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National Situation Update: Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

West:
A frontal system will produce widespread precipitation across the northern half of the region.  Rain will continue in Washington and Oregon with up to an inch of rain and six to ten inches of snow in higher elevations by tonight.  Snow is forecast for Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. More than a foot of snow is forecast for the Northern Rockies with four to eight inches expected elsewhere.

Midwest:
The frontal system extending from the Pacific Northwest will produce snow in the Dakotas and Kansas. Accumulations of four to eight inches are possible over much of North Dakota and northeastern South Dakota with two to six inches expected over the rest of South Dakota.  Tomorrow, the snow will spread into Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska with significant accumulations possible.  Another surge of arctic air will arrive in the Northern Plains today spreading eastward later in the week. High  temperatures will range from the single digits in the Plains and northern Great Lakes to the upper 20s in the Ohio Valley.

South:
The region will be generally dry and cold.  This morning’s lows will drop into the teens and 20s all the way to the Gulf Coast with 30s and 40s confined to southern Texas and central and southern Florida.
Red Flag Warnings are again in effect for southeast Alabama, south-central Georgia, the Florida panhandle and the Big Bend area due to low relative humidity.

Northeast:
The region will remain cold with gusty northwesterly winds. High temperatures will range from the teens in the interior to the 30s along the coast.  Scattered snow showers are expected from northern Maine to West Virginia.  Lake-effect snow is forecast for parts of western New York, western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Some locations will receive six to ten inches of snow. (NOAA, National Weather Service and Various Media Sources) 

Hazard Assessment Outlook Jan 7 – 19

  •  Jan 7-10: Much below normal temperatures for most of the central and southeastern U.S.
  • Jan 7: Wintry precipitation for the extreme eastern Southern Plains and deep South.
  • Jan 7-9: Lake-effect snow for the Great Lakes,.
  • Ongoing flooding for parts of Georgia and South Carolina.
  • Ongoing flooding for portions of the central and southern Mississippi Valley.
  • Severe drought in parts of Wisconsin, Texas, and areas in the western U.S. with some improvement in Wisconsin and eastern Washington state.

Tropical Weather Outlook

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Earthquake Activity

  • No significant activity in the U.S.
  • Outside of the U.S. the following events occurred:
    • At 11:55 p.m. EST, on January 4, 2010, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake occurred off shore 425 miles East of the Sandwich Islands at a depth of 6.2 miles.  There were no reports of a tsunami, damage or injuries.  (USGS, NWS Pacific Tsunami Warning Center) 

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Last Modified: Tuesday, 05-Jan-2010 07:43:24 EST