Week 3 Preseason Matchups

From 11/24/2013 - 11/30/2013
(BOLD - DIVISION GAMES)

FEATURED GAMES

Buffalo (2-1) 33.5 vs. Bradford (3-0) 42.5 - The top 2 locations from last week faces off
Pittsburgh (2-1) 37.9 vs. Baltimore (2-1) 64.5 - Steelers vs. Ravens rendition
LaGuardia (2-1) 72.1 vs. Washington D.C. (1-2) 63.9 - Giants vs. Redskins

OTHER GAMES

Caribou (2-1) 67.7 vs. Bangor (2-1) 75.4
Montpelier (2-1) 46 vs. Providence (2-1) 94.8
Burlington (2-1) 54.9 vs. Islip (2-1) 68.9
JFK Airport (3-0) 72.8 vs. Concord (1-2) 63.2
Albany (1-2) 52.2 vs. Binghamton (2-1) 56.2
Atlantic City (1-2) 62.6 vs. Trenton (2-1) 72.3
Worcester (1-2) 87.4 vs. Windsor Locks (2-1) 91.9
Pittsfield (3-0) 66.6 vs. Bennington (0-3) 54
Portland (3-0) 82.6 vs. Bridgeport (0-3) 60.9
Taunton (2-1) 82.4 vs. Rutland (0-3) 39
Boston (1-2) 69 vs. Central Park (0-3) 62.8
Willimantic (1-2) 72.6 vs. Harrisburg (0-3) 54.2
Syracuse (0-3) 58 vs. Philadelphia (1-2) 67.9

COMMENTARY

12/1/2013 2:25PM - It was a quiet end to the last week of preseason. There were 4 teams that remained undefeated after 3 games: Bradford, JFK Airport, Pittsfield, and Portland. But it will be all for naught when the season starts today! Everyone starts with a clean slate.

11/28/2013 12:15PM - After the large rain and snowstorm system moved through Tuesday-Wednesday, we saw many areas receiving more than an inch of precip...some even close to a month's worth! This will be good to alleviate the dryness the Northeast has been experiencing in the short-term. Providence scored big... accumulating 3.34" of rain in the last two days (66.8 points just from precip!) and running away from Montpelier. You can see how each location did below... have to say New England towns did very well against the competition.

Moving forward... winds are going to be the main factor and the chill as well. Possibly the coldest morning we've seen occurring Saturday morning. Also, can't forget the lake effect snow. Buffalo and Bradford, the top 2 locations from last week, were spared from the worst of the storm and significantly down on points against the rest of the group. Probably fortunate that they're facing against each other!

The regular season schedule will be released as early as Friday. Don't miss it!

- Happy Thanksgiving to all from the NEXWL headquarters :)

11/26/2013 7:45AM - What is up with JFK Airport and their opponent's missing observations? When JFK Airport faced Bennington, Bennington had 3 days worth of incomplete data. And now apparently, Concord is too... having missed low temp readings for the first 2 days of competition. Intimidation perhaps? Didn't know it was possible in fantasy weather! lol

Anyways, a big storm is brewing with a low tracking up the East Coast bringing a wide swath of rain, snow, wind... everything miserable you can imagine. Does not look good for holiday travelers! Expecting inches of rain along the I-95 corridor while heavy snow out west. It's a battle between contrasting styles... who's going to take advantage and gain a huge step forward? We'll find out the next 2 days!

11/24/2013 1:40PM - Week 3 of preseason starts with an arctic blast. After Saturday's snow squalls, we are left with freezing temps and a vicious NW wind. Then, monitoring a Tuesday-Wednesday rain/snowstorm with a low moving up the East Coast. Definitely lots to look forward to in the final week of preseason! The regular season schedule is being worked on and expected to be released on Thanksgiving break. The season starts on December 1st. Get ready and cheer on + follow your favorite!

Week 2 Preseason Matchups

From 11/17/2013 - 11/23/2013
(BOLD - Division Games)

FEATURED GAMES

Pittsfield (2-0) 41.3 vs. Worcester (1-1) 31.2 - Should be a competitive matchup. Perhaps a divisional "rivalry"?!!

