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National Situation Update: Saturday, November 25, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

National Weather Forecast

West:  Arctic air is drifting southward into Montana while cold polar air is firmly in place over the Pacific Northwest.  A band of heavy snow will extend from the Blue Mountains of southeast Washington and northeast Oregon to north-central Montana through today. Up to 1 foot of additional snow is possible.

Showery rain and snow continue across western Washington, western Oregon and northernmost California where snow levels will range from 500 feet or lower in Washington to near 4000 feet in northern California. Tomorrow and Monday, a potent storm will sweep eastward and southward through most of the West. A steady locally heavy rain will advance down the coast from Hoquiam to San Luis Obispo. A few showers may even reach into Southern California by Monday.

Heavy snow will hit the coastal range from the Olympics to north of San Francisco, the Cascades, the Sierra, the mountains of Nevada and the Rockies from the Canadian border to the Wasatch and San Juan. Snow levels could drop close to sea level over parts of western Washington by tonight and tomorrow.  Blizzard conditions could white out parts of Montana Monday.

Midwest:  An upper-level disturbance (the Sunday-Monday Western storm) will drop a cold front southward to a line from southern Michigan to southern Kansas by Monday.  Highs in the 20s, 30s and 40s will dip edge over the Dakotas, Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and northern Michigan. From Kansas to the Ohio Valley, high temperatures will remain quite mild (5 to 15 degrees above average) in the 50s and 60s.

Light snow will streak out along the Canadian border across North Dakota and northwest Minnesota during the day tomorrow. Showers and maybe a few thunderstorms will increase along the front from the southern Great Lakes to the mid-Mississippi Valley and eastern side of Nebraska and Kansas.

Northeast:  The Northeast will be mainly rain free right through midweek, although beyond the weekend skies will turn mostly cloudy.  Temperatures will be mild each day, ranging from the 30s and 40s across Maine to the 50s and 60s in the Mid-Atlantic.

South:  The South will be mainly quiet and warm through early week.  Isolated bands of showers may mar the weekend in a few spots over the Florida Peninsula.
A persistent northeast flow will keep the rip current risk moderate to high from coastal Georgia to the upper Keys through at least tomorrow.   (NWS, Media Sources)

Mass. Explosion Site Checked For Safety

Investigators got their first close-up look Friday at a chemical plant leveled by an explosion, saying the damage was so extensive that they don't know the precise point of the blast.  A team of local, state and federal officials briefly examined the charred wreckage Friday afternoon after a hazardous materials team checked the site to ensure it was safe for investigators, who wore respirators as a precaution.

The lengthy probe into the cause of Wednesday's blast, which damaged or destroyed dozens of homes, was expected to continue through the weekend.  "It will take quite some time to just get in and document the scene," said state Fire Marshal Steve Coan. "It's nothing more than a pile of rubble."

Meanwhile, residents waited to see whether they would be allowed to permanently return to their houses for the first time since the blast, which left a massive pile of rubble and woke people sleeping miles away.  About 10 homes were destroyed and another 60 were damaged when the blast obliterated the former CAI Inc. chemical plant. No serious injuries were reported.

Fire Chief James Tutko said about a dozen of the damaged homes will require some reconstruction. The other 50 were being evaluated, and residents could likely return to those in "a matter of days, not weeks," he said.  All 12 people hospitalized because of the blast were released by Thursday.  (Media Sources)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean Sea:
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected through tomorrow.
Central and Eastern Pacific:
No tropical cyclones are expected through today.
Western Pacific:
No new activity to report. (NOAA, National Hurricane Center)

Earthquake Activity

On November 24, 2006 at 11:08 am EST, a 3.0 magnitude earthquake struck 68 miles west-northwest from Sacramento, CA at a depth of less than a mile.  No damage or injuries were reported.
On November 24, 2006 at 5:12 pm EST, a 3.3 magnitude earthquake was reported 68 miles northeast from Anchorage, AK at a depth of 15.5 miles. There was no damage or injuries reported from this quake.  (USGS, Earthquake Hazards Program, Alaska Earthquake Information Center, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Centers)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)