UPDATED #2: Major Snowfall in the forecast

Snow totals reduced
By Will Collette

The new National Weather Service forecast at 10 AM on Thursday cut the estimated snow totals from this snow storm down from 13 inches to perhaps 7 total.

The Weather Channel, having scored a big hit by naming last year's blizzard "Nemo," is calling this storm "Hercules." Hmmm, not so much.

They boosted the potential wind speed to gusts of up to 43 MPH. The NWS now has us under a Winter Storm Warning until 10 AM on Friday. The forecast is for upwards of six inches everywhere, but much higher amounts along the coast line. It still looks like eastern Massachusetts and the Cape are going to catch the worst of it. 

It's going to be very cold from Thursday through Saturday. In one way, that's good news in that the snow may be lighter and easily to handle than heavy, wet snow. Remember that last year's Winter Storm Nemo caused so much damage because the snow was so wet.

But if you lose power, your house is going to get colder, faster in the Arctic cold.

I have updated Progressive Charlestown's standard collection of snow tips and warnings to help you prepare and cope with what looks like the season's first major snowstorm. Stay warm and stay safe.

And read on.

Note: Charlestown's Code of Ordinances forbids you from throwing snowballs at any tree, building, person or vehicle. The penalties are severe. (Read more below).

If you are an older person or disabled, you may be able to get help shoveling out from the Chariho Shovel Brigade. Those are volunteer Chariho students who shovel out those who need help as a community service project. Contact them at CharlestownSMO@gmail.com or check them out on Facebook. The “SMO” stands for “shovel me out.”

Wind gusts may reach 22 miles per hour. Heavy snow and wind could mean power outages in town. You may want to prepare for that - fill bathtubs, pre-position lights and lamps, etc.

Here are three pieces to read, first on winter driving safety, then on safe snow shoveling and then on the town's prohibition against snowball-throwing.

Winter Driving and Safety Tips

From the RI Department of Transportation

How to prepare for winter driving

Avoid unnecessary travel during winter storms. Call 511, or log on to www.tmc.dot.ri.gov to check road conditions before your trip.

• Get your vehicle winterized. Have your anti-freeze, battery, brakes, heater, exhaust system and lights tested. Make sure your tires are in good condition, and consider replacing them if they are nearing the end of their treadlife at the start of the winter driving season. Never travel with less than a half tank of gas. Equip your vehicle with jumper cables, road flares, a shovel, salt, extra warm clothes, sleeping bag or blankets, hat, mittens, and boots, a windshield scraper and a towline.
• Carry a winter survival kit. Include flashlights, blankets, hand/foot warmer packets, first aid supplies, high energy candy or snacks, bright fabric to tie on the antenna for help if stranded, candles to melt snow for drinking water, pencil, paper and cell phone or change for phone calls.
• Notify others of your travel plans. Tell someone where you are going and the route. Report a safe arrival.

Winter driving tips

• Slow down and stay behind the snowplows. The road behind the plow will be the safest place to drive. Allow at least five car lengths between your vehicle and snowplows. Do not pass, especially on the right where large amounts of snow are kicked up (see video courtesy of Colorado DOT). The plows are wide, and sometimes a group of trucks will work in tandem to clear snow quickly, especially on highways. 
• Be particularly aware of black ice conditions on surfaces such as bridge decks and entrance and exit ramps. 
• Turn on headlights and turn off cruise control settings.
• Technology helps, but only to a point. Four-wheel drive, anti-lock brakes and traction control are beneficial advancements in today's cars, trucks and SUVs, but they can't take the place of good driving habits and the need to reduce speed on snowy or icy roads.
• Call 511 or visit www.tmc.dot.ri.gov to get current information on road conditions.
•  After the storm, clear all snow and ice from your windows, hood, roof and trunk of your vehicle. This is especially important for drivers of box trucks, tractor-trailers and other large vehicles. A sudden release of snow or ice on the highway can create hazardous driving conditions, cause a crash or damage a vehicle behind you. Clearing ice and snow from your vehicle is not only a good idea, it's a law. Editor's note: Connecticut has announced it intends to strictly enforce their law against failing to clear snow and ice from vehicles.

What to do if you are stranded in a winter storm

• Stay in your vehicle. Walking away in a storm is very dangerous. You can lose your way, wander out of reach and/or become exhausted. Your vehicle is your best shelter.
• Keep fresh air in your vehicle. It's better to be chilly and awake than to be comfortably warm and be overcome with carbon monoxide fumes. Keep your exhaust pipe free of snow and run your engine only for short periods of time, leaving a window away from the wind slightly open.
• Keep warm without fuel. Loosen tight clothing and change positions frequently. Move your arms and legs, massage fingers and toes; tuck your hands between your legs or under your armpits. Huddle together with others to share body heat. Elevate your feet to improve circulation.
• Call 911 if you have a cell phone. Describe your location, the condition of those in the car and what happened. Stay on the line until you know who you have spoken with and what will happen next.

