Vernon On Board With Homeland Security Weather Warning

A forecast of potentially heavy rain and wind gusts ip to 60 mph has prompted the Department of Homeland Security to urge local Emergency Management officials to monitor conditions.

At 2 p.m. today, Emergency Management Director Michael Purcaro said town staffers would be doing just that after receiving the memo. The alert was for midnight to 6 a.m., Purcaro said.

It was at about that time when the winds began gusting in Vernon Center.

The National Weather Service said there is a 90 percent chance the wind will be accompanied by rain.

Homeland Security issued the following potential impact summary:

The strong winds combined with heavy rain are expected to result in a minor to moderate number of power outages especially along the coast and in the higher elevations. Overnight travel may be impacted especially for high profile vehicles on exposed roads and bridges. The heavy rain may result in locally moderate urban flooding as a result of snowmelt and frozen sub-soils that will cause the rain and snowmelt to runoff rapidly into storm drains and small streams.  One or two ice jams and/or mudslides may occur as a result of the heavy rain and rapid rises in streams. A few large rivers could approach flood stage in the unlikely event that 3 inches or more of rain occurs in any areas.