Winter storm warning

Winter Storm Warning, WSW is a statement made by the National Weather Service of the United States which means a winter storm is occurring or is about to occur in the area, usually within 24 hours. Generally, a Winter Storm Warning is issued if at least 4 inches (10 cm) to 7 inches (18 cm) or more of snow or 3 inches (7.6 cm) or more of snow with a large accumulation of ice is forecast. In the Southern United States, where severe winter weather is much less common and any snow is a more significant event, warning criteria are lower, as low as 2 inches (5.1 cm) in the southernmost areas. A warning can also be issued during high impact events of lesser amounts, usually early or very late in the season when trees have leaves and damage can result.
Usually, a large accumulation of ice alone with no snow will result in an Ice Storm Warning, or in the case of light freezing rain, a Winter Weather Advisory, a Freezing Rain Advisory, or Drizzle Advisory.
A similar warning is issued by Environment Canada's Meteorological Service of Canada from their offices.
Prior to the 2008-09 winter season, there was the Heavy Snow Warning, specific for when only a heavy amount of snow was expected in the warned area. The Winter Storm Warning for Heavy Snow has since replaced it.


New Hampshire Dept. of Homeland Security Director Chris Pope said it was important for residents to be prepared.


“With the first winter storm people need to be reminded to slow down on the highways and allow extra space between vehicles,” he stated, in a press release. “We also encourage everyone to be prepared for power outages because the snow is expected to be wet and heavy.”


Pope also made the following recommendations:


Keep your car’s gas tank at least half full.
Don’t venture out on the roads with worn tires.
Report power outages to your utility.
Maintain a home emergency kit that includes flashlights and space batteries, a battery powered radio and extra supplies of food and water.
Be careful of the dangers of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning when using generators, heaters, fireplaces and wood stoves.
Stay current on weather information from broadcast or Internet sources.
Unitil, Concord's electric company, said it is marshalling resources to prepare for the storm. The biggest worry is that there are still leaves on trees, which will hold up more snow and increase the danger of them falling over.


"Leaves fall off in the winter for a reason, and the extra surface area will allow even more snow to stick to limbs,” Unitil Media Relations Manager Alec O’Meara said in a statement. “All of that extra weight has the potential to cause healthy, normally non-threatening trees to fail, leading to additional outages.”