A powerful and strengthening storm moving through the Atlantic Ocean will come close enough to threaten Southeastern New England with heavy accumulating snow and strong winds. The National Weather Service has issued a Blizzard Watch for Cape Cod and the islands from Tuesday evening until Wednesday afternoon. Combined heavy snow and strong winds late Tuesday night may lead to blizzard conditions in those areas. A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for Bristol and Plymouth Counties in Massachusetts, and Newport County in Rhode Island. Those areas have the best chance of seeing more than 6″ of snow if the storm comes a bit closer than currently projected.
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA 444 AM EDT MON MAR 24 2014 ...POWERFUL WINTER STORM LIKELY TO AFFECT SOUTHEAST NEW ENGLAND... MAZ022>024-241645- /O.NEW.KBOX.BZ.A.0004.140326T0000Z-140326T1800Z/ BARNSTABLE MA-DUKES MA-NANTUCKET MA- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CHATHAM...FALMOUTH...PROVINCETOWN... VINEYARD HAVEN...NANTUCKET 444 AM EDT MON MAR 24 2014 ...BLIZZARD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A BLIZZARD WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. * LOCATIONS...CAPE COD...NANTUCKET AND MARTHA/S VINEYARD. * HAZARD TYPES...HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS. * ACCUMULATIONS...SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 6 OR MORE INCHES POSSIBLE. * TIMING...TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING. * IMPACTS...VERY LOW VISIBILITIES DUE TO HEAVY FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW. CONSIDERABLE DRIFTING OF SNOW. STRONG WINDS IN THEMSELVES COULD CAUSE SOME POWER DISRUPTIONS. * WINDS...NORTH 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH. * TEMPERATURES...IN THE LOWER 30S. * VISIBILITIES...ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS AT TIMES. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A BLIZZARD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR CONSIDERABLE FALLING AND/OR BLOWING SNOW WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OR FREQUENT GUSTS OVER 35 MPH AND VISIBILITIES BELOW 1/4 MILE FOR AT LEAST 3 HOURS. WHITEOUT CONDITIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE...MAKING TRAVEL VERY DANGEROUS. BE PREPARED TO ALTER ANY TRAVEL PLANS. && $$ MAZ017>021-RIZ007-241645- /O.NEW.KBOX.WS.A.0009.140326T0000Z-140326T1600Z/ NORTHERN BRISTOL MA-WESTERN PLYMOUTH MA-EASTERN PLYMOUTH MA- SOUTHERN BRISTOL MA-SOUTHERN PLYMOUTH MA-NEWPORT RI- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...TAUNTON...BROCKTON...PLYMOUTH... FALL RIVER...NEW BEDFORD...MATTAPOISETT...NEWPORT 444 AM EDT MON MAR 24 2014 ...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING. * LOCATIONS...PLYMOUTH AND BRISTOL COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS AND NEWPORT COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST RHODE ISLAND. * HAZARD TYPES...POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY SNOW WITH BLOWING AND DRIFTING. * ACCUMULATIONS...SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 6 INCHES OR MORE IS POSSIBLE DEPENDING UPON THE EXACT TRACK OF THE STORM. * TIMING...TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. * IMPACTS...SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATION ALONG WITH BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW THAT MAY MAKE TRAVEL HAZARDOUS. * WINDS...NORTH 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH. * TEMPERATURES...AROUND 30. * VISIBILITIES...ONE QUARTER TO ONE HALF MILE AT TIMES. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WINTER STORM WATCH IS ISSUED FOR THE POTENTIAL OF ACCUMULATING SNOW OF 6 OR MORE INCHES IN A 12 HOUR PERIOD...OR 8 OR MORE INCHES IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD. ANYONE TRAVELING IN THE NEXT 24 TO 36 HOURS SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO MODIFY TRAVEL PLANS SHOULD WINTER WEATHER DEVELOP. &&
