Hazardous Weather Outlook

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Category: Battle Creek Emergency Services Weather

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Hazardous Weather Outlook

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
540 AM EST FRI JAN 30 2015

LMZ844>849-MIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-
311100-
ST JOSEPH TO SOUTH HAVEN MI-SOUTH HAVEN TO HOLLAND MI-
HOLLAND TO GRAND HAVEN MI-GRAND HAVEN TO WHITEHALL MI-
WHITEHALL TO PENTWATER MI-PENTWATER TO MANISTEE MI-MASON-LAKE-
OSCEOLA-CLARE-OCEANA-NEWAYGO-MECOSTA-ISABELLA-MUSKEGON-MONTCALM-
GRATIOT-OTTAWA-KENT-IONIA-CLINTON-ALLEGAN-BARRY-EATON-INGHAM-
VAN BUREN-KALAMAZOO-CALHOUN-JACKSON-
540 AM EST FRI JAN 30 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER
MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

COLD TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING TODAY WILL KEEP ROADS ICY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

ACCUMULATING SNOW IS EXPECTED SUNDAY...ESPECIALLY FARTHER SOUTH
TOWARDS INTERSTATE 94 WITH LITTLE OVERALL IMPACT EXPECTED.

ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATING SNOW TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY COULD
IMPACT EVENING COMMUTES BOTH DAYS.

WIND CHILLS THURSDAY MORNING COULD BECOME HAZARDOUS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

$$

TJT

Gov. Snyder encourages residents to make winter emergency preparedness a priority

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Category: Battle Creek Emergency Services Weather

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LANSING, Mich. – With the arrival of winter weather, Gov. Rick Snyder today encouraged Michigan residents to make emergency preparedness a priority.

“Last winter, Michiganders endured hardships due to frigid temperatures, heavy amounts of snow and a statewide propane shortage,” Snyder said. “Now is the time for families to take a few extra steps to ensure they are prepared in the event of another severe winter season.”

Severe winter weather poses health and safety concerns with extremely cold temperatures, freezing pipes, potential propane shortages and power outages. The Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division (MSP/EMHSD) offers several steps that families should take to prepare for the winter season.

To prepare your home for winter:

• Weatherproof your home by installing weather-stripping, caulking and insulating walls, doors and windows.
• Insulate any water lines that run along exterior walls so pipes are less likely to freeze.
• Lock in a propane rate now and have a backup heating plan, such as a generator, wood stove or fireplace.
• Have gas or oil furnaces inspected by a qualified professional and change the air filter.
• Have your fireplace and chimney cleaned and inspected. Contact your local fire department for a referral or look for a local inspector online.
• Install battery-operated carbon monoxide (CO) detectors near every sleeping area. CO poisoning is most prevalent when furnaces are turned on to fight cold winter temperatures, but commonly occurs after winter storms and accompanying power outages, when people tend to rely on portable generators for electricity. 
• Clean gutters to prevent ice dams from forming. Roof ice dams can cause water to build-up, leading to interior damage.
• Clear storm drains along the curb to enable water to drain. If plugged, water has the potential to go into low-lying areas and flood basements.
• Have an emergency preparedness kit stored safely in your house that includes: water, non-perishable food, first aid kit, extra batteries, a battery or hand-crank powered radio, emergency lighting or flashlights, extra blankets and warm clothing.

 To prepare your vehicle for winter:

• Have your radiator system serviced before winter and make sure to replace windshield wipers and wiper fluid with a wintertime mixture that will not freeze.
• Replace any worn tires and check air pressure regularly.
• Have your brakes, brake fluid, oil, car battery, heater and exhaust checked to make everything is running efficiently.
• Keep your gas tank at least half full at all times to avoid fuel lines freezing up and getting ice buildup in your tank.
• Keep an emergency preparedness kit in your vehicle stocked with: batteries, battery powered or hand-crank radio, flashlight, windshield scraper, jumper cables, shovel, blankets, first aid kit, non-perishable food and bottled water in the event you get stranded or stuck.

For more information about winter emergency preparedness, go to www.michigan.gov/beprepared or follow the MSP/EMHSD on Twitter at @MichEMHS.

Windchill Chart

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Category: Battle Creek Emergency Services Weather

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The Wind Chill is the temperature your body feels when the air temperature is combined with the wind speed. It is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin caused by the effects of wind and cold. As the speed of the wind increases, it can carry heat away from your body much more quickly, causing skin temperature to drop. The Wind Chill chart below shows the difference between actual air temperature and perceived temperature, and amount of time until frostbite occurs.

What is Lake Effect Snow?

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Category: Battle Creek Emergency Services Weather

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Lake effect snow occurs when cold air passes over a large warmer lake, such as one of the Great Lakes. The warmer lake and cold air creates an unstable atmosphere. The air that streams over the warmer lake and picks up some of the moisture and heat from the Great Lake and, in combination with unstable air, creates snow showers. Those snow showers move with the wind into areas downstream of the Great Lakes. Lake effect snow can create a local, intense, and narrow band of moderate to heavy snow that can extend inland as far east as across the entire Lower Peninsula. Lake effect snow may also be accompanied by strong, gusty winds and possibly lightning. Snowfall rates in the most intense lake effect events can reach 3 to 5 inches per hour! Areas that are most susceptible to lake effect snows are Northern Upper Michigan, Western Lower Michigan and to a lesser extent, the Thumb region of Lower Michigan.

What are the various winter weather warnings and advisories?

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Category: Battle Creek Emergency Services Weather

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• A winter storm watch indicates severe winter weather conditions may affect your area in the next 12 to 48 hours. 
• A winter storm warning indicates severe winter conditions are imminent. There are a variety of warnings including, ice storm warning, lake effect snow warning, and winter storm warning. 
• A winter storm warning for heavy snow generally indicates snowfalls of at least 8 inches. 
• Blizzard warnings are issued when sustained wind speeds or frequent gusts of at least 35 miles per hour are accompanied by considerable falling and/or blowing snow, for a period of at least 3 hours. Visibility is greatly reduced to near zero during a blizzard. 
• Winter weather advisories are issued when snowfalls are expected to be hazardous, but less than warning criteria. This generally indicates in the Lower Peninsula: 4 to 5 inches are expected in a 12-hour period. In the Upper Peninsula: 4 to 7 inches of snow are anticipated in that same time period.