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National Situation Update: Sunday, March 1, 2009

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

The weather system along the East Coast is forecast to produce significant snow.  Winter Storm Watches and Warnings are or will be in effect for the I-95 corridor north of Florida.  See www.nws.noaa.gov for the latest information.

South:
Weather in the region will be the result of the low pressure system developing off the Carolina Coast and the associated cold front moving through Florida.   On the backside of this system, snow is forecast for eastern Tennessee, northern Alabama, northern Georgia and the southern Appalachians with rain changing to sleet and then heavy snow later in the day across northwest South Carolina and western North Carolina.   Heavy rain will continue along the coastal Carolinas. A few strong thunderstorms are possible in the coastal Carolinas and across the Florida Peninsula this morning as the cold front moves offshore.  Much colder air will continue to move into the Southeast with gusty northerly winds resulting in temperatures from the lower Mississippi Valley eastward that will be 10 to 25 degrees below average. Daytime high temperatures will only be in the 30s and low 40s across much of the region.

Northeast:
The low moving rapidly northeastward just offshore of New England will produce a mix of sleet and snow from the lower Delaware Valley to Maine.   Accumulations of up to a foot are possible by tomorrow morning with additional heavy snow overnight Monday especially areas north of Boston.
The Mid-Atlantic will be under the influence of the big Southeast storm. Accumulations of up to ten inches are possible by tomorrow morning with an additional two inches of snow overnight Monday.

West:
A frontal system moving ashore will produce rain and mountain snow in northern and central California, Oregon and Washington through Monday.  Snow levels will range from 5,000 feet in the Washington Cascades to 7,500 feet in the central Sierra.  Winds will be gusty especially over the mountains.  Temperatures will be 5 to 20 degrees above average from southern Idaho and the western and southern parts of Montana to the Mexican border. Highs will range from the upper 20s in northeast Montana to the 80s in southeast California.

Midwest:
Under high pressure, weather in the region will be uneventful with just a few snow showers around the northern Great Lakes and light snow in eastern Kentucky.  (NOAA, National Weather Service, Various Media Sources)

Texas Wildfires

Nail Ranch Complex (Shackelford County): 1300 acres; 80% contained; no structures were reported to be involved.
Panther Ranch Fire (Caldwell County): 1,000 acres; 80% contained.
Rhodes Ranch Fire (Taylor County): 3,026 acres; 20% contained; numerous residences and buildings damaged.
West Fork Fire (Jack County): 2,275 acres; 80% contained. (Southern Area Coordination Center Report, Feb 28)

Fire Management Assistance Grant

FMAG 2796-FM-TX was declared on February 28, 2009.  The fire is located in the Bastrop County Texas, 34 miles east Austin, TX.  The fire has burned 400 acres, approximately 100 people were voluntarily evacuated; 5,340 residences are threatened.  No injuries; 10 residences and 3 commercial buildings destroyed. The fire is currently zero percent contained. (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Western Pacific:
There are no current tropical cyclone warnings.  (NOAA, HPC, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

On Saturday, February 28, 2009 at 5:24 pm EST an earthquake measuring 4.8 struck about 258 miles southwest of Portland, Oregon at a depth of 6.2 miles. There were no reports of damage or injuries and there was no tsunami generated.(USGS, Earthquake Hazards Program)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Last Modified: Thursday, 04-Jun-2009 16:27:09 EDT