Once
again with the warnings about big snow
By
Will Collette
Storming
warnings are up once again for a major winter storm for the weekend. Some parts
of New England, mostly those that have been high hard before, are going to get
hit hard again.
The official winter
storm watch for our area starts Valentine’s Day at 3 PM and runs until
Sunday at 7 PM. The general outlook for much of the watch area is 6 to 12 inches, though it looks like Charlestown will once again escape the storm's full force.
That,
of course, was more than enough for the local
Patch to once again say there will be a foot of snow that will drop on
South Kingstown.
I’ve
got to stop reading Patch’s forecasts because their Brian Williams
approach to weather reporting only pisses me off.
If
you look instead at the National Weather Service and Weather Channel forecasts specifically
for Charlestown, you get a radically different picture
The
National
Weather Service forecast for Charlestown is for 1 to 2 inches on Saturday
and 2 to 4 for Sunday. After all the snow we’ve seen this season, this is
nothing. Plus with low temperatures and wind, this snow is likely to be the
light and fluffy kind that is easy to remove. No ice. No wintry mix.
The
Weather
Channel for Charlestown says about an inch on Saturday, maybe 3 to 5 on
Saturday night and 1 to 3 inches on Sunday.
Since
Charlestown got its first real taste of winter when Juno blew
through on January 26, we’ve had storms blowing through every 3-4 days but
generally, the more conservative National Weather Service forecast for
Charlestown has been more accurate than either the Weather Channel or the
Snowmaggedon forecasts on Patch.
It
pays to be winter smart. Watch and assess the forecasts. Keep your house
stocked with needed supplies. Stay off the road when conditions are poor. Be
careful when you do storm clean up. Ask for help if you need it.
With
a spate of roof collapses in the area, pay attention to snow and ice that may
have collected on flats roofs of buildings you own.
You’ll
find lots of practical advice on weathering this and other winter storms to
come by clicking here including
information specific to Charlestown.
