via the ARRL: Hams Help Forecasters with Real-Time Data on Northeast Blizzard

A historic blizzard paralyzed much of the Northeast in late February, and amateur radio operators were on the air to help forecasters keep track of the storm’s impact. Southeastern New England was one of the hardest-hit areas. ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section Emergency Coordinator and Boston-area SKYWARN Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY, provided this summary for ARRL News:

A severe blizzard left its mark on Southeast New England with massive amounts of snow, vehicles and even plows getting stuck, damaging winds gusts to hurricane force causing ~350,000 customers to lose power in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and some coastal flooding issues at high tide. The blizzard broke Rhode Island’s state record for snowfall with 37.8 inches of snow in Providence. ARES-SKYWARN Nets across southern New England were activated with the WX1BOX amateur radio team to support the National Weather Service (NWS) Boston/Norton office, as well as local and state emergency management and broadcast media, with timely updates on the storm.

We had ARES-SKYWARN nets activating on an every 1-2 hour basis providing snowfall, wind gust, wind damage and coastal flood reports. The nets were very active with great participation, allowing a comprehensive situational awareness. We also interacted with many non-amateur radio SKYWARN spotters via social media.

Reports of snowfall as high as 43 inches in Tiverton, Rhode Island, and 41 inches in Fall River, Massachusetts, were received from SKYWARN spotters. Macedo’s hometown of New Bedford, Msssachusetts, recorded 37 inches of snow.

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