Buffalo (2-0) 47.1 vs. Syracuse (0-2) 47 - A possible preview of what I believe the top two contenders in the NY State Division

Baltimore (1-1) 22.1 vs. Central Park (0-2) 14.1 - Ravens vs. Jets rendition

OTHER GAMES

Windsor Locks (1-1) 23.5 vs. Caribou (2-0) 41.2

Montpelier (2-0) 31.6 vs. LaGuardia (1-1) 29.1

Portland (2-0) 31.9 vs. Washington D.C. (1-1) 21.1

Pittsburgh (2-0) 46.7 vs. Trenton (1-1) 16.2

Burlington (2-0) 31.6 vs. Rutland (0-2) 26.6

Atlantic City (1-1) 22.4 vs. Taunton (1-1) 27.5

Bradford (2-0) 49.4 vs. Willimantic (0-2) 30.6

JFK Airport (2-0) 28.1 vs. Bennington (0-2) 20.8

Binghamton (1-1) 32.3 vs. Bangor (1-1) 32.4

Bridgeport (0-2) 24.4 vs. Providence (1-1) 33.1

Boston (0-2) 26.7 vs. Albany (1-1) 32.8

Concord (1-1) 27.2 vs. Philadelphia (0-2) 25.5

Islip (1-1) 28.1 vs. Harrisburg (0-2) 26.5

COMMENTARY

11/24/2013 10:25AM - RECAP: WOW. What an incredible ending to Week 2 of the preseason. Two matchups were decided by one-tenth of a point. Yes, one-tenth! To put it in perspective, one-tenth of a point means a one-degree difference. And that's after 7 days! Syracuse's last-second lake effect snowfall fell short against Buffalo in a wild, high-scoring affair. Bangor held off a raging comeback from Binghamton to secure a 32.4-32.3 win and get their first preseason win. To cap the week off, Bennington is finally online! Can't ask for anything better... this is what the NEXWL is about...it's full of action! :)

Week 3 of preseason starts with an arctic blast. After Saturday's snow squalls, we are left with freezing temps and a vicious NW wind. Then, monitoring a Tuesday-Wednesday rain/snowstorm with a low moving up the East Coast. Definitely lots to look forward to in the final week of preseason! The regular season schedule is being worked on and expected to be released on Thanksgiving break. The season starts on December 1st. Get ready and cheer on + follow your favorite!
11/23/2013 2:30PM - Thursday and Friday's minor rain event were added. Lake effect snow on tap today for NY and PA. As expected, Buffalo vs. Syracuse is turning out to be a competitive matchup. Buffalo has a little more than a 4 point edge over Syracuse which should be enough to hold on, though Syracuse is under a Lake Effect Snow Warning. We'll see! The closest contest heading into the last day is Bangor vs. Binghamton. Binghamton made a run yesterday, helped by 0.23" of rain and cutting the gap down to less than a point. Can they complete the comeback? And finally... I don't know what is wrong with the Bennington station. They have failed to provide the daily high/low temps from the last 3 days on the CF6. As a result, they have squandered the early lead they built up against JFK Airport. This is worrisome. If they don't get their act together, I may have to replace Bennington with the closest VT station I can find... which is Springfield, VT.
11/21/2013 11:35AM - Bennington missed an observation yesterday and this could hurt their chances against JFK Airport, which has taken the lead as a result. If possible, hoping they come back up or else they essentially forfeit that day. A tight contest shaping up between Pittsfield-Worcester. Worcester scraped a point away from the gap and Pittsfield now leads by 3.4 points. Rain/snow showers Friday and Saturday could be the ultimate decider!
11/20/2013 7:20AM - FORECAST: Chilly but quiet today. Eyeing rain and snow showers move in to western zones Thursday night-Friday, tracking toward the east by Friday afternoon-Saturday. Should be active to round the week!
11/19/2013 7:05PM - Yesterday morning's rainfall added for the other cities. The Day 2 champ for the most points belonged to Caribou with 16.2; closely followed by Bangor with 15.6. So it looks like Northern New England fared pretty well!
11/18/2013 7:25AM - Showers and storms are trekking toward the Northeast... should see more precip totals today in New England from this morning's rain. Meanwhile Western PA and Western NY doing well - Bradford, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo all received substantial rainfall, helping them gain an edge after the first day.

