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National Situation Update: Sunday, November 5, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Weather: Pacific Northwest Wet and Windy

West
The latest in a barrage of will take aim on the Pacific Northwest later today. A flood watch has been issued for virtually all of western Washington, including the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area. River flooding will likely become a significant concern in western Washington and northwest Oregon by Monday. Some windward slopes could receive from 6 to 10 inches of rain through early Tuesday.
 
High wind warnings will likely be posted along the Washington and Oregon coasts, where gusts over 60 mph seem likely late tonight as the storm arrives. Gale and storm warnings are expected for the coastal waters. Winds will also be strong over higher terrain, including the Olympics, Cascades, and coastal ranges. Wind gusts from 20 to 40 mph, locally higher, can be expected in the I-5 urban corridor from Oregon's Willamette Valley to Puget Sound.

Snow levels are expected to remain high (possibly rising above 10,000 feet Monday), snow is only expected over the highest peaks, well above pass levels.

Elsewhere, patchy dense morning fog will hover over parts of California's Central Valley as well as the Washoe Valley of Nevada, dissipating by late morning. Some high mountain snow may dust the northern Rockies.

South
A high pressure continues to influence the Southeast; East to northeast winds gusting from 20 to 30 mph will persist another day in Florida, continuing to generate breakers from 6 to 9 feet on the Atlantic-side beaches. In the Southern Plains, the weekend will end wet, as rain overspreads Oklahoma, western Arkansas and north Texas by the early morning. Some locations may pick up over an inch of rain.
A large area of Oklahoma, north, central, and Southwest Texas is still suffering from a long-term drought that had its origins last fall and winter.

On the other end of the rain spectrum is flood-ravaged southeast Texas and Louisiana, where a few rivers are still above flood stage. Scattered thunderstorms are possible tonight, persisting into Monday.

Northeast
Another cold night is in store for the interior Northeast, with only the Northeast Megalopolis and coast managing to remain in the thirties. Slightly less cold 50s for highs will envelop the Middle Atlantic States, including New York City.

Midwest
Highs in the 60s will push as far north as South Dakota and southwest Minnesota. Fifties will return to the Great Lakes largest cities such as Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago.

Lowe’s Makes Katrina Cottages Available for Purchase

Katrina Cottages, kit-of-parts houses designed for hurricane-affected residents of the Gulf region, will finally be available to the public. The hardware superstore chain Lowe's will sell the systems in its Louisiana and Mississippi stores in late fall.

The bungalow-style cottages range in size from 544 square feet to 936 square feet, and some can be expanded to 1,200 square feet. Featuring Hardy Plank siding, wood framing, and metal roofing, they were developed as cheaper, more durable alternative to trailers. The homes resist rot and termites, withstand winds of up to 140 miles an hour, and meet the standards of most hurricane codes as well as the International Building Code.

The Katrina Cottages were introduced at the International Builders' Show in Orlando in January 2006. Four designs are offered at this time, however as many as 15 new designs may be offered in the next rollout.  A spokesman for Lowe's says the company is aiming for a $45-per-square-foot cost. Prices encompass all building materials, but exclude construction, HVAC, and code-related foundation materials.

Design architects for Lowe's cite the need for regionally inspired cottages, which creates a sense of place, and community. (Media sources)

Geologists say Southwest Earthquake likely a Mine Collapse

Officials with the U-S Geological Survey say tremors from what was believed to be a minor earthquake Thursday in Southwest Virginia were more likely the result of a collapse at an abandoned mine.

The event registered magnitude 4.3 and occurred at 12:53 p.m. EDT.  A spokesman with the National Earthquake Information Center, in Colorado says even a minor earthquake of that magnitude would typically trigger many "did-you-feel-it" calls and normally would be felt as far away as Washington.

When those things didn't happen, he says seismologists took a closer look. They concluded it was far more likely to have been a mining event -- maybe a blast, but more likely a ceiling collapse in one of the region's many mines.

The state had no reports of the collapse of a working mine nor any reports of unusual mining activity in the area, however. (USGS, media sources)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean Sea:
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected through Monday.

Central and Eastern Pacific:
An area of showers and thunderstorms located more than 1000 miles southeast of Hilo Hawaii has weakened over the past six hours. The convection has shown no signs of development. Elsewhere, no tropical cyclones are expected through Monday afternoon.

Western Pacific:
No new activity to report. (USDOC/NOAA/NWS, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.)

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)