On November, 9, NOAA announced that the 2017-2018 winter season will bring with it the atmospheric condition known as “La Nina”. This condition is the result of cooler than average water temperatures in the equatorial region of the Pacific, and it can cause unusual weather patterns in the northern hemisphere. The United States can expect these patterns to present themselves as drier and warmer conditions in the South, while Northern states can expect wetter, colder ones.
This year will long be remembered for its extreme weather, with multiple hurricanes making landfall and devastating wildfires raging for months at a time. With the potential for La Nina to bring increased levels of cold precipitation to some areas, emergency planners in the US should review their organization’s level of preparedness for heavy snow and possible blizzard conditions, just as national planners are doing in Great Britain.
A Potentially Life-Saving New Warning System
Thankfully, with the probability of increased snowfall this year, the National Weather Service has created a new system for warning communities of snow squall conditions. Snow squalls are defined as short term bursts of heavy snow and can happen in areas that are not experiencing winter storms at the time. The lack of visibility, unexpected loss of traction, and windy conditions they produce are responsible for several fatal traffic accidents per year.
As of early January 2018, seven NWS offices will begin issuing these warnings to their assigned areas of the Northeast US. The warnings will be short and will address the concerns of specific areas in the same manner as flood or tornado warnings.
Mass communication systems integrated with the National Weather Service will allow organizations to relay the new snow squall alerts to all members in impacted areas as soon as issued.
Being Prepared with Mass Communication
When seasonal challenges arise, an organization’s ability to respond quickly and efficiently can mean the difference between inconvenience and potential disaster. Dependable mass communication can help keep all members of an organization informed of developing conditions brought about by weather or other environmental factors that can negatively impact them.
Regroup’s seamless integration with NOAA’s National Weather Service provides organizations of all size and type with the ability to automatically warn stakeholders, in real time, of dangerous weather conditions like snow squalls.
To learn more about Regroup and our integration with the National Weather Service, give us a call at 1-855-REGROUP or email inquiries@regroup.com. We’d be happy to customize a demonstration of our mass communications platform for your organization and industry.