11/17/2013 2:40PM - An active start to the week is expected with the severe weather in the Midwest moving toward the Northeast. Going to be a matter of who receives the worst!

Week 1 Preseason Matchups

From 11/10/2013 - 11/16/2013
(BOLD - Division Games)

FEATURED GAMES

Buffalo (1-0) 39.9 vs. Central Park (0-1) 7.8 - Bills vs. Jets rendition of the actual football game
Philadelphia (0-1) 16.4 vs. Washington D.C. (1-0) 25.2 - Eagles vs. Redskins
Harrisburg (0-1) 14.4 vs. Pittsburgh (1-0) 18 - "Battle of the burg(h)s"

OTHER GAMES

Boston (0-1) 15.7 vs. Windsor Locks (1-0) 15.9
Pittsfield (1-0) 22.5 vs. Syracuse (0-1) 19.8
Taunton (0-1) 12.2 vs. Binghamton (1-0) 19.2
Worcester (1-0) 23.5 vs. Bangor (0-1) 15.5
Bridgeport (0-1) 16.4 vs. LaGuardia (1-0) 20.1
Providence (0-1) 13.5 vs. Trenton (1-0) 15.2
Willimantic (0-1) 12.7 vs. Burlington (1-0) 16.2
Bennington (0-1) 12.5 vs. Montpelier (1-0) 20.9
Rutland (0-1) 9.4 vs. Portland (1-0) 10.9
Caribou (1-0) 18.6 vs. Concord (0-1) 13.9
Albany (0-1) 15.3 vs. Bradford (1-0) 19.5
Islip (0-1) 20.3 vs. JFK Airport (1-0) 22.8
Atlantic City (1-0) 19.4 vs. Baltimore (0-1) 14.1

COMMENTARY

11/17/2013 1:00PM - RECAP: Buffalo showing they are a squad to contend with, putting up a remarkable total of 39.9 points over the helpless Central Park, aided by their high wind speeds near the Great Lakes. Washington D.C. had a great performance against Philadelphia, scoring 25.2 - second only behind Buffalo. Worcester, JFK Airport, and Pittsfield rounds up the top 5 and all posted wins over their opponents.
11/16/2013 10:30PM - @NEXWL: 1st week coming to a close! Looks like Windsor Locks escapes with a win vs. Boston by 0.2 points! WL's high temp of 60° beating out B's 59°!
11/16/2013 12:05PM - The first week of preseason is almost in the books! Today should be another quiet day in terms of the weather and the scoring. Boston and Windsor Locks are locked (pun intended) in a fierce battle. Only a tenth of a point separates between the two. It's pretty remarkable how their scores for each day are so similar... wow.
11/14/2013 9:35AM - No other way to say it...Buffalo is crushing Central Park. Meanwhile, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. are offering a more spirited battle...only 0.4 points separate them with 3 days to go. Boston-Windsor Locks and Rutland-Portland are also a tight contest in which the balance can swing either way. No substantial rain in the forecast for the Northeast until Saturday night and Sunday, so temps and wind speeds are all important.
11/12/2013 9:35AM - The second day saw Buffalo laying a big blow to Central Park, scoring 15.5 points by far the most out of the 32 locations. While Buffalo is 1st in points, Central Park is dead last and has a ton of ground to make up. Pittsfield and Syracuse traded days and are both tied, tied for 2nd in total points after Buffalo. Should be an interesting game to follow.
11/11/2013 10:45AM - Results for the first day of the preseason are in! Scattered rain and snow showers and winds yesterday helped boost points. Syracuse scored the most out of the 32 competitors, by scoring 9.6 points after the first day.
11/10/2013 4:40PM - @NEXWL: A few passing showers moved through today, even snow in NNE! Every 1/100" of precip counts for 0.2 points towards the score. Results on Mon!
11/9/2013 3:15PM - The preseason starts tomorrow! Updated scores are posted here for each day from Sunday to Saturday. The scores are the red numbers. Click on a city name for the F-6 data that will be used. Good luck and root for your favorite city!

