Talk about Perfect Timing

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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
924 AM CST MON DEC 5 2005

...WINTER WEATHER AWARENESS DAY IS APPROACHING...

THE COLDER TEMPERATURES WE ARE FEELING IS A SIGN THAT WINTER IS ON
ITS WAY. IN PREPARATION...STATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR JACK
COLLEY HAS DECLARED TUESDAY DECEMBER 6 AS WINTER WEATHER
AWARENESS DAY IN TEXAS.  ON THAT DAY...THE TEXAS DIVISION OF
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL TEAM UP TO
HIGHLIGHT THE HAZARDS WHICH ACCOMPANY WINTER WEATHER. WITH THE
HOLIDAY TRAVEL SEASON AT HAND...THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO REVIEW WINTER
WEATHER IMPACTS AND SAFETY TIPS.

ALTHOUGH THE LATEST WINTER OUTLOOKS SUGGEST ABOVE NORMAL
TEMPERATURES ON THE AVERAGE...WE SHOULD STILL PREPARE FOR OCCASIONAL
COLD WEATHER OUTBREAKS. SOME OF THESE OUTBREAKS COULD INCLUDE WINTER
PRECIPITATION AS WELL. WE WILL HAVE A CHANCE OF AT LEAST SOME LIGHT
WINTRY PRECIPITATION LATER THIS WEEK.

DURING THE DAY...YOUR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL ISSUE A SERIES OF
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS.  THESE STATEMENTS WILL DESCRIBE WINTER
WEATHER TERMINOLOGY...THEY WILL REVIEW WINTER WEATHER HISTORY IN
NORTH TEXAS...AND THEY WILL PROVIDE SAFETY TIPS FOR THE COLD WEATHER
SEASON.  THESE STATEMENTS WILL BE BROADCAST ON NOAA WEATHER/
ALL HAZARDS RADIO...AND POSTED TO THE FORT WORTH FORECAST OFFICE/S
HOME PAGE AT /LOWER CASE/ WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/FWD

WE ENCOURAGE THE AREA MEDIA AND LOCAL OFFICIALS TO RELAY THIS
INFORMATION AND ASSIST IN PREPARING NORTH TEXANS FOR THE UPCOMING
WINTER SEASON.

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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
544 AM CST TUE DEC 6 2005

...WINTER WEATHER DEFINITIONS...
...PART 1 IN A SERIES FOR WINTER WEATHER AWARENESS DAY 2005...

YOUR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE USES THE FOLLOWING TERMS WHEN
FORECASTING AND DESCRIBING WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS WHICH AFFECT
NORTH TEXAS.

WATCH - AN ADVANCE STATEMENT THAT SEVERE WINTER WEATHER
CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE NEXT DAY OR TWO.

WARNING - AN URGENT STATEMENT THAT SEVERE WINTER WEATHER
CONDITIONS HAVE BEGUN OR WILL BEGIN WITHIN ABOUT 12 HOURS.

ADVISORY - A STATEMENT THAT WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE IMMINENT
OR OCCURRING.  THESE CONDITIONS WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT
INCONVENIENCE... AND MAY BECOME HAZARDOUS OR LIFE-THREATENING IF
SAFETY TIPS ARE NOT FOLLOWED.

FREEZING RAIN/FREEZING DRIZZLE - RAIN OR DRIZZLE WHICH FALLS AS
LIQUID...THEN FREEZES WHEN IT STRIKES THE GROUND OR OTHER SURFACE.

HEAVY SNOW - A SNOWFALL WHICH ACCUMULATES TO A DEPTH OF AT LEAST 4
INCHES IN 12 HOURS...OR 6 INCHES IN 24 HOURS.

ICE STORM - AN ACCUMULATION OF 1/4 INCH OR MORE OF FREEZING RAIN.

SLEET - PELLETS OF ICE COMPOSED OF FROZEN OR MOSTLY FROZEN
RAINDROPS...OR SNOWFLAKES WHICH HAVE MELTED AND RE-FROZEN.

OTHER WINTER CONDITIONS...

FROST - THIN ICE CRYSTALS WHICH FORM ON THE GROUND OR OTHER
SURFACES.

