Tuesday, January 25, 2011

[FEMA]

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED)

Significant National Weather

West
Rain and snow is headed for the Pacific Northwest with heavier rain and snow at higher elevations of the Washington State coast. Snow showers are expected over the eastern Intermountain West, Central Great Basin, and the Northern and Central Rockies. Gusty winds will continue across Wyoming.
Midwest
A clipper system from Canada will continue to cause cold temperatures and dry conditions in the Northern Plains and Upper Mississippi Valley. A drop of up to 10 degrees is possible in the Central Plains through Wednesday morning. A wintry mix of precipitation is forecast over the lower Great Lakes and Ohio Valley.
South
Rain and snow showers are forecast for central Texas today. A large winter storm is forecast from the Gulf Coast to the Carolinas and is expected to produce widespread rainfall totals today up to 2.5 inches in some areas. Severe thunderstorms are forecast for most of Florida. The storm will result in a wintry mix from Arkansas and northern Mississippi to the southern Appalachians.
Northeast
Snow will continue to fall across western New York and western Pennsylvania. Snowfall accumulations of 1 to 3 inches are possible from New York to New England. The storm in the South today is forecast to move into the Mid-Atlantic by Wednesday. The track of the storm is not yet clear so at this point, the forecast is for up to 4 inches of precipitation along the East Coast, possibly a mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain, and rain in some areas.
(NOAA)
Tropical Cyclone Wilma- American Samoa

At 4:00 a.m. EST on January 25, 2011, the center of Tropical Cyclone Wilma was located 460 miles southwest of American Samoa. Wilma is moving southwest at 28 mph, away from American Samoa. A monsoonal trough over the islands will continue to produce heavy showers and gale force winds over the next 24 hours. A Flash Flood Warning is in effect for all islands of American Samoa until 6:00 a.m. EST. No significant damage or casualties were reported.
The American Samoa Territorial Emergency Management Coordinating Office (TEMCO) remains partially activated. Power and water has been restored to all areas. All Department of Education shelters have closed except for one. The airport will remain closed through at least noon local time on Tuesday, January 25, 2011. The harbor will remain closed until debris has been cleared and operational assessments have been made. A FEMA liaison is in the Emergency Operations Center but there are no requests for FEMA assistance.
(FEMA Region IX, JTWC, NOAA)
Gas Explosions and Fires â Fairport Harbor, Ohio

Extreme pressure inside a gas line caused an explosion and multiple structure fires in Fairport Harbor, Ohio on Jan. 24, 2011. Fairport Harbor (population 3,000) is located in Lake County, Ohio, 25 miles northeast of Cleveland. All residents were evacuated and the gas lines were shut off. All fires were extinguished, gas pressure was returned to normal, and residents whose homes were not affected have been allowed to return home. The American Red Cross is sheltering affected residents in local hotels.
(Region V, NICC)
Wind Chill

The lower 48 states have experienced some very cold temperatures in recent days including below zero temperatures in some portions of the country. Winds can also affect how cold we actually feel and when added to cold air temperatures, can result in potentially life threatening conditions. Frostbite and hypothermia can both be a result of wind chill. Q. What is wind chill temperature? A. Wind chill is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin caused by wind and cold and it is how cold people and animals feel outside. As the wind increases, it draws heat from the body, driving down skin temperature and eventually the internal body temperature. For example, the wind makes it FEEL much colder. If the temperature is zero degrees Fahrenheit and the wind is blowing at 15 mph, the wind chill is -19 degrees Fahrenheit. At this wind chill temperature, exposed skin can freeze in 30 minutes. Q. Wind chill factor vs. wind chill temperature. A. These terms are almost the same. The wind chill factor describes what happens to a body when it is cold and windy outside. As wind increases, heat is carried away from the body at a faster rate, driving down both skin temperature (which can cause frostbite) and eventually the internal body temperature (which can kill). Alternatively, wind chill temperature is a unit of measurement to describe the wind chill factor. Wind chill temperature is a measure of the combined cooling effect of wind plus temperature. See the NOAA website for the wind chill chart and the updated wind chill temperature formula. http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/windchill...glossary.shtmlÂ*(NOAA)
Earthquake Activity

No significant activity.
(USGS)
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