What RIDOT Highway and Bridge Maintenance does to control snow and ice

RIDOT Highway and Bridge Maintenance staff as well as private contractors will clear many miles of Rhode Island state roadway this winter. Maintenance supervisors use technology to guide drivers with updates on weather, pavement and traffic conditions. RIDOT's Roadway Weather Information Systems (RWIS) provide the Department with pavement temperature information. This helps determine when icy conditions may be present and aids in the selection and application of anti-icing and de-icing materials.

RIDOT Highway and Bridge Maintenance uses three techniques to inhibit ice formation and improve the roadway surface for plowing. They include:

1.Anti-icing. Anti-icing prevents the formation of frost and bonding between snow and ice and pavement.
Anti-icing chemicals are primarily liquids applied before or early in a snowfall.

2. Pre-wetting. Pre-wetting adds chemical solutions to the salt and sand mixture, causing the mixture to stick to the road instead of blowing off to the shoulder.

3.  De-icing. De-icing uses chemical or mechanical means to separate ice and pavement.

Safe Snow Shoveling Tips

From: Andy Soos, ENN.com 

When one shovels snow one thinks of back problems and slipping. Another urban legend tells of heart attacks. Urban legend warns shoveling snow causes heart attacks, and the legend seems all too accurate, especially for male wintery excavators with a family history of premature cardiovascular disease.

However, until recently this warning was based on anecdotal reports. Two of the most important cardiology associations in the US include snow -shoveling on their websites as a high risk physical activity, but all the citation references indicate that this warning was based one or two incidents.

"We thought that this evidence should not be enough to convince us that snow-shoveling is potentially dangerous, " says Adrian Baranchuk, a professor in Queen’s School of Medicine and a cardiologist at Kingston General Hospital.

Dr. Baranchuk and his team retrospectively reviewed KGH patient records from the two previous winter seasons and discovered that of the 500 patients who came to the hospital with heart problems during this period, 7 per cent (35 patients) had started experiencing symptoms while shoveling snow.

"That is a huge number," says Dr. Baranchuk. "7 per cent of anything in medicine is a significant proportion. Also, if we take into account that we may have missed some patients who did not mention that they were shoveling snow around the time that the episode occurred, that number could easily double."

A heart attack results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die. This is most commonly due to occlusion (blockage) of a coronary artery following the rupture of a vulnerable portion of the wall of an artery. The resulting restriction in blood supply and ensuing oxygen shortage, if left untreated for a sufficient period of time, can cause damage or death (infarction) of heart muscle tissue.

Classical symptoms of acute myocardial infarction include sudden chest pain (typically radiating to the left arm or left side of the neck), shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, palpitations, sweating, and anxiety (often described as a sense of impending doom). Women may experience fewer typical symptoms than men, most commonly shortness of breath, weakness, a feeling of indigestion, and fatigue.

The team also identified three main factors that put individuals at a high risk when shoveling snow. The number one factor was gender (31 of the 35 patients were male), the second was a family history of premature coronary artery disease (20 of the 35 patients), and the third was smoking (16 out of 35 patients). The second two factors may carry much more weight than the first, however, since the team could not correct for high rate of snow shoveling among men in their sample.

For further information:as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die. This is most commonly due to occlusion (blockage) of a coronary artery following the rupture of a vulnerable portion of the artery wall.,  . The resulting restriction in blood supply and ensuing oxygen shortage, if left untreated for a sufficient period of time, can cause damage or death of heart muscle tissue.

Classical symptoms of acute myocardial infarction include sudden chest pain (typically radiating to the left arm or left side of the neck), shortness of breath, palpitations, sweating, and anxiety (often described as a sense of impending doom). Women may experience fewer typical symptoms than men, most commonly shortness of breath, weakness, a feeling of indigestion, and fatigue.Approximately one quarter of all myocardial infarctions are silent, that is without chest pain or other symptoms.

EDITOR'S NOTE: if you meeting some of the high-risk criteria and go out and shovel, make sure someone knows you're out their. Bring a cell phone, two-way radio or even a whistle to let people know if you are in distress. Carry aspirin or the convenient new aspirin powder packs where you can easily reach them.

For further information:  http://www.queensu.ca/news/articles/scoop-dangers-snow-shoveling

DROP THAT WEAPON! Assume the position!

OBEY THE LAW

With accumulating snow likely, Charlestown faces a potential crime wave from persons who may openly flout Charlestown's long-standing prohibitions pertaining to snow balls.

Namely, Chapter 162, Peace and good order, section 162-1.H., Actions unlawful: "No person acting alone or in concert with others shall: ... H. Throw any stone, snowball or other missile object upon or at any person, vehicle, building, tree , sign or other public or private property."

The penalties for throwing snow balls at at person, tree, vehicle or building can be severe:

"Any person who shall violate any provision of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished, for each violation, by a fine of not more than $500 or by imprisonment for not more than 30 days. The continuation of a violation of any provision of this chapter shall constitute, for each day the violation is continued, a separate and distinct violation hereunder".

You would be prosecuted in Charlestown's Municipal Court and could end up in one of Chief Allen's jail cells in the basement of the police station - one of them padded.