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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE UPTON NY
500 AM EST TUE OCT 31 2006

...NY GOVERNOR PATAKI DECLARES WINTER PREPAREDNESS WEEK... 

GOVERNOR GEORGE PATAKI HAS PROCLAIMED THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 29TH AS 
WINTER PREPAREDNESS WEEK IN NEW YORK STATE.

TODAY'S THEME IS HEAVY SNOW, WHICH IS DEFINED AS AN AVERAGE SNOWFALL 
OF 6 INCHES IN 12 HOURS OR 8 INCHES IN 24 HOURS.
 
COASTAL STORMS...ALSO KNOWN AS NOR'EASTERS...CAN BRING HEAVY SNOW TO 
THE AREA. THEY USUALLY FORM FROM SEPTEMBER THROUGH APRIL SOMEWHERE 
ALONG THE COASTAL PLAIN FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO TO THE MID ATLANTIC 
COAST. THE COMBINATION OF HIGH PRESSURE NORTH OF THE AREA AND LOW 
PRESSURE MOVING NORTHEAST, PRODUCES STRONG NORTHEAST WINDS WHICH IS 
WHY COASTAL STORMS ARE KNOWN AS NOR'EASTERS.

SEVERAL SIGNIFICANT COASTAL STORMS HAVE BROUGHT BLIZZARD OR NEAR  
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS INCLUDING HEAVY SNOW TO THE REGION DURING THE 
LAST SEVERAL YEARS. HERE ARE JUST A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES:

NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS OCCURRED ACROSS THE TRI-STATE AREA LAST 
FEBRUARY 11TH AND 12TH. NEW YORK CITY RECORDED ITS BIGGEST SNOWSTORM 
ON RECORD WITH 26.9 INCHES. DURING THE EVENT, MANY AREAS EXPERIENCED 
VERY HEAVY SNOWFALL RATES WITH UP TO 3 TO 4 INCHES PER HOUR. AS THE 
HEAVIEST SNOW BAND MOVED THROUGH THE LOWER HUDSON VALLEY AND NEW 
YORK CITY DURING THE MORNING OF THE 12TH, THERE WERE REPORTS OF 
THUNDERSNOW. WINDS RANGED FROM 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUST OVER 50 MPH 
ALONG THE COAST, PRODUCING WHITEOUT CONDITIONS.

BLIZZARD CONDITIONS OCCURRED ACROSS LONG ISLAND JANUARY 22ND AND 
23RD OF 2005. WIND GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH COMBINED WITH HEAVY FALLING 
SNOW CREATED WHITEOUT CONDITIONS THAT REDUCED VISIBILITY TO LESS 
THAN ONE QUARTER MILE. MAJOR WIDESPREAD IMPACTS TO MASS TRANSIT 
OCCURRED ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS UP TO 20 INCHES 
WERE MEASURED. 

THE LAST FOUR WINTERS HAVE HAD THEIR SHARE OF HEAVY SNOW EVENTS 
ACROSS THE REGION ON THE FOLLOWING DATES:

DECEMBER 5TH AND 25TH, 2002,
DECEMBER 5TH-7TH AND FEBRUARY 17TH-18TH, 2003,
JANUARY 28TH, 2004,
JANUARY 22ND-23RD, 2005,
AND FEBRUARY 11TH-12TH, 2006.

THE LAST FOUR WINTERS NEW YORK CITY'S CENTRAL PARK HAS RECEIVED A 
TOTAL OF A 172.9 INCHES...AN AVERAGE OF OVER 40 INCHES A YEAR. THE 
AVERAGE SNOWFALL IS 22.4 INCHES. 

FOR A DETAILED LIST OF SIGNIFICANT STORMS AND SNOWFALL AMOUNTS, 
VISIT OUR WEB PAGE AT:

HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/OKX/STORMTOTALS.HTML

WEDNESDAY'S INFORMATION STATEMENT COVERS ICE STORMS.

$$