Northeast Extreme Weather League Details, Rules, and Regulations

Which city has the most extreme weather in the Northeast? Is it Buffalo with their feet upon feet of lake-effect snow or Caribou, the "most northeastern city in the United States"? Or is it the sweltering heat island of Washington D.C.? What about New York City and Boston?

This competition tries to answer those questions through a fun and creative format. There will be 32 notable cities battling it out to be crowned "champion" and make a case for having the worst weather in the Northeast.

REVISIONS

• 11/11/2013 6:30PM: Made changes to when each temperature versions are used. I based it on looking at climo data for specific cities and tweaked the months according to what I judged would make competition fair between northern and southern cities.
• 11/10/2013 5:45PM: Minor revisions to the 2nd tiebreaker in the Game Tiebreaker section
• 11/9/2013 10:30PM: More changes to temperature system stating specifically when each version will be used to better reflect the seasonal temperature changes
• Again, thanks to @ncoram_wx, at 11/9/2013 9:45PM... revised the scoring criteria to include different scoring versions for temperatures in order to make competition fairer depending on the season
• MAJOR CHANGES ON SCHEDULING: 11/9/2013 7:45PM... Big thanks to @ncoram_wx for helping out!!

LIST OF TEAMS

• 2 conferences: New England Conference and Mid-Atlantic Conference
• 8 divisions total, 4 in each conference
• New England Conference - MA Division, CT/RI Division, VT Division, ME/NH Division
• Mid-Atlantic Conference - NY State Division, NYC Metro Division, PA Division, Capital Division

City (ASOS identifier / Abbreviation)

PRESEASON

The preseason will run 3 weeks from November 10th to November 30th. Each team will play a total of 3 games. This is a time to test out the scoring system and work out any tweaks that need to be made to prepare for the regular season. It is a work in progress!

2013 preseason schedule (Bold - Division opponents):

REGULAR SEASON

There will be two separate seasons in a year: winter and summer. The 2014 Winter regular season starts on December 1st, 2013 and ends on April 5th, 2014. The 2014 Summer regular season starts on June 1st, 2014 and ends on October 4th, 2014. Each team will play a total of 18 games. The top 16 cities (top 8 from each conference) qualify for the playoffs and compete for the title starting on April 6th. Here is the regular season format:

• 2 games against cities in their division (2 x 3 = 6 games)
• 1 games against cities in 2 specific division in their conference on a rotating schedule (2 x 4 = 8 games)
• 1 game against cities in a specific division in the other conference on a rotating schedule (1 x 4 = 4 games)

The schedule will be released at a later time.

A tiebreak may be needed if cities are tied for a spot in their division or conference at the end of the season. See the playoffs tiebreaker section for details.

RULES

• The objective is to score more points than the opponent during the span of an entire game. A game lasts 7 days in the regular season, 14 days in the playoffs, starting on Sunday and ending on Saturday.
• After each day, scoring is tabulated for each city based on its high/low temperature, precipitation, and wind speed. See the scoring section on how this works. The data that will be used comes from the F-6 form provided by the NWS.
• Points are added up and the city who accumulates the most points wins.
• If scores are tied after the allotted time, a tiebreak will be used. Check the game tiebreaker section for details.

SCORING

Four different formulas are used to convert the raw data from F-6 forms into points. Consideration is placing more emphasis on precipitation, then wind speed, and then temperature with the least emphasis. So a city who does well in precipitation beats a city who does equally well in the temperature criteria, but not as well in precipitation. Here is the breakdown:

