Weather checking SOP for Dispatch
Purpose: We need to know about any major weather events that will disrupt bus travel as far in advance as possible. These events are usually forecasted 2-3 days in advance, at a minimum, although forecasts change over time. In the Winter (November through early April), we need to be aware of snowstorms. In the summer and fall, we need to be aware of Hurricanes. Hurricane season is from June to November.
These checks should be done every 2 days, to remain aware of any potential weather systems. Once a system that could cause disruption is identified it should be checked more frequently.
Process to report SnowFall:
Any snow over 3 inches in one day is serious enough to cause disruption. Disruption can still happen with fewer than 3 inches if 1) it falls suddenly rather than spread out over many hours and 2) if it turns to ice.
The more usual it is for snow to fall, the less impact there is, because road authorities are more prepared. Places farther south that are less accustomed to snow, usually have a hard time coping. For instance, in 2021 Texas was paralyzed by 1-2 inches of snow. In contrast, up to 6 inches is not a big deal in places like Buffalo or Toronto where severe snowfall is common.
Directions:
Use weather.gov
Type in a location, e.g. Ithaca
The resulting page has a summary of the next few days of weather
It will say “your local forecast office is X”. Click this.
Scroll down and click winter weather.
This will take you to a page with a map of the entire area’s predicted snowfall during a given time range. You can check many cities at once this way.
To answer the question of, when will snow fall, click on “hour by hour forecast” and select a given locations
The blue bars will show you the amount of snow expected in each hour. The time the snow falls is important because it tells us which buses are affected
Ice:
Ice is another possible effect of winter weather. It usually occurs when temperatures fluctuate around the freezing point. Maybe rain falls, and then turns to ice. Maybe snow falls, melts, then freezes again. Instead of large amounts of snow piling up and blocking travel, ice causes roads to be slippery/dangerous.
A common reaction to ice is for authorities to implement commercial vehicle bans on the highways. Heavier vehicles like trucks and buses may be temporarily restricted. These are listed on 511 or other government websites.
The procedure for checking for ice storms is the same, except that the threshold is much lower. Even 0.1 inches of ice can create a slick layer that makes travel dangerous or shuts roadways.
Some of our worst delays have happened because of ice. Ice is also slower to remove, because it cannot be easily plowed away. Usually, we have to wait for the temperature to rise.
Wind:
High winds can also cause operational disruptions and in some circumstances immediate road closures which can strand schedules and our passengers. Winds above 20 miles per hour (with gusts higher) are concerning. Especially crossing bridges and open areas and high winds in these areas will usually result in the road being closed.
Usually the high winds will occur in conjunction with a hurricane (below) but can also occur year round in all parts of the country. A wind forecast above 20 miles per hour will usually be flagged as a wind advisory, this merits further investigation and action..
Hurricanes:
Hurricanes can disrupt travel through wind, rain, flooding, fallen trees, and other ways. Hurricanes are classified as category 1-5. There is a smaller type of storm known as Tropical Storm which is similar, and still potentially disruptive, but milder. A hurricane of any category can cause disruption.
Instructions:
Use the National Hurricane center website https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
It will start with a map of the east coast and any current storm, and it’s predicted path will be shown
You can click on each storm system to get the projected track and strength. Note that the tracks change daily as they revise projections.
Each major storm system has a page with information, including wind speeds, rainfall totals etc
