• Emergency Managers and Personnel
• Situation Reports
• National Incident Management System
• Grants & Assistance Programs
• Training
• Contacts
• Planning
• Best Practices

National Situation Update: Sunday, February 17, 2008

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

Northeast:
Most of the region will receive rain with cold air causing sleet or freezing rain.  The wintry mix will affect the valleys of western Pennsylvania, upstate New York and central New England.  One to one and one-half inches of rainfall is expected this evening through Monday morning, as a strong frontal system impacts New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.  Monday will bring warmer temperatures which will accelerate snow melt.  The snow melt along with the rain could produce stream and river flooding across eastern New York, northern New Jersey and southern New England.

Midwest:
A wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain is forecast for eastern Kansas to central and northern Michigan today.  Heavy snow is expected from east-central Iowa, through Madison and Green Bay, Wisconsin, to the eastern half of upper Michigan.  A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for Illinois and Wisconsin as the Region prepares for a major winter storm system to move through the area.  Wintry precipitation is forecast across much of Missouri, Illinois and southeast Wisconsin, bringing heavy rain and snow with some accumulation possible tonight.  There may be a significant impact to the Kankakee, Iroquois, Vermilion, and Upper Illinois watersheds because the ground is still frozen and any additional heavy rainfall could result in immediate runoff, with significant rises along the creeks, rivers, and larger main stem rivers.  Flooding is also likely in low lying and poor drainage areas.  Monday should be blustery and much colder with scattered snow showers over the entire Midwest. The heaviest snow should fall in the traditional lake-effect snow belts of northern and western Michigan and northwest Indiana.

West:
Snowfall is expected in the central and northern Rockies and the western High Plains today.  Very light accumulation is expected with most locations receiving an inch or less.  Monday is expected to be dry across the entire region.  The pattern breaks down Monday night with showers returning to the northwest coast Tuesday.

South:
A cold front will move across the South and Southeast today.  Moderate to heavy rain is anticipated across the drought-stricken area from Tennessee across northern Alabama, northern Georgia through South and North Carolina.  Severe storms in the lower Mississippi Valley will bring rain, hail, and strong winds to the region today.  This system will move east across the central Gulf Coast, the Tennessee Valley and the southeast coast by early Monday.  Drought conditions continue in the Southeast, and the recent lack of rain in Florida continues to contribute to the possibility of wildfires; Red Flag Warnings are in effect for the area across the northern Florida Big Bend and Panhandle areas today.  A Fire Weather Watch has been issued by the National Weather Service for southern Texas, which is in effect until this afternoon. (National Weather Service, Media Sources)

Midwest Flooding Update

Rainfall forecast for the Midwest today will cause renewed rises on the Wabash River in west central Indiana and along portions of the White River in south central Indiana.  The rain will also prolong the flooding in southwest Indiana and southeast Illinois.  Lowland flooding will continue along the Wabash and White Rivers through February 24, 2008.

Indiana:
FEMA-1740-DR resulted from severe storms and flooding January 7, 2008 and continuing.  Individual Assistance (IA) Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDAs) for three counties were completed on February 13, 2008.  IA-PDAs for eight additional counties have been scheduled for February 15-18, 2008.

Illinois:
IA PDAs are ongoing in two Illinois Counties.

Michigan:
Ice jam flooding continues along the St. Joseph River at Burlington.  Rapid fluctuations in river levels are possible in the vicinity of ice jams. (FEMA Region V)

Blocked Drainage Tunnel Update

Federal officials agreed yesterday to begin drawing water away from a blocked mine-drainage tunnel in Leadville, CO to avert a possible blowout.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making preparations to begin pumping the water next week.  Meanwhile, officials in Lake County requested a test of the tunnel's warning sirens and contemplated evacuation plans.  An estimated 1.5 billion gallons of acidic mine drainage, laced with toxic levels of cadmium and zinc, is believed to be stopped up behind a collapse in the Bureau of Reclamation's Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel. (FEMA Region VIII, CDEM)

Tornado Activity

Three tornados are reported to have touched down in Lousiana and Texas overnight.  The two Texas tornados were located in Galveston and Trinity counties.  In Pointe Coupee Parish, LA,  a line of damage estimated to be eight miles long along Lousiana Highway 1, left one home severely damaged.  No injuries or fatalities have been reported. (NOAA)

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

No significant activity to report. (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)