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National Situation Update: Friday, December 9, 2005

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

A Snowy Mix for the East

Northeast: A strong, but fast-moving winter storm, will batter much of the Northeast overnight Thursday into Friday, but will wind down on Friday afternoon and evening. Snow may mix with rain along the East Coast and that would reduce snowfall totals. Generally from Washington, D.C. to New York City snowfall totals are forecast to range between 2-4 inches. Boston snowfall may range from 4 inches along the coast to 8 inches around the I-95 loop, with 8-10 inches in Worcester. Locations away from the immediate coast will see all snow with the highest amounts likely from the Appalachians of Pennsylvania, the Catskills of New York, and higher elevations in Massachusetts. Look for highs ranging from the 20s along the Great Lakes and in Northern New England with the mid to upper 30s from northern Virginia north along I-95 to eastern Massachusetts. A brisk wind will make it feel a bit colder across the Northeast. By Saturday the winter storm will be gone and things will calm down. A weak weather system will approach the Great Lakes by late Saturday and spread light snow or snow showers across that region on Sunday.

Midwest: The winter storm will be gone by Friday morning but morning commute may still be tricky in many locales around the Great Lakes. The combination of clear skies, light winds, and fresh snow on the ground, from Missouri to Indiana, will result in very cold morning lows. Snow showers are likely across the northern Plains and Upper Midwest on Saturday as a weak storm swoops down out of Canada. 

South:  Look for some wintry precipitation in the form of sleet and freezing rain across the extreme western Carolinas and Virginia into the early hours of Friday. Coastal areas of Virginia and North Carolina will see rain ending during the morning hours. After a chilly Friday, temperatures across Texas will start to moderate on Friday with highs in the 50s from the Rio Grande along the Mexico Border to the 40s along border of Oklahoma. By Saturday, temperatures across Texas and Oklahoma will return to average with highs in the 50s and 60s. 

West:  Temperatures will be chilly on Friday morning with lows ranging from the negative teens in western Wyoming to around zero in the lower elevations of eastern Colorado. Along the West Coast the weather will be dry on Friday with temperatures in the 40s around Seattle, Wash. and Portland, Ore, and the 60s from San Francisco, Calif. to Phoenix, Ariz. the dry and stagnant pattern in the Pacific Northwest will keep fog is in the forecast on Friday in eastern Washington and the panhandle of Idaho.  (NWS, Media Sources)

Jet Slides Off Chicago Runway; Boy Dies

Southwest Airlines Flight 1248 from Baltimore was landing at Midway International Airport with 98 passengers and five crew around 8:15 p.m. ET Thursday night, when it slid through the fence, into a busy street, hitting one vehicle and pinning another beneath it.

Aviation Department spokesperson reported a 6-year-old boy in one of the vehicles was killed. He was among eight people hurt on the ground. Two passengers on the plane suffered minor injuries. (Media sources)

Tropical Weather Outlook

As of 10 a.m. ET Thursday, Epsilon was centered about 1,115 miles southwest of the Azores. Winds were blowing at 35 mph, below the 39 mph threshold for a tropical storm. According to the National Hurricane Center, Epsilon will not strengthen again, and issued its final advisory.

There is no tropical activity in the Pacific Ocean. (National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center,  Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

Over the last 24 hours, minor earthquakes were reported in Alaska (9), California (3), Hawaii (1), and Washington (1), none with magnitudes exceeding 3.4. (United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Last Modified: Thursday, 04-Jun-2009 16:15:58 EDT