Thursday, December 1, 2011

[FEMA]

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED)

Significant National Weather:

West
Snow will move southward into the Central Rockies and Great Basin today.Â* Strong winds will continue to impact the region, with potentially damaging Santa Ana winds expected to continue in Southern California. High Wind Warnings will remain in effect today across much of the Southwest, with gusts as high as 80 mph possible in Southern California.
Midwest
Light snow is possible today from Minnesota and Iowa into Wisconsin.Â* Some light rain will mix with the snow in northern Iowa, southern Wisconsin and northern Michigan.
High temperatures are expected to be near 20 degrees in northern Minnesota, in the 30s across most of Iowa and Wisconsin, and in the 40s and 50s across Missouri, Illinois and southern Michigan.
Northeast
High pressure will dominate the region today, with no significant weather expected.Â* The next chance of precipitation will arrive Friday and be confined to western areas of Pennsylvania and New York.
South
Mild, sunny conditions are expected over the region today, with a few passing showers possible along the eastern peninsula of Florida.Â* Highs will range from the 60s and 70s in Florida, to the 70s and 80s in south Texas.
Winter Storms & Extreme Cold

Â*While the danger from winter weather varies across the country, nearly all Americans, regardless of where they live, are likely to face some type of severe winter weather at some point in their lives. Winter storms can range from a moderate snow over a few hours to a blizzard with blinding, wind-driven snow that lasts for several days. Many winter storms are accompanied by dangerously low temperatures and sometimes by strong winds, icing, sleet and freezing rain.
One of the primary concerns is the winter weather's ability to knock out heat, power and communications services to your home or office, sometimes for days at a time. Heavy snowfall and extreme cold can immobilize an entire region.
The National Weather Service refers to winter storms as the âDeceptive Killersâ because most deaths are indirectly related to the storm. Instead, people die in traffic accidents on icy roads and of hypothermia from prolonged exposure to cold. It is important to be prepared for winter weather before it strikes.
There is no better way to keep ahead of a winter storm than with a NOAA Weather Radio (NWR), a small receiver device that can be purchased at many electronic stores. NWRs provide continuous broadcasts of the latest weather information from local National Weather Service offices. The NWR network has more than 425 stations, covering all 50 states, adjacent coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and U.S. Pacific Territories. The NWR network has been further advanced by the implementation of Specific Area Message Encoding technology, which enables the user to receive warnings only for their specific location.
Actions to take before, during and after a Winter Storm may be found at http://www.ready.gov/winter. Sources:Â* http://www.ready.gov/winter and http://www.noaawatch.gov/themes/winter.php
Space Weather:

No space weather storms were observed for the past 24 hours and no space weather storms are predicted for the next 24 hours.Â*
Tropical Weather Outlook

No new activity (FEMA HQ)
Earthquake Activity

No significant earthquake activity.Â*
Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)
Disaster Declaration Activity

New Jersey
Effective November 30, 2011, the President approved a Major Disaster Declaration (FEMA-4048-DR) for the State of New Jersey for a Severe Storm that occurred October 29, 2011. The declaration provides Public Assistance for 8 counties.Â* All counties in the State of New Jersey are eligible to apply for assistance under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.Â*
This information is provided as a public service. This report is published daily by the FEMA National Watch Center (NWC). Information presented is considered public information and may be distributed or copied. The National Situation Report is available on the internet at:Â*http://www.fema.gov/emergency/reports/index.shtm. For questions or comments, contact the NWC (staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) at 202-646-2828 or fema-nwc@dhs.gov.


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