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National Situation Update: Sunday, December 4, 2005

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Cold Weather Continues Grip on the U.S.

Midwest:  Light snowfall (1-4 inches) is forecast for parts of the Midwest on Sunday, including northern Ohio, northern Illinois, and Michigan. Cold winds out of Canada will extend across the Plains and Midwest by Monday. The new front will again create "lake effect" snowfall by Tuesday in Michigan, northern Indiana and northeast Ohio. Cold temperatures up to 30 degrees below average are forecast for the Midwest next week. Highs are forecast to range from the single digits and teens in the northern Plains to the 30s in the southern portions of the region.

Northeast:  A storm front moving eastward from the Midwest is forecast to dump light snow (1-3 inches) in New Jersey, southeastern New York, and southern New England during the weekend. In the Mid-Atlantic region of Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and DC, where temperatures are milder, the precipitation will be a mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain, and rain. The storms will make driving conditions hazardous. During the next several days, most of the Northeast region will be cold with below average temperatures.

West:  The Pacific Northwest will continue to see some snowfall during the weekend. On Monday a cold front from Canada will bring snowfall to Washington, Idaho, and Montana. Additional snowfall will hit Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado during the beginning of the week. Most of the West will experience lower than normal temperatures as a result of the cold front moving in from Canada. Montana, Colorado, and Wyoming will be very cold with highs in the single digits and teens.

South:  Most of the South will receive some rainfall during the next three days as the cold front continues to move southward from Canada. By Monday night the rainfall will be gone, but most of the region will be experiencing cold temperatures. (NWS, Media Sources)

Tropical Activity

Epsilon is still a hurricane but is expected to weaken to a tropical storm during the next 24 hours. At 5:00 am EST on Sunday, the storm was located about 790 miles west of the Azores with maximum sustained winds near 70 mph. The storm is not currently forecast to threaten any U.S. interests.

There are no tropical storm formations *expected in the Pacific Ocean or the Indian Ocean. (National Hurricane Center, Joint Typhoon Warning Center, media sources)

Earthquake Activity

No significant earthquake activity was reported in the U.S. or U.S. possessions, although there were several minor earthquakes including a 4.7 magnitude quake in Alaska. There were no reports of injuries or damages. (USGS, NOAA West Coast Tsunami Warning Center)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

National Preparedness Level remains at 1 - the lowest state of readiness.

Wildfire activity was heavy nationally with 1,023 new fires reported for the week. 68 new large fires were reported, 53 in the Southern Area, 9 in the Eastern Area, and 6 in the Southwest Area. A total of 55 large fires were contained, 51 in the Southern Area, 1 in the Eastern Area, and 3 in the Southwest Area.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, and South Dakota.  (USFS, NICC)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)