CTZ001-013-MAZ001-025-NYZ032-033-038>043-047>054-058>061- 063>066-082>084-VTZ013>015-241200- PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY 800 AM EDT TUE OCT 23 2012 ...WINTER WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK CONTINUES... OCTOBER 21 TO OCTOBER 27 IS WINTER WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IN NEW YORK AND NEW ENGLAND. THIS MESSAGE CONTAINS INFORMATION ON THE TYPES OF HEAVY SNOW EVENTS WHICH IMPACT EASTERN NEW YORK AND WESTERN NEW ENGLAND. HEAVY SNOW CAN IMMOBILIZE A REGION AND PARALYZE A CITY... STRANDING COMMUTERS...CLOSING AIRPORTS...STOPPING THE FLOW OF SUPPLIES...AND DISRUPTING EMERGENCY AND MEDICAL SERVICES. ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW CAN CAUSE ROOFS TO COLLAPSE AND KNOCK DOWN TREES AND POWER LINES. HOMES AND FARMS MAY BE ISOLATED FOR DAYS AND UNPROTECTED LIVESTOCK MAY BE LOST. THE COST OF SNOW REMOVAL...REPAIRING DAMAGES...AND THE LOSS OF BUSINESS CAN HAVE SEVERE ECONOMIC IMPACTS ON CITIES AND TOWNS. HEAVY SNOW IN EASTERN NEW YORK AND WESTERN NEW ENGLAND IS DEFINED AS 7 INCHES OR MORE FALLING IN A 12 HOUR PERIOD OR 9 INCHES OR MORE FALLING IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD. WARNINGS ARE ISSUED WHEN THESE AMOUNTS ARE FORECAST AND ADVISORIES ARE ISSUED FOR LESSER AMOUNTS...GENERALLY 4 INCHES OR MORE IN A 12 HOUR PERIOD. HEAVY SNOW CAN BE PRODUCED BY NOREASTERS...OVERRUNNING SITUATIONS AND LAKE EFFECT. LESSER AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE OFTEN PRODUCED BY ALBERTA CLIPPERS. NOREASTERS ARE INTENSE AREAS OF LOW PRESSURE THAT TYPICALLY DEVELOP ALONG THE EASTERN SEABOARD MOST OFTEN DURING LATE FALL...WINTER AND EARLY SPRING. THEY USUALLY BRING STRONG NORTHEAST WINDS AS THEY PASS BY. SOME MEMORABLE NOREASTERS IN RECENT YEARS INCLUDED THE VALENTINES DAY STORM OF 2007... THE JANUARY 12 STORM OF 2011...AND THE OCTOBER SNOWSTORM OF 2011. SNOWFALL RATES IN NOREASTERS CAN REACH 4 TO 6 INCHES PER HOUR AND THESE RATES CAN LAST FOR SEVERAL HOURS. OVERRUNNING CAN ALSO PRODUCE HEAVY SNOW AND THIS OCCURS WHEN WARM AIR ALOFT FLOWS OVER COLD AIR NEAR THE SURFACE. OVERRUNNING OCCURS MOST OFTEN WHEN A LARGE DOME OF HIGH PRESSURE IS LOCATED IN SOUTHEASTERN CANADA AND A WARM FRONT IS APPROACHING OUR REGION FROM THE SOUTH OR SOUTHWEST. LAKE EFFECT SNOWS OFTEN OCCUR IN THE LATE AUTUMN AND WINTER DOWNWIND OF THE GREAT LAKES WHEN COLD ARCTIC AIR SWEEPS ACROSS THE RELATIVELY WARMER WATERS OF THE LAKES. SNOW SQUALLS WILL TYPICALLY FORM ALONG THE LEE SHORES OF THE LAKES AND MOVE DOWNWIND. THESE SQUALLS CAN RESULT IN LOCALLY HEAVY SNOWS WITH REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN FAIRLY NARROW BANDS. THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW WHICH IMPACTS EASTERN NEW YORK USUALLY ORIGINATES DOWNWIND OF LAKE ONTARIO. THE AREAS OF EASTERN NEW YORK WHICH RECEIVE THE MOST LAKE EFFECT SNOW ARE THE SOUTHERN ADIRONDACKS...MOHAWK VALLEY AND NORTHERN CATSKILLS. THE STRONGEST LAKE EFFECT BANDS CAN REACH INTO SOUTHERN VERMONT. AN ALBERTA CLIPPER IS AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE THAT USUALLY FORMS OVER THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA IN CANADA...EAST OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. ALBERTA CLIPPERS USUALLY MOVE VERY QUICKLY SOUTHEAST FROM THEIR POINT OF ORIGIN AND USUALLY BRING LIGHT SNOW AS THEY CROSS OUR REGION UNLESS THEY INTESIFY NEAR THE EAST COAST. THEY ALSO BRING COLDER AIR FROM CANADA IN THEIR WAKE. SOME SNOW TERMS WHICH ARE COMMONLY USED INCLUDE BLIZZARD... BLOWING SNOW...SNOW SQUALLS...SNOW SHOWERS AND SNOW FLURRIES. A BLIZZARD IS A WINTER STORM WHICH HAS SUSTAINED WINDS OR FREQUENT GUSTS OF 35 MPH OR MORE...WITH CONSIDERABLE FALLING AND OR BLOWING SNOW REDUCING THE VISIBILITY TO AT OR BELOW ONE QUARTER MILE...AND THESE CONDITIONS LAST FOR 3 HOURS OR MORE. THE TWO GREATEST SNOWFALLS ON RECORD IN ALBANY...NEW YORK OCCURRED DURING BLIZZARDS...46.7 INCHES DURING THE BLIZZARD OF 1888 AND 26.6 INCHES DURING THE BLIZZARD OF 1993. BLOWING SNOW IS WIND DRIVEN SNOW THAT REDUCES VISIBILITY. BLOWING SNOW MAY BE FALLING SNOW AND OR SNOW ON THE GROUND PICKED UP BY THE WIND. SNOW SQUALLS ARE BRIEF INTENSE SNOW SHOWERS ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG GUSTY WINDS WHICH MAY PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS AND BLINDING VISIBILITY. SNOW SHOWERS HAVE SNOW FALLING AT VARYING INTENSITIES FOR BRIEF PERIODS OF TIME WITH SOME SNOW ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE. SNOW FLURRIES ARE LIGHT SNOW WHICH FALLS WITH LITTLE OR NO SNOW ACCUMULATION. WE ISSUE FREQUENT UPDATES FOR WINTER WEATHER...THAT SERVE TO GIVE YOU THE MOST UP TO THE MINUTE...AND DETAILED...WEATHER INFORMATION AVAILABLE. IN ADDITION...WE ISSUE STATEMENTS THAT FOLLOW UP ON THE ISSUANCE OF WATCHES...WARNINGS...OR ADVISORIES. FOR THOSE OF YOU WITH INTERNET ACCESS...ALL OF OUR WEATHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ONLINE. SIMPLY GO TO WW.WEATHER.GOV AND THEN CLICK ON EASTERN NEW YORK OR WESTERN NEW ENGLAND. THIS WILL TAKE YOU TO THE MAIN WEB PAGE OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBANY...NY. $$ DIRIENZO