WILLIAMS — Rain has been pretty constant since about 10:20 this morning and is expected to continue throughout the afternoon. The city also received a dose of hail and some thunder and lightning.
The rain is expected to give way to snow this afternoon and throughout Wednesday.
A high wind advisory has been issued through 6 p.m. tonight.
WILLIAMS — As you wandered around Williams the past couple of days you might have noticed the “sprucing up” of City Hall and the Williams Visitor Center. Steve Dudley of Williams sent us this report.
Today, about 150 volunteers of Tourism Cares blew into Williams and spent the day painting the town. From City Hall and the Visitor Center to National Forest signs, the all volunteer group fanned out across the city and gave everything a fresh coat of paint. Tourism Cares’ mission is to preserve the travel experience for future generations. They protect the heart of travel by uniting the travel and tourism industry to tackle shared priorities with our collective might! Tourism Cares is the charitable arm of the travel and tourism industry. After a full day of hard work and a job well done the group had dinner at Wild West Junction.
Our thanks to the group for making us look even better.
Beginning on January 1 and running through December 31 of 2016, the Amateur Radio Relay League will sponsor the special event National Parks On the Air (Facebook). This event does not begin until January 1, so amateur radio operators have time to register.
Since the 100th anniversay of the ARRL ended in 2014, amateur radio operators have pushed for another year-long event . The ARRL responded to the requests with this year-long event coordinated with the National Parks Service to celebrate their 100th anniversary. There are several awards and certificates available for this event, but HAM operators must register through the ARRL special web site.
Ham operators conduct several events throughout the year to earn certificates and awards. One is called contesting where an operator attempts to contact as many other Ham radio operators around the world as they can in a specified time. Ham operators set up in remote locations and send special cards, called QSL cards, to Ham operators who contact them.
A recent example is the 2015 Route 66 On The Air event. They even made a stop and broadcast in Williams and Flagstaff.
Ham radio operators will “activate” radio units in various parks, such as the Grand Canyon. “Chasers” will try to contact these Activators all year long to collect certificates. Regular paper logs will not be accepted for the event. Amateur radio operators will have to register in the ARRL Log of the World
The history of amateur radio extends to the days when radio transmissions began. Most contacts were made through morse code (called CW or continous wave in Ham radio) transmissions. Today there are a plethora of different radios and contact methods. You are encouraged to learn and use CW, but it is no longer required to obtain a license from the Federal Communications Commission.
Those “activators” will also demonstrate the capablity of Ham radio for uninitiated visitors to the park. They will answer questions and advise people on how they can become licensed Ham radio operators.
If you are interested in learning more about the Amateur Radio Service, how to obtain a license and participate in this event, you can check out the ARRL web site.
WILLIAMS — Even before the ghosts and goblins began appearing on the streets for trick-or-treat, the Grand Canyon Railway made a scary transformation.
They decorated for Christmas.
Williams has put on its Polar Express face with the standard sleigh in the park and lights along the railway. They were even playing Christmas tunes.
The Polar Express begins running this Friday, November 6 on the weekends with some special runs over the Thanksgiving period. They will have several runs through December ending with a run on January 2nd and 3rd. This is the big event for the winter, in Williams, and tickets usually go fast. Make sure that you get your reservations made now.
The Grand Canyon Railway also asks families to submit photos for their annual photo contest. See their web site for details or ask before you board the train.
Weather will shut down Zipline until Thursday.
As we published this article, the rain began at 10:24 a.m.
Rain is likely today turning into snow showers overnight. Snow levels are expected to drop to 5500′ overnight and up to 2-inch could fall on Williams. Up to an inch more could fall on Wednesday. The overall expected snow fall is 1 to 3-inches above 6000-feet and 3 to 6-inches above 6800-feet.
The Weather Service has issued a wind advisory through tonight which could affect high-profile vehicles driving east-west routes. The Weather Service recommends securing loose objects on your property.