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National Situation Update: Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

National Weather Summary

West: An upper-level disturbance will bring one to three inches of snow to the mountains of Washington and Oregon. This disturbance will then slide eastward into the Rocky Mountains producing similar accumulations. The Southwest will be warm and dry except for eastern Arizona and New Mexico where some light rain and snow showers are forecast to develop from another upper-level disturbance.

Midwest: A low pressure system is moving across the Upper Midwest to the Great Lakes and another will develop in the southern Plains. Rain will spread through the southern and central Plains later today with snow spreading across the northern Plains tonight and into the Great Lakes by Wednesday.

South: Much of the South will be dry and cool but the Midwestern low pressure system will produce rain showers from central Texas northward into the southern Plains by evening.

Northeast: A very dry but cold air mass is in place over the east coast with high temperatures 10-15 degrees below average for December. (NOAA/NWS and Various Media Sources)

Tropical Activity

There is no tropical activity in the Atlantic, Caribbean or Pacific Ocean. (USDOC/NOAA/NWS, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center,  Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

During the last 24 hours there were a number of small earthquakes in Alaska and the West Coast ranging in magnitude from 2.5 to 2.9. There were no reports of casualties or damage.

Yesterday at 4:47 p.m. EST a 6.7 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan 215 miles north northwest of Islamabad, Pakistan. Local time was 2:17 a.m. so there are no preliminary reports of casualties or damage.

Yesterday at 10:16 p.m. EST a 6.6 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean 155 miles north northeast of Lambasa, Vanua Levu, Fiji.  The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported that that no Pacific-wide tsunami threat exists based on historical earthquake and tsunami data, however, localized tsunamis are a possibility. (United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

No significant activity has been reported.  (USDA/USFS and the NIAFC and USDOC/NOAA/NWS/SPC)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)