National Situation Update: Saturday, November 26, 2005

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Storm in the West, Warmer Temperatures Elsewhere

West: A storm system in the West is bringing rain over the Pacific Northeast south to central California. The storm will move into the Intermountain West bringing heavy snow to the Rocky Mountains. The storm system will also bring windy conditions to much of the West from Southern California to Colorado. High wind watches are posted across Southern California where winds could gust over 50 mph in the canyons and passes.

Northeast: An Arctic air mass has enveloped the Northeast since Thanksgiving bringing snow and very cold temperatures. Record lows were set Friday morning across metro New York City with J.F.K. International Airport reporting 22 degrees and Trenton reporting 20 degrees. Friday afternoon highs only topped out in the low to mid 30s. These highs temperature readings are 10-20 degrees below average for this time of the year.

Saturday the cold westerly winds will turn southerly bringing slightly warmer air to the region. The lake-effect snow will stop but a fast moving storm system will bring a new round of light snow to western Pennsylvania, western New York, and northern New England on Saturday. Saturday will start off cold with morning lows in the 20s. By afternoon temperatures will warm into the 40s from Virginia to Cape Cod, with the 30s from Maine to Pennsylvania, and a few 20s in the Adirondacks and in northern New England.

Midwest: The arctic air also set new record lows on Friday morning with Cleveland, OH reporting 13 degrees and Mansfield, OH reporting 11 degrees. After a very cold morning, afternoon highs only climbed into the low 30s from the Ohio Valley to the teens in Upper Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. An upper-level storm system brought a few inches of snow to North Dakota to southern Wisconsin on its way to the Northeast.
Highs on Saturday will range from the 60s across Kansas and Nebraska to the 20s from North Dakota to Upper Michigan. By Sunday the 60s will spread across the entire Ohio Valley with the 50s in Chicago and southern Michigan.

South: An arctic front has stalled along the Gulf Coast keeping daytime highs in the mid to upper 30s from Virginia to Tennessee is 10-20 degrees below average for this time of the year. (NWS, 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 slowly weakening over the east-central Atlantic Ocean about 1320 Miles southwest of the Azores. Delta is moving toward the northeast near 6 mph and an increase in forward speed is expected during the next 24 hours. Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph with higher gusts and further weakening is forecast during the next 24 hours.

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)