Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Fwd: NWS Taunton Public Information Statement - Tropical Cyclone Terminology

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: SkyWarn Announcement List <SkyWarn-list@oak.powersrvcs.net>
Date: Wed, Sep 1, 2010 at 4:15 PM
Subject: NWS Taunton Public Information Statement - Tropical Cyclone Terminology
To: Skywarn-list@oak.powersrvcs.net


Hello to all...

The National Weather Service in Taunton issued a Public Information Statement on knowing your Tropical Cyclone Terminology. Please see the information listed below:

000
NOUS41 KBOX 011537
PNSBOX
MAZ005>007-013>024-RIZ001>008-011945-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
1137 AM EDT WED SEP 1 2010

...KNOW YOUR TROPICAL CYCLONE TERMINOLOGY...

TROPICAL STORMS AND HURRICANES ARE NO STRANGERS TO SOUTHERN NEW
ENGLAND.  SINCE 1900...A TOTAL OF 53 TROPICAL SYSTEMS HAVE
IMPACTED OUR REGION IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.  THERE HAVE BEEN 24
HURRICANES AND 29 TROPICAL STORMS.  AN ADDITIONAL 26 POST-
TROPICAL SYSTEMS HAVE ALSO IMPACTED OUR REGION.  ANY HURRICANE
OR TROPICAL STORM IS CAPABLE OF BRINGING A COMBINATION OF HIGH
WINDS...LARGE STORM SURGES AND EVEN INLAND FLOODING ON OCCASION.

TO BETTER PREPARE YOURSELF FOR A POSSIBLE TROPICAL CYCLONE
STRIKE...YOU SHOULD BE FAMILIAR WITH DIFFERENT TERMS THAN MAY BE
USED.  THIS STATEMENT WILL BRIEFLY DEFINE THESE TERMS RELATED TO
TROPICAL CYCLONES.

TROPICAL CYCLONE...THIS IS THE GENERIC TERM USED TO DESCRIBE
BOTH TROPICAL STORMS AND HURRICANES.

TROPICAL DEPRESSION...THIS IS A TROPICAL CYCLONE IN WHICH THE
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED SURFACE WINDS ARE 38 MPH /33 KT/ OR LESS.
THOUGH THE WIND SPEEDS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN THOSE IN A
HURRICANE...TROPICAL DEPRESSIONS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
TREMENDOUS RAINFALL AMOUNTS.  DURING THE WEEK OF JULY 3RD TO
JULY 7TH IN 1994...TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO MOVED INLAND AND
WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION. IT THEN MOVED INTO GEORGIA
AND PRODUCED UP TO 28 INCHES OF RAINFALL.  THIS RESULTED IN
CATASTROPHIC RIVER AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING.

TROPICAL STORM...THIS IS A TROPICAL CYCLONE IN WHICH THE MAXIMUM
SUSTAINED SURFACE WINDS ARE 39 TO 73 MPH /34 TO 63 KT/.  THESE
SYSTEMS ARE ALSO INTENSE RAINFALL PRODUCERS...BUT OFTEN CAUSE
ENOUGH WIND AND WAVES TO RESULT IN SOME BEACH EROSION AND MINOR
BOAT DAMAGE.  A TROPICAL CYCLONE IS GIVEN A NAME ONCE IT REACHES
THIS STRENGTH.

HURRICANE...THIS IS A TROPICAL CYCLONE IN WHICH THE MAXIMUM
SUSTAINED SURFACE WINDS ARE 74 MPH /64 KT/ OR GREATER.  THIS IS
THE WORST AND STRONGEST OF ALL TROPICAL CYCLONES.  HURRICANES
PRODUCE TORRENTIAL RAINFALL...LARGE STORM SURGES AND HIGH WAVES
IN ADDITION TO THE STRONG WINDS.  NEW ENGLAND WAS THE RECIPIENT
OF ONE OF THE WORST HURRICANES EVER...WHEN THE GREAT NEW ENGLAND
HURRICANE OF 1938 CAME CRASHING ASHORE ON SEPTEMBER 21ST.

