Thursday, January 20, 2011
 

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED)

Significant National Weather

West
Rain showers this afternoon and overnight in Washington and Oregon. Snow is possible in the higher elevations of the northern Idaho panhandle. Strong Santa Ana winds are developing across portions of southwest California and will bring continuous winds of 25 to 45 mph and potentially damaging gusts to 65 mph. In Montana, some areas will experience winds of 20 to 40 mph with gusts up to 80 mph in the canyons and mountain passes.
Midwest
Northern Wisconsin and southwestern Michigan could receive up to eight inches of lake-effect snow by Friday. The Central Plains and the Ohio, Tennessee, and Middle Mississippi Valleys will see 4-6 inches of snow through this evening. Below normal temperatures are expected across portions of the Midwest including wind chills that could reach 40 degrees below zero in portions of the Northern Plains.
South
The cold front will move rains across eastern Texas and most of Oklahoma and a wintry mix across much of Arkansas, northern Mississippi, and Kentucky and Tennessee.
Northeast
A winter storm system will spread from the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic on Thursday evening and two to eight inches of snow is expected in the Southern and Central Appalachians and into New York. See the National Weather Service for the latest watches and warnings, www.erh.noaa.gov/er/phi/.
Cold temperatures are expected to continue through the weekend across most of the Mid-Atlantic.
(NOAA and various media sources)

Northwest â River Flooding

Most of the rivers in Washington and Oregon have finally dropped below Flood Stage. The Yakima River at Kiona in Benton County, Washington remains at Moderate Flood Stage but has crested and continues to recede. Another Pacific storm is expected to move into the Region today and will produce more rain and mountain snow through Friday, keeping river levels in some areas elevated for another few days. FEMA Region X remains at a Watch/Steady State.Â* U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Seattle District Flood Teams concluded their flood fight operations along the Yakima, Snohomish, Skagit, Libby, and Chehalis River basins, but continue to provide support to Kittitas County to prevent further flooding. There are no requests for FEMA assistance.
Earthquake Activity

No new activity (USGS)
Stay informed of FEMA's activities online: videos and podcasts available at www.fema.gov/medialibrary and www.youtube.com/fema ; follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fema and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fema.


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