The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) suspended operations last night, Wednesday, at 11:00 PM EDT (0300 UTC) after Melissa was pulling away from the Bahamas.
HWN was prepared to rest today, Thursday, and reactivate on Friday. However, Melissa has been a storm that has been very hard to predict when and where it is going. As of the 11:00 AM EDT (1500 UTC) Advisory, Melissa is now forecast to affect the tiny island of Bermuda this Thursday evening or early Friday morning. And Bermuda seems to have a target painted on it, as this will be the 5 hurricane to pass by or make landfall this season.
Activation will begin Thursday afternoon, 5:00 PM EDT (2100 UTC).
• 20-meters - 14.325 MHz (USB): Start at 5:00 PM EDT (2100 UTC); operate until no longer required or evening propagation loss.
• 40-meters - 7.268 MHz (LSB): Start at 7:00 PM EDT (2300 UTC); operate until no longer required.
Reporting & Support
During activations, HWN collects and relays real-time or estimated weather data to the National Hurricane Center, including:
• Maximum sustained winds and gusts
• Wind direction and barometric pressure
• Rainfall amounts and duration
• Storm surge
• Damage assessments
HWN also provides Health and Welfare Traffic, and backup communications for Emergency Operations Centers, Red Cross shelters, and other agencies, sharing critical damage assessment information as requested.
Updates and changes to operational plans will be posted on www.hwn.org and HWN social media including Facebook and X.
A special thanks to the amateur radio community and nets maintaining clear frequencies on 14.325 MHz and 7.268 MHz – your cooperation is vital in helping us serve those in harm’s way.
Kind Regards & God Bless,
Bobby Graves
KB5HAV
Net Manager
Hurricane Watch Net