POST-TROPICAL CYCLONE...THIS IS THE GENERIC TERM FOR A SYSTEM
THAT WAS ONCE A HURRICANE OR TROPICAL STORM...BUT IS NO LONGER
CONSIDERED TO BE PURELY TROPICAL IN NATURE.  WHILE THESE SYSTEMS
TEND TO BE WEAKER THAN THEIR TROPICAL COUNTERPARTS...THEY MAY
STILL CONTAIN HIGH WINDS...HEAVY RAINFALL AND BE ACCOMPANIED BY A
STORM SURGE.

HURRICANE EYE...A RELATIVELY CALM AREA IN THE CENTER OF THE
TROPICAL CYCLONE.  IN THIS AREA...WINDS ARE LIGHT AND THE SKY IS
OFTEN ONLY PARTLY COVERED BY CLOUDS.  NEVER GO OUTSIDE IN THE EYE
OF A TROPICAL CYCLONE.  THIS PERIOD OF CALM WILL ONLY LAST FOR A
BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE THE STRONG WINDS AND TORRENTIAL RAINS
RETURN.

STORM SURGE...AN ABNORMAL RISE IN SEA LEVEL ACCOMPANYING AN
INTENSE STORM.  THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM SURGE IS THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THE OBSERVED LEVEL OF THE SEA SURFACE AND THE
ASTRONOMICAL TIDE THAT WOULD HAVE OCCURRED IN THE ABSENCE OF THE
STORM.  STORM SURGES OF 10 TO 20 FEET HAVE OCCURRED IN SOUTHERN
NEW ENGLAND...TOTALLY DEVASTATING THE COASTLINE.

TROPICAL STORM WATCH...THIS IS AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT A TROPICAL
STORM...OR TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS...POSE A THREAT TO THE
SPECIFIED AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 48 HOURS.  AN INLAND TROPICAL
STORM WATCH MEANS THE SAME THING...EXCEPT THERE IS NO NEED TO BE
CONCERNED WITH STORM SURGE.

TROPICAL STORM WARNING...THIS WARNING INDICATES A TROPICAL
STORM...OR TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS...WILL AFFECT THE SPECIFIED
AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 36 HOURS.  AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING
MEANS THE SAME THING...EXCEPT THERE IS NO NEED TO BE CONCERNED
WITH STORM SURGE.

SAFFIR/SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE...THIS IS A SCALE RANGING
FROM 1 TO 5 BASED ON THE INTENSITY OF THE SURFACE WINDS.  THIS
CAN BE USED TO GIVE AN ESTIMATE OF THE POTENTIAL PROPERTY DAMAGE
FROM THE WINDS OF A HURRICANE.

HURRICANE WATCH...THIS IS AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT A HURRICANE...OR
HURRICANE CONDITIONS...POSE A THREAT TO THE SPECIFIED AREA WITHIN
THE NEXT 48 HOURS.  AN INLAND HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THE SAME
THING...EXCEPT THERE IS NO NEED TO BE CONCERNED WITH STORM SURGE.

HURRICANE WARNING...THIS WARNING INDICATES A HURRICANE...OR
HURRICANE CONDITIONS...WILL AFFECT THE SPECIFIED AREA WITHIN
THE NEXT 36 HOURS.  AN INLAND HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THE SAME
THING...EXCEPT THERE IS NO NEED TO BE CONCERNED WITH STORM SURGE.

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT...A PUBLIC RELEASE PREPARED BY YOUR
LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN OR NEAR THE THREATENED
AREA.  THIS STATEMENT WILL CONTAIN SPECIFIC DETAILS ON WEATHER
CONDITIONS AND IMPACTS.  THIS STATEMENT MAY ALSO CONTAIN
INFORMATION ABOUT EVACUATION DECISIONS MADE BY LOCAL OFFICIALS
AND OTHER PRECAUTIONS NECESSARY TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY.

$$


BELK

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org



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