Winter Storm Warning / Ice Storm

Winter Storm Warning

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service New York NY
350 AM EST Sat Jan 19 2019

CTZ005-NJZ002-004-103-105-NYZ067>070-192100-
/O.CON.KOKX.WS.W.0001.190119T1700Z-190120T2300Z/
Northern Fairfield-Western Passaic-Eastern Passaic-Western Bergen-
Western Essex-Orange-Putnam-Rockland-Northern Westchester-
350 AM EST Sat Jan 19 2019

...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM EST SUNDAY...

* WHAT...Heavy mixed precipitation expected. Total snow and sleet accumulations of 6 to 10 inches. The highest snow totals will be across Orange and Putnam counties. Ice accumulations of one tenth to one quarter of an inch are expected.

* WHERE...Portions of northeast New Jersey, interior southwest Connecticut and the lower Hudson Valley in New York.

* WHEN...From noon this afternoon through 6 PM EST Sunday.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Hazardous travel is expected with roads becoming snow and ice covered. Gusty winds, snow, and ice accumulation may bring down tree limbs and power lines.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Winter Storm Warning means significant amounts of snow, sleet and ice will make travel very hazardous or impossible.

Check local Department of Transportation information services for the latest road conditions.

"Man in the Moon" - Postcard

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(Click on image to enlarge)

This week’s Sunday Postcard Art challenge was "Man in the Moon."

The moon is one of my favorite themes. I recently found some "moon face" images in the "Merlinus liberatus" almanacks on the Internet Archive and used one for this.

I started with two full page gold borders that I combined into one. I masked out (erased) some of the border to give it a worn look. To add some color, I used an old book page next, and set the text to dark blue. I masked out (erased) some of the text, to give it a worn look. I also added text strips about the moon and night from an old book. I set the layer opacity of the strips to make it look like they were translucent tape. Then I added a few images, including an astronomer looking at the moon. I completed the piece by adding brown and blue stars.

I created this using GIMP 2.8.16.

The vintage images are from an Internet search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

East Coast Storm / Blizzard of 2016: Below is NOAA's snow storm total estimate (as of 11:39am EST) for how much snow the tri-state area could get from the Blizzard that is currently hitting us.

I live in coastal Connecticut right on the edge of an area that could get either 12 to 18 inches of snow, or 18 to 24 inches of snow. This is a much higher estimate than they originally forecast less than 24 hours ago. At 2:30pm, a travel ban will go into effect in New York City. Bridges and tunnels from New Jersey to New York City will also close as part of the travel ban. (I'm posting this shortly before 2pm.)

When the storm is over, I'll try to take some photographs and post them. (It's currently forecast to end around 7am tomorrow morning.)

Tri-State Area: Blizzard Warning Added For Coastal Connecticut

NOAA added my area (coastal Connecticut) to the Blizzard Warning. I'm also now forecast to get 8 to 12 inches of snow in the next 24 hours.

While none of this might sound like much snow to people living in certain parts of the US and the world, clearing the roads is the problem in this area due to the density of roads.

According to a 2006 CT DOT Public Road Mileage report, Connecticut's total land area is 5,121 square miles and it is covered with 20,892 miles of roads. So when we get this much snow in this short amount of time, the end result is second and tertiary roads may become impassable (because they don't get plowed).

I'm just hoping I don't lose electricity.

Tri-State Area: Winter Storm and Blizzard Warnings Posted

NOAA has gone to the Warning stage, for the storm that is forecast to hit my area about 24 hours from now.

I copied this information from their Winter Storm and Blizzard Preparedness Information link:

Winter Storm and Blizzard preparedness information...

Winter Storm and Blizzard Warnings have been posted for much of the tri-state area. This means hazardous winter weather conditions...such as heavy snow and blizzard conditions due to winds of 35 mph or higher with snow and blowing snow reducing visibility to less than 1/4 mile for at least 3 hours...may affect the area in the next 24 to 48 hours...but its occurrence...location and timing are still uncertain.

Before the storm strikes...be prepared.

At home or work the following items should to be available:

* flashlights and extra batteries.

* canned food and a manual opener...bottled water and essential medications.

* a first aid kit.

* sufficient heating fuel.

* a working fire extinguisher and smoke alarm.

* salt and sand.

* a battery powered radio.

make sure your pets have plenty of food...water and shelter.

make sure your vehicle is fully checked and winterized. carry a winter storm survival kit including blankets...cell phone...a flashlight with extra batteries...a shovel and a map.

if you become stranded in your vehicle...ensure the tail pipe is clear...then stay inside...run the engine 10 minutes each hour for heat...keep your window open to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning...and from time to time exercise body parts to keep blood circulating and to keep warm. tie a colored cloth to your vehicle.

if caught outside...try to stay dry and cover exposed body parts.

for additional information on preparing for winter storms...please visit...weather.gov/nyc/winterweather.html