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National Situation Update: Monday, April 16, 2007

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

National Weather

Northeast: The Nor'easter low is moving up the Mid-Atlantic Coast and will be centered near New York City later today and then remain nearly stationary through Tuesday. The system will produce heavy precipitation, flooding and gusty winds over much of the region. High Wind Watches are up for much of the East Coast, some areas could see gusts to 70 mph. Winter Storm Warnings are in effect for most of the interior areas of New York and Northern Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, up to 18 to 24 inches of new snow is expected. Flood Warnings, Watches and Coastal Flood Watches are in effect from the mid-Atlantic to New England. Of particular concern is New England where the combination of strong east to northeast winds and large waves will cause water to pile up along the coast. These conditions along with high astronomical tides (approximately 10:30 am and 10:30 pm EDT) may produce coastal flooding near the time of high tide. High temperatures will be below mid-April averages, ranging from the 30s in interior locations to the 50s in Virginia.

South: On the backside of the deep low centered near New York City gusty unseasonably cool winds are expected over much of the Southeast today.   The only forecast precipitation is along the ridge of the southern Appalachians with rain and one to three inches of snow in higher elevations. High temperatures are forecast to range from the 50s in northeast Tennessee and parts of the Carolinas to the low 80s in Texas.

Midwest: A frontal system will produce rain over the Dakotas. On the backside of the Nor'easter the Great Lakes will get a few rain or snow showers spreading as far south as Ohio. High temperatures are expected to range from the 30s in northeast Ohio to the 70s in eastern Nebraska, southwest Iowa, much of Kansas and western and south-central Missouri.

West: A cold front will produce scattered showers over western Washington and western Oregon.
The frontal system extending from the Midwest will produce scattered showers and thunderstorms from Wyoming into northern Arizona and northern New Mexico.  Snow will fall in higher elevations. Isolated showers are also possible in eastern Nevada and Southern California. High temperatures will range from the 40s in the Rockies to the 80s in the deserts of southeastern California. (NOAA, National Weather Service, Media Sources)

Nor'easter Storm

A nor'easter battered the East with strong wind and pouring rain Sunday, grounding hundreds of airline flights, downing power lines and threatening severe coastal flooding overnight. Some New Jersey shore residents evacuated, and officials in Connecticut urged some residents along the Long Island Sound to do the same

More than 5.5 inches of rain fell in the New York region Sunday, shattering the record for the date of 1.8 inches set in 1906.  In New York, flooding stalled traffic along parkways and forced residents in at least one Queens neighborhood to paddle through streets in boats. In the coastal Seagate section of Brooklyn, which suffered major flooding in a December 1992 nor'easter, residents placed sandbags in the streets. Fire Island Ferries suspended service to the island, off the south shore of Long Island, and the Metro-North Railroad suspended service on its Harlem and New Haven lines for several hours because of flooding in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx.

The storm forced the postponement of six major league baseball games Sunday - the most in a single day in a decade - and gave runners in Monday's Boston Marathon something to worry about besides Heartbreak Hill.

Airlines canceled more than 400 flights at the New York area's three major airports. Kennedy Airport, on the wind-exposed south side of Long Island, had sustained wind of 30 to 35 mph with gusts to 48 mph.

At least three tornadoes touched down in South Carolina on Sunday morning. The most destructive cut a 14-mile long, 300-yard-wide swath through Sumter County in the central part of the state.

In central Florida, a tornado damaged mobile homes in Dundee but no injuries were reported.

Thousands of electricity customers lost power in states including New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and North Carolina. (media sources)

Tropical Weather Outlook

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Earthquake Activity

Sunday, April 15, 2007, 12:57 PM EDT, an earthquake (magnitude 4.2) was detected 5 miles southwest of Ocotillo, California, at a depth of 4.1 miles.  No reports of injuries or damage.(NOAA, 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)