 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICES THAT SERVE NEW ENGLAND HAVE
DECLARED THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 2ND THROUGH 6TH, WINTER WEATHER
AWARENESS WEEK. IN CONJUNCTION WITH WINTER WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK,
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN GRAY WILL BE ISSUING PUBLIC
INFORMATION STATEMENTS CONCERNING MANY ASPECTS OF WINTER WEATHER AND
WINTER WEATHER PREPAREDNESS. THIS IS THE FOURTH IN A SERIES OF FIVE
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS TO BE ISSUED THIS WEEK.

...HIGH WIND, COASTAL FLOODING AND EROSION, AND DENSE FOG THREATS...

IN ADDITION TO SNOW, SLEET, FREEZING RAIN AND RAIN, WINTER STORMS
BRING THE THREAT OF HIGH WINDS AND COASTAL FLOODING TO NORTHERN NEW
ENGLAND. DENSE FOG, CAUSED BY WARM AIR MOVING OVER COLD SNOW-COVERED
GROUND, IS ALSO A FREQUENT HAZARD IN NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND DURING THE
WINTER AND EARLY SPRING.

...HIGH WINDS...

HIGH WINDS CAN OCCUR BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER MAJOR WINTER STORMS
AND CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU DRIVE
A HIGH-PROFILE VEHICLE. IF YOUR VEHICLE STARTS TO SWERVE DUE TO THE
WIND, SLOW DOWN. HIGH WINDS CAN CAUSE SNOW TO BLOW AND DRIFT,
REDUCING VISIBILITIES AND CAUSING SLIPPERY CONDITIONS ON THE
ROADWAYS. ALSO, HIGH WINDS BRING INCREASED DANGER FROM FALLING
TREES, WHICH CAN LEAD TO POWER OUTAGES.

TO ALERT THE PUBLIC TO POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WIND EVENTS, THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUES HIGH WIND WATCHES, HIGH WIND
WARNINGS, AND WIND ADVISORIES. THESE ALERTS ARE BASED ON THE
FOLLOWING CRITERIA.

HIGH WIND WATCH - SUSTAINED WINDS OF 40 MPH OR GREATER OR
FREQUENT GUSTS TO 58 MPH OR GREATER ARE
POSSIBLE WITHIN THE NEXT 24 TO 48 HOURS.

HIGH WIND WARNING -SUSTAINED WINDS OF 40 MPH OR GREATER OR
FREQUENT GUSTS TO 58 MPH OR GREATER ARE
LIKELY WITHIN THE NEXT 24.

WIND ADVISORY -SUSTAINED WINDS OF 31 TO 39 MPH OR FREQUENT
GUSTS TO BETWEEN 46 AND 57 MPH ARE LIKELY
WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

IN ADDITION, WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES ARE ISSUED WHEN BLOWING AND
DRIFTING SNOW REDUCES VISIBILITIES TO 1/4 MILE OR LESS CREATING A
SIGNIFICANT HAZARD ON THE ROADWAYS.

...COASTAL FLOODING AND BEACH EROSION...

COASTAL FLOODING CAN PRECEDE OR ACCOMPANY MAJOR WINTER STORMS.
STRONG SOUTH, SOUTHEAST, EAST, AND NORTHEAST WINDS CAN CAUSE WATER
TO PILE UP ALONG THE MAINE AND NEW HAMPSHIRE COASTLINES CAUSING TIDE
LEVELS TO RISE ABOVE NORMAL. IN ADDITION TO ABNORMALLY HIGH TIDES,
LARGE WAVES ASSOCIATED WITH A STORM CAN CAUSE SUBSTANTIAL BEACH
EROSION ALONG THE COASTLINE.

TO ALERT THE PUBLIC TO THE POTENTIAL FOR COASTAL FLOODING, THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUES COASTAL FLOOD WATCHES AND COASTAL
FLOOD WARNINGS. IN DETERMINING THE POTENTIAL THREAT FROM A
PARTICULAR STORM, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONSIDERS THE TIMING
AND HEIGHT OF THE NORMAL TIDES, THE TIMING OF THE STORM, AND THE
EXPECTED STORM SURGE THAT WILL ACCOMPANY THE STORM.

COASTAL FLOOD WATCH - COASTAL FLOODING POSSIBLE WITHIN THE
NEXT 24 TO 48 HOURS.

COASTAL FLOOD WARNING - COASTAL FLOODING LIKELY WITHIN THE
NEXT 24 HOURS.

NOTE THAT BEACH EROSION CAN OCCUR FROM LARGE STORM-GENERATED WAVES
EVEN THOUGH THE TIDE LEVELS MAY NOT BE ABOVE FLOOD LEVELS. IN THESE
CASES, THE LIKELIHOOD AND SEVERITY OF ANY BEACH EROSION IS ADDRESSED
IN THE PUBLIC FORECAST PRODUCT.

...DENSE FOG...

DURING LATE WINTER AND EARLY SPRING, WARM AIR MOVING NORTHWARD FROM
AREAS TO OUR SOUTH, OFTEN ENCOUNTERS THE COLD SNOW-COVERED GROUND
IN NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND. THIS COMBINATION OF WARM AIR MOVING OVER
A COLD SURFACE OFTEN RESULTS IN THE FORMATION OF DENSE FOG.
PRECIPITATION WILL ALSO ENHANCE THE LIKELIHOOD OF DENSE FOG
FORMATION. MOTORISTS SHOULD BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL WHEN DRIVING IN
THESE CONDITIONS. VISIBILITIES MAY CHANGE FROM GOOD TO NEAR-ZERO
VISIBILITY IN A MATTER OF FEET. IN SOME CASES, THE FOG MAY BE SO
DENSE THAT IT MAY BE DIFFICULT TO EVEN SEE THE EDGE OF THE ROAD. IN
ADDITION, DENSE FOG MAY HIDE OTHER HAZARDS SUCH AS DEER OR MOOSE IN
THE ROADWAY, STOPPED MOTORISTS, OR FLOODING. BE ESPECIALLY CAREFUL
AT NIGHT.

TO ALERT THE PUBLIC TO THESE DANGEROUS CONDITIONS, THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE ISSUES DENSE FOG ADVISORIES. DENSE FOG ADVISORIES
ARE ISSUED FOR CASES WHEN WIDESPREAD DENSE FOG CREATES NEAR-ZERO
VISIBILITY OVER A LARGE AREA.