With meteorological winter officially underway, NOAA’s National Weather Service is ready for snow! Here is a rundown of the newest winter weather tools our forecasters developed in the winter “off-season.”

Snow Squall Warnings.
Snow squall warnings provide critical, highly localized life-saving information during squalls, which are intense short-lived periods of moderate to heavy snowfall accompanied by gusty surface winds that can generate whiteout conditions that are especially dangerous for motorists. If a snow squall warning is issued for your area, avoid or delay motor travel until the squall passes through your location.

Winter Storm Severity Index
There’s a winter storm coming. How bad will it be? This experimental index provides local officials and the public with a storm’s expected severity level (extreme, major, moderate, etc.) and its potential impacts. It is helpful for making informed decisions regarding outdoor plans or upcoming travel. The index was first launched in 2018 and is expanding to the entire U.S. for winter 2019.

Winter Storm Outlook
This experimental product from NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center is new for 2019. The product shows the chance of dangerous ice and snow accumulations across the country over the next three days, and is a team effort between forecasters at WPC and local NWS offices. The Winter Storm Outlook will drive consistent messaging ahead of significant winter storms from the “big picture” national scale to the local level.

Winter Weather Safety Tips
Forecast aside, the most important thing is what you do with that information to keep you and your loved ones safe and warm. The National Weather Service provides resources to help residents and communities prepare for severe winter weather events.

When it snows, we’d like to know! Sign up to report snowfall amounts. The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network needs volunteers to measure and map precipitation (rain, hail and snow).