National Situation Update: Friday, November 25, 2005

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Canadian Clipper Continues to Impact U.S. Weather

Northeast: Areas south and east of the Great Lakes will continue to receive heavy "lake effect" snowfall on Friday, especially in western New York where at least an additional foot of snow is forecast. The Northeast region will continue to experience very cold and windy weather on Friday when shoppers will see highs in the 10s-20s. Temperatures will begin to rise by the beginning of the week when a new storm system will develop.

Midwest: The Canadian Clipper will continue to grip most parts of the Midwest on Friday as daytime highs in the Upper Midwest and Great Lake areas will be in the 20s. Parts of Michigan, especially the Upper Peninsula will receive additional "lake effect" snow on Friday. Highs in other parts of the region will range from the teens in northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin to the 30s in the Ohio Valley.

South: Dry weather will continue across most of the South on Friday. A new storm system may bring showers and thunderstorms to southern Texas on Friday and Saturday. The rest of the South will see cooler temperatures on Friday with highs in North Carolina in the 40s and the area from South Carolina to Texas in the 50s. The Gulf Coast area will have highs in the 60s-70s.

West: A low pressure system will continue to bring rainfall to the West Coast from western Washington to central California. The higher elevations will see some snowfall. Highs will range from the 40s-50s along the West Coast from Washington to central California. (NWS, Media Sources)

A Hurricane Season That Will Not Soon be Forgotten

The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season has already set many records and may continue to do so through the remainder of the year. Some of the records set this year:

Most recorded named storms in one season – 25 so far.
Most Category 5 hurricanes in one season – 3 so far.
Strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic – Hurricane Wilma with 882 millibar pressure.
Wilma was also noteworthy for dumping over 60 inches of rain in parts of the Yucatan Peninsula.
Most costly U.S. hurricane on record – Katrina damages estimated in excess of 100 billion dollars.
Landfall of major hurricanes in the U.S. – 4 so far. (National Weather Service, Joint Typhoon Warning Center, media sources)

Wildfire Update

National Preparedness Level remains at 1 - the lowest state of readiness. (California Office of Emergency Services, USFS, NIFC, NICC)

Tropical Activity

Tropical Storm Delta is slightly weaker as it moves erratically over the east central Atlantic Ocean. At 4:00 am EST the storm was located approximately 1,225 miles southwest of the Azores Islands and moving toward the southwest at 3 miles per hour. Maximum sustained winds are near 65 miles per hour and little change in strength is forecast during the next 24 hours. Infrared satellite imagery this morning shows that Delta has become less organized during the past 6 hours. The trend of decreasing organization reduces the chance that Delta will become a hurricane. The NWS continues to indicate the storm poses no immediate threat to any land areas, although Atlantic Ocean shipping interests should monitor the storm's progress during the next 72 hours. The current five-day forecast continues to show Delta turning and moving northward or north-northeastward, therefore Delta will most likely not pose a threat to U.S. interests. There is no tropical storm formation expected in other parts of the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico.

There is no tropical storm formation expected in the Pacific Ocean. (National Hurricane Center, Joint Typhoon Warning Center, media sources)

Earthquake Activity

There were no major earthquakes affecting U.S. interests during the past 24 hours. (USGS, NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center)