Dry Weather Leads to Fire Warning

The dry weather and expected winds on Thursday afternoon raise fire threat.

The National Weather Service is warning of an increased risk of brush fires because of the extended dry weather conditions across New England. The NWS said the dry weather on Thursday has created “unsafe burning conditions” with dead grass, leaves and brush at greater risk to catch fire. In addition to the dry conditions, winds may reach 20 to 30 mph in the afternoon, which could cause brush fires to spread.

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Gusty Winds and Dry Air Spark Continued Fire Threat

Gusty northwest winds are expected Friday afternoon.

The National Weather Service is warning of elevated fire weather conditions developing Friday afternoon and continuing into Saturday. Gusty northwest winds are expected Friday afternoon. The winds plus dry conditions will create a fire hazard, according to the weather. Elevated fire conditions will continue through mid-day Saturday, but winds should diminish in the afternoon. There is a “low probability” that southwest winds on Sunday will cause a wind advisory. The elevated fire weather conditions include much of Massachusetts. No outdoor fires have been reported this spring in Hamilton and Wenham. A brush fire burned an area of woods near Salem Willows in Salem on Thursday.

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Monday Afternoon Cold Front Will Bring Strong Wind Gusts

Forecasters are warning of strong wind gusts and a rapid drop in temperatures on Monday afternoon and evening.

A cold front forecasted to move across Hamilton and Wenham on Monday afternoon could lead to wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour. The cold front is expected to cross our region between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. and with it will come 40-50 mile per hour wind gusts. "This strong cold front will likely be accompanied by scattered showers and perhaps even a few isolated thunderstorms,” the weather service warned in a weather advisory. “The main concern is the potential for a brief period of northwest wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph with any of the showers and a rapid fall in temperatures.”

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Snowstorm Will Have 'High Impact' on Tuesday Morning Commute

Another winter storm is headed our way, with the forecast calling for snowfall through the Tuesday morning commute.

Mother Nature is making sure winter will last until the bitter end this year. On the last full day of winter Tuesday, forecasters are calling for several inches of accumulating snow - and possibly more - starting late Monday night and last into Tuesday morning. The storm will make driving "treacherous" late Monday night into Tuesday morning, with a "high impact on the Tuesday morning commute," according to the National Weather Service. Additionally, "travel will be slow at best on well treated surfaces and quite difficult on any unplowed or untreated surfaces." A winter storm watch has been issued for Hamilton and Wenham starting on Monday at 9 p.m. and runing through 11 a.m. on Tuesday. The winter storm watch means the weather service …

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Should Feds Scrap 'Watch' and 'Warning' Weather Lingo?

The National Weather Service is taking public comment on whether they should change their system of classifying winter weather "watches," "warnings" and "advisories" for more straight-forward language.

Is a winter storm warning more serious than a winter storm watch? Or is it the other way around? The National Weather Service is experimenting with new language to simplify the existing system of "watches," "warnings" and "advisories." For instance, this winter you've read Patch weather stories with lines like "the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning." But next winter we'd instead be writing "The National Weather Service has issued a warning for a dangerous snow storm." You can look at side-by-side examples of the current and proposed text from a weather station in Maine. Here are a few more examples: You can tell the Weather Service your opinion through March 31 via this link. Me, I'm skeptical when the government …

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Flooding Possible Tuesday With Rain, Snow Melt Combination

An inch of rain combined with melting snow on Tuesday could cause smaller streams to flood, warn meteorologists.

Flooding is possible on Tuesday with the combination of melting snow and a rainstorm that will move into the two towns. The National Weather Service said on Monday that minor flooding is possible for rivers and streams as well as poor drainage and “urban areas” on Tuesday and Tuesday night. The flooding is possible because of the combination of “locally heavy rainfall” and the melting snow from last Friday’s storm, which dropped about a foot and a half of snow in Hamilton and Wenham. “In addition, areas of dense fog may impact the region during this time,” the weather service said. Meteorologist Jeremy Reiner at WHDH-TV also warned that while the inch of rain that is forecasted would not typically be significant, the chance of flooding …

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MAP: How Much Snow is There in Hamilton and Wenham?

Hamilton and Wenham were expecting 6-10 inches of snow from this week's storm, but it has delivered quite a bit more. See how many inches have fallen in your area with the LIVE map below.

The map above, provided by the National Weather Service, shows total snowfall in the Hamilton and Wenham area over the past 3 days. The map is centered around the red marker, which is in the middle of Hamilton-Wenham Patch's coverage area, and the map updates every six hours, starting around 2 a.m. each day. Note: This map is not visible on some mobile devices.

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Patch Facts

Five Things to Know on March 6: Meet the Local Candidates

An essential get-me-going daily morning column from Hamilton-Wenham Patch.

Today is Wednesday, March 6. Here are five things you need to know in Hamilton and Wenham: 1. Mix: Mother Nature will toss a lot at us on Wednesday, with the forecast calling for rain and snow showers along with temperatures getting up to 40 degrees. The wind will also blow up to 20 miles per hour out of the northeast. 2. Candidates: It is one-stop shopping for voters on Wednesday night at Buker Elementary School where candidates for all of the local contested races on next month’s ballot - including the Board of Selectmen in both Hamilton and Wenham plus the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School Committee - will appear. It starts at 7 p.m. 3. Weather Preparation: We are in the middle of National Severe Weather Preparedness Week, which is …

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League of Women Voters Hamilton-Wenham

3:34 pm on Wednesday, March 6, 2013

We hope to see you at the Candidates Night tonight, 7pm at the Buker School. Thanks to our local cable channel, residents can watch the meeting live or rebroadcast this month on local cable access channel or www.hwcam.org.   more ›

Third Straight Weekend Storm to Deliver Heavy, Wet Snow

The snow from this weekend's storm will be heavy and wet, a change from past storms that was light and easily drifted.

Heavy, wet snow will move in Saturday afternoon and accumulate more than six inches, the National Weather Service said as it issued a winter storm watch. The winter storm watch runs from Saturday afternoon through Sunday afternoon and means the potential of accumulating snow of six or more inches in a 12 hour period or eight or more inches in a 24 hour period. The heaviest snow in Hamilton and Wenham will be on Saturday night into Sunday morning when 1 to 2 inches of snow could fall per hour. “The biggest concern is that this will be a heavy wet snow,” the weather service said as it issued the winter storm watch. “This will bring the potential for downed tree limbs and scattered power outages.” The wind will blow from the northeast at 5-10…

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Uncertainty Highlights Forecast for Weekend Snowstorm

There's a wide range of possibilities for snow with a snowstorm that is moving in on Saturday night.

After last weekend's blizzard, we can take it. That's most people's thinking as they look at a forecast that contains predictions of some accumulating snow on Saturday night. After the possibility of light snow on Saturday morning, about 3-6 inches of snow will accumulate on Saturday night, according to WHDH meteorologist Pete Bouchard. The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory. Saturday will actually start with a mix of light snow and rain that will "pester us" through the early afternoon. The more significant storm, where "90 percent of the snow" will fall, will start Saturday afternoon and last through Sunday morning. The snow will light and easily be blown around. The highest accumulations will be far from us on…

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