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    WINTER WEATHER PREPAREDNESS WEEK IN NORTH CAROLINA
                NOVEMBER 28 - DECEMBER 4, 2010
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THIS WEEK HAS BEEN DECLARED WINTER WEATHER PREPAREDNESS WEEK IN 
NORTH CAROLINA. ALL WEEK THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL IS 
ISSUING INFORMATIVE MESSAGES TO HELP YOU PREPARE FOR WINTER WEATHER.

EACH DAY WE WILL COVER A DIFFERENT TOPIC. TODAY WE WILL TALK ABOUT 
THE ANATOMY OF WINTER STORMS.

WINTER WEATHER IS THE MOST COMPLEX WEATHER PHENOMENA FORECASTERS 
FACE IN NORTH CAROLINA. WINTER STORMS OFTEN SEEM TO TAKE ON A 
CHAOTIC NATURE AS RAIN TURNS INTO SLEET...THEN TO SNOW. IT IS THIS 
MIXTURE THAT FORECASTERS CONTEND WITH MANY TIMES DURING THE WINTER 
SEASON...AS THEY WORK TO KEEP THE FORECAST ON TRACK AND YOU PREPARED.

WINTER STORMS BRING SIGNIFICANT AND SOMETIMES RAPID CHANGES IN THE 
WEATHER WHICH GREATLY AFFECT OUR LIVES AND SAFETY. WINTER STORMS CAN 
DEVELOP AND LAST FOR JUST A FEW HOURS OR LINGER FOR DAYS. SOME OF 
THE WORST WINTER STORMS IN NORTH CAROLINA PRODUCING HEAVY SNOW AND 
ICE HAVE TRAPPED PEOPLE IN THEIR CARS...AND ISOLATED RESIDENTS IN 
THEIR HOMES WITHOUT UTILITIES AND OTHER SERVICES FOR OVER A WEEK.

EVEN SMALL AMOUNTS OF SNOW AND ICE IN COMBINATION WITH VERY COLD 
TEMPERATURES AND THE TIME OF DAY CAN CREATE DANGEROUS CONDITIONS 
CRIPPLING MAJOR CITIES.

WINTER STORMS RESULT FROM A VARIETY OF WEATHER PATTERNS. NORTH 
CAROLINA SITS IN THE BATTLEGROUND BETWEEN COLD AIR FROM THE NORTH 
AND WARM MOIST AIR FROM THE SOUTH. THE TIMING OF THE COLD AIR 
COLLIDING WITH MOISTURE STREAMING IN FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO AND 
ATLANTIC OCEAN TYPICALLY DICTATES THE TYPE OF PRECIPITATION YOU SEE 
FALLING IN YOUR BACKYARD. GEOGRAPHY ALSO PLAYS A LARGE ROLE IN OUR 
WEATHER. THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS TO THE WEST AND WARM WATERS OF 
THE GULF STREAM JUST OFF THE COAST BOTH PLAY VITAL ROLES IN WINTER 
STORM DEVELOPMENT. THE MOUNTAINS ACT TO PILE UP COLD AIR OVER THE 
STATE...WHILE THE WARM WATERS OF THE GULF STREAM PROVIDE MOISTURE 
AND ENERGY TO WINTER STORMS.

THE MOST COMMON AND DANGEROUS WEATHER SYSTEMS WHICH CAN PRODUCE SNOW 
AND ICE ARE STRONG COASTAL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS KNOWN AS 
NOR'EASTERS. NOR'EASTERS ARE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS WHICH DEVELOP OVER 
TH OCEAN AND TRACK NORTHEAST ALONG THE COAST. THE REASON NORTH 
CAROLINA WATERS ARE SO FAVORABLE FOR NOR'EASTER DEVELOPMENT IS DUE 
TO THE PROXIMITY OF THE GULF STREAM. WHEN COLD AIR RUSHES OUT OVER 
THE OCEAN AND THE GULF STREAM...A VERY UNSTABLE AND VOLATILE 
SITUATION IS CREATED. WHEN THIS INSTABILITY COMBINES WITH THE JET 
STREAM IN THE UPPER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE...A MASSIVE LOW 
PRESSURE SYSTEM KNOWN AS A NOR'EASTER CAN DEVELOP. 

COLD AIR DAMMING TYPICALLY IMPACTS THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN PORTION 
OF THE STATE. THIS OCCURS WHEN COLD HIGH PRESSURE OVER NEW YORK AND 
PENNSYLVANIA PUSHES COLD AIR SOUTH INTO THE CAROLINAS. THIS COLD AIR 
IS HEAVY AND PILES UP AGAINST THE MOUNTAINS AS IT RUSHES SOUTH. THE 
MOUNTAINS ACT AS A DAM CAUSING THE COLD AIR TO DEEPEN ACROSS THE 
PIEDMONT. WHEN LIGHTER...WARM MOIST AIR COMING UP FROM THE SOUTH 
OVERRUNS THE COLD AIR AT THE SURFACE...FREEZING RAIN...SLEET AND 
SNOW CAN RESULT.

WINTER STORMS SUCH AS THESE CAN MAKE DRIVING AND WALKING EXTREMELY 
DANGEROUS. THE AFTERMATH OF A MAJOR WINTER STORM CAN HAVE 
DEVASTATING IMPACTS ON A COMMUNITY OR AN ENTIRE REGION FOR 
DAYS...WEEKS...OR EVEN MONTHS. PEOPLE DIE IN TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS ON 
ICY ROADS...HAVE HEART ATTACKS WHILE SHOVELING SNOW OR SUCCUMB TO 
FIRES OR CARBON MONOXIDE WHILE TRYING TO HEAT THEIR HOME IMPROPERLY.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON WINTER WEATHER PREPAREDNESS CAN BE 
OBTAINED ON-LINE THROUGH THE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY 
MANAGEMENT HOME PAGE AT: HTTP//READYNC.ORG

UP TO DATE WEATHER INFORMATION IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON-LINE AT:
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BLACKSBURG.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WINTER WEATHER PREPAREDNESS WEB SITE IS:
WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/WINTER/INDEX.SHTML