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National Situation Update: Thursday, February 16, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

National Weather Outlook

Midwest: Snow will be moving in from the Plains to the Great Lakes as a general 6-10 inches of snow is expected from Colorado to Wisconsin overnight Wednesday into Thursday.

Regionally, the heaviest accumulations will span from southern Minnesota to northern Michigan and with some areas topping over a foot of snow through Thursday evening. Madison, Green Bay, Marquette, and Traverse City will all see the brunt of the snow, as well as winds that will gust upwards of 40 mph, making for blizzard-like conditions. Temperatures will stay low causing the snow that falls to stay around for some time.

West: Snow is still falling Wednesday night over the Central Rockies where earlier in the day winds whipped to 60 mph and snow up to 16 inches fell across southeastern Wyoming and northern Nebraska.

Thursday, snow will move across the central Plains and into the Great Lakes, but not before more snow accumulates from the Wasatch Range of central Utah eastward.

Heaviest of the accumulations will be in the higher elevations of the Rockies.  The Plains states could see accumulations near a foot from southern Wyoming to Southern Minnesota.

South: High pressure centered off the Carolina coast will spread across the Southeast and up the East Coast. Thursday, temperatures 10 to 20 degrees above average will range from the 60s as far north as Cincinnati and Washington to the 70s across most of the South.

Arctic air will be moving into the region by the weekend. Showers, and even some thunderstorms, some of which could be severe, are forecast from central Illinois, down the Mississippi River, to the Gulf Coast. This system advances eastward Friday with a chance of showers to advancing to the Appalachians. 

Northeast: Thursday, warm southwesterly flow will drive temperatures into the 50s as far north as Philadelphia and New York.

The rapidly advancing Plains storm will be felt Thursday in the Northeast as rain and wind come into Ohio, western Pennsylvania and interior New England. Precipitation in Northern New England will be frozen, but all rain when it reaches the East Coast Friday.  (USDOC/NOAA/NWS and Various Commercial and Media Sources)

Volcano Activity

Alaska's Augustine volcano remains at the Current Level of Concern Color Code: ORANGE (United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program, Alaska Volcano Observatory)

Tropical Activity

There is no tropical activity affecting U.S. interests in the Eastern, Central, or Western Pacific Ocean. (Source: USDOC/NOAA/NWS, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

No significant activity in the last 24 hours. (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

Public Assistance PDAs for 17 counties in the State of Washington are scheduled to begin February 21, 2006, as a result of Severe Storms and Flooding January 27, 2006 through February 4, 2006. (FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)