HIGH WIND - SUSTAINED WIND OF 40 MPH OR GREATER...OR FREQUENT GUSTS
OF 58 MPH OR GREATER.

WIND CHILL - A COOLING EFFECT CAUSED WHEN WIND BLOWS ACROSS EXPOSED
SKIN.

 FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WINTER WEATHER AND THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE...VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/FWD.

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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
1000 AM CST TUE DEC 6 2005

...NORTH TEXAS WINTER WEATHER HISTORY...
...PART 2 IN A SERIES FOR WINTER WEATHER AWARENESS DAY 2005...

WHILE WINTER STORMS ARE NOT AS COMMON IN NORTH TEXAS AS THEY ARE
FARTHER NORTH...WE HAVE EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT WINTER WEATHER
EVENTS DURING OUR HISTORY.  HERE IS A SHORT LIST OF SOME OF THE
RECENT WINTER STORMS WHICH HAVE IMPACTED NORTH TEXAS.

JANUARY 12-14, 1982 - A NARROW BUT HEAVY BAND OF SNOW DEVELOPED FROM
ABILENE...TO HILLSBORO...TO LONGVIEW. TWELVE TO FIFTEEN INCHES OF
SNOW FELL AT VALLEY MILLS AND AT WEST. THE SNOW MADE TRAVEL EXTREMELY
DIFFICULT ACROSS THE CENTRAL TEXAS AREA.

DECEMBER 18-30, 1983 - A SERIES OF STRONG COLD FRONTS MOVED ACROSS
TEXAS.  THE OBSERVATION SITE AT DALLAS-FORT WORTH INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT SPENT A RECORD 295 CONSECUTIVE HOURS BELOW FREEZING.  THE
COLD TEMPERATURES STRAINED POWER SUPPLIES AND MADE TRAVEL
DIFFICULT.  MANY WATER PIPES IN THE AREA BURST..DAMAGING HOMES AND
CAUSING ICY ROADS.  OVER 1.5 MILLION DOLLARS IN DAMAGE WAS DONE IN
TARRANT COUNTY ALONE.

DECEMBER 20-24, 1989 - A SHARP COLD WAVE SPREAD OVER ALL OF TEXAS.
THE COLD TEMPERATURES FROZE MANY WATER PIPES IN THE
METROPLEX...CAUSING THEM TO BURST.  AROUND 25 MILLION DOLLARS IN
DAMAGE RESULTED IN DALLAS COUNTY.  IN ADDITION...THE COLD
TEMPERATURES CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO CITRUS CROPS IN SOUTH
TEXAS.

DECEMBER 22-24, 1998 - A COMBINATION OF FREEZING DRIZZLE...FREEZING
RAIN...SLEET...AND SNOW MOVED OVER ALL OF NORTH TEXAS. SIX DEATHS
RESULTED FROM THE WINTER WEATHER...AND OVER 2000 TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS
WERE REPORTED. THE CONDITIONS FORCED THE CANCELLATION OF OVER 400
FLIGHTS FROM DALLAS-FORT WORTH AIRPORT.

DECEMBER 25, 2000 - JANUARY 5, 2001 - AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF FREEZING
RAIN AND SNOW AFFECTED MOST OF NORTH TEXAS. SEVERAL INCHES OF
FREEZING RAIN CAUSED WIDESPREAD AND EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO TREES AND
POWER LINES IN FAR NORTH AND NORTHEAST TEXAS. HEAVY SNOW OVER
NORTHWEST TEXAS PARALYZED PORTIONS OF INTERSTATE 20. NUMEROUS
TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS RESULTED FROM THE HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS.

FEBRUARY 24-25, 2003 - UP TO 5 INCHES OF SLEET AND SNOW FELL NORTH
OF DALLAS-FORT WORTH...WHILE UP TO 1 INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATATED FROM
KILLEEN...TO WACO...TO PALESTINE.  THE SLEET AND SNOW CAUSED MAJOR
TRAVEL DISRUPTIONS WHILE THE ICE RESULTED IN WIDESPREAD POWER
OUTAGES.  DAMAGE WAS AROUND 15 MILLION DOLLARS.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON OUR WINTER WEATHER HISTORY AND THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT
WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/FWD.