TEMPERATURE

• There are four separate formulas for low and high temperatures...two of each depending on which type of version is used. Both high and low temps are calculated and transcribed into points and the one that results in the most points is the one being considered and added to the score. The other is thrown out.
• High temperature
• SUMMER VERSION (Used from start of winter playoffs until middle of summer playoffs) (April - November)
• If the temperature is greater than or equal to 70°, then P = .1 * T - 6.9 (T = high temperature, P = points awarded)
• If the temperature is less than 70°, no points are awarded.
• WINTER VERSION (Reasoning for lowering criteria: to give southern cities a chance to score temperature points in the winter season) (Used from middle of summer playoffs until start of winter playoffs) (November - April)
• If the temperature is greater than or equal to 50°, then P = .1 * T - 4.9 (T = high temperature, P = points awarded)
• If the temperature is less than 50°, no points are awarded.
• Low temperature
• WINTER VERSION (Used from start of summer playoffs until start of next summer's season) (October - June)
• If the temperature is less than 40°, then P = -.1 * T + 4.0 (T = low temperature, P = points awarded)
• If the temperature is greater than or equal to 40°, no points are awarded.
• SUMMER VERSION (Reasoning for increasing criteria: to give northern cities a chance to score temperature points in the summer season) (Used from start of summer season until summer playoffs) (June - October)
• If the temperature is less than 60°, then P = -.1 * T + 6.0 (T = low temperature, P = points awarded)
• If the temperature is greater than or equal to 60°, no points are awarded.

PRECIPITATION

• 0.2 points are awarded for every hundredths of an inch of precipitation. In formula form, P = Pcp * 20 (Pcp = precipitation, P = points awarded)

WIND SPEED

• NOTE: This is the highest sustained wind speed, not gusts.
• If the wind speed is greater than or equal to 20 mph, then P = .4 * W - 7.6 (W = wind speed, P = points awarded)

GAME TIEBREAKER

• If after 7 days or 14 days whatever the case may be, and both sides are tied, which is unlikely given points are in decimals, but if so then these steps will be taken in the following order to determine the victor:
• Most days won by points
• Points are re-calculated for each day through a new set of formulas that are meant to distribute points with no restrictions imposed:
• We consider both the high and the low temperature this time around. The conversion is 0.1 points for every degree from the base temperature 54°. In formula forms:
• High temperature: P = .1 * T + 5.4
• Low temperature: P = -.1 * T + 5.4
• No recalculations for precipitations because every drop of rain counts from before, there were no restrictions imposed.
• Wind speed: P = .4 * W (We consider all wind speeds this time, not just speeds greater than or equal to 20 mph.)
• Most points scored during the weekend (Saturday and Sunday). If still tied, then look back at Friday. If still tied, then look back at Thursday, etc.
• The only case in which a game tiebreaker won't be implemented is the championship game. If both sides are tied after 14 days, then we go to "sudden death". Each side continues for additional days until a tie is broken.

PLAYOFFS TIEBREAKER

• If two or more cities have the same record at the end of the season and there is a need to determine which city gets which seed for the playoffs, then these following tiebreaker procedures are taken:
• NOTE: If more than two cities are tied and after going through the tiebreaker, one or more cities are eliminated but there are still cities that remains tied, the procedure is repeated and starts from the top to break the tie between the remaining cities.
• NOTE: Division ties must be broken first before other ties can be broken.
• DIVISION TIEBREAKER
• Best head-to-head or if more than 2 cities are tied, best record in games among the tied teams.
• Best division record
• Best conference record
• Most points scored in all games
• SEEDING TIEBREAKER
• Best head-to-head or if more than 2 cities are tied, best record in games among the tied teams.
• Best conference record
• Most points scored in all games

PLAYOFFS

• 8 cities with the best records from each conference (16 cities total) play a knockout tournament to determine the champion. The two conference winners of the knockout stage meet in the championship match and battle for all the glory! The 2014 Winter Playoffs start on April 6th, 2014 lasting until May 31st, 2014. The 2014 Summer Playoffs start on October 5th, 2014 lasting until November 29th, 2014. Unlike the regular season, a game is 2 weeks, 14 days long. The playoff brackets for each conference go as follows:

Conference    Conference  Conference

Quarterfinals    Semifinals    Finals

_#1 seed__

                        _______

_#8 seed__                

                                          _______

_#4 seed__                

                        _______

_#5 seed__                

                                                           _CONFERENCE WINNER__

_#3 seed__                

                        _______

_#6 seed__                

                                           _______

_#2 seed__

                        _______

_#7 seed__