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National Situation Update: Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

Northeast:
A cold front will move rapidly eastward through the eastern US, accompanied by brief downpours and winds gusting to 40 mph in areas of the Northeast, Middle Atlantic, and along the Eastern Seaboard. Temperatures will remain above average behind the front, with highs ranging from near 40 in extreme northern Maine to the 60s in eastern Virginia and Delaware.

Midwest:
The Midwest and Plains will be generally dry with temperatures significantly cooler but still well above average for this time of year. Gusty winds are predicted for the Great Lakes during the morning hours, diminishing during the afternoon. High temperatures will range from the 20s across the extreme north to the 50s in southern Kansas, southern Missouri, the lower Ohio Valley and Kentucky.

South:
Severe weather will diminish as thunderstorms move into more stable air across parts of Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky. A front will sweep through the Southeast early on Wednesday, resulting in showers and a few thunderstorms overnight. Temperatures will remain above average with highs ranging from the 50s in the Texas Panhandle and the Tennessee Valley to the 80s along the west coast of Florida.

West:
Areas of heavy snow will impact the Rockies on Wednesday, with six to twelve inches possible across parts of southern Wyoming, northern Utah and western Colorado. Scattered rain showers will fall along the West Coast from western Washington southward to northern California. A minor storm, the second this week, is arriving in the central coast and valley areas of California and will continue into Thursday. Winds are expected to reach 35 mph, with gusts of 50 mph or higher possible, but this storm will not approach the strengths of last week's storms. (NWS, Media Sources)

Midwest Severe Weather

Severe weather swept through the Midwest Monday night into Tuesday morning as a storm system moving across the Rockies interacted with unseasonably warm, moist and unstable air to produce numerous tornadoes, baseball-sized hail, flooding, and extreme wind gusts. Numerous states were affected.

Wisconsin
Two tornadoes touched down Monday night into Tuesday morning, January 7 and 8, 2008 in the towns of Wheatland and Kenosha in Kenosha County, WI. A State of Emergency was declared for Kenosha County on Tuesday, January 7, 2008. The Wisconsin Emergency Management Agency reports 26 homes destroyed, 78 homes damaged, and 15 storm related injuries.

Indiana
The strong storm system that moved across Indiana Tuesday resulted in heavy rain and melting snow that pushed rivers and streams over their banks. River flooding has been reported in White and Jasper Counties as a result of melting snow and rainfall amounts from two to six inches. Three unconfirmed weather related fatalities were reported in the towns of Talma (Fulton County) and Remington (Jasper County). The town of Monticello (White County) was evacuated Tuesday evening as well as some residents of the town of Remington (Jasper County). Numerous roads have been closed over a widespread area of northern Indiana.  Flood warnings remain in effect for most of Indiana through Wednesday afternoon.  The National Weather Service in northern Indiana has issued a flash flood warning for a dam floodgate release in Caroll County in north central Indiana and White County in northwest Indiana until 2:30 p.m. CST Wednesday. The floodgate release will cause flash flooding downstream on the Tippecanoe River.White and Caroll County emergency management have ordered mandatory evacuations downstream of Norway Dam. The Tippecanoe River was at major flood stage (25.1 kfps) at 9:00 p.m. Tuesday night.

Illinois
Severe weather impacted Boone and McHenry Counties in Illinois on Monday, January 7, 2008. Six homes received minor damage with five injuries reported. One shelter is open, staffed and prepared to accept displaced residents if required. Flood Warnings will be the next concern for five major rivers in the southern area of the state. Heavy rainfall over the last 24 hours, in addition to snow melt last weekend, is causing river levels to rise across portions of central Illinois. A flood warning will remain in effect until Saturday for the Vermillion River at Pontiac. The flood stage is 14.0 feet, and the river is forecast to continue rising to near 20 feet by Thursday.

Missouri
The storm system continued movement through Missouri, resulting in significant damage to homes, trees and power lines. The storms also produced torrential rainfall and flash flooding. Two fatalities and approximately 30 injuries have been attributed to the storms. The Missouri Emergency Management Agency (EMA) continues their Level I operations from 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. CST. The Governor has requested Joint Individual and Public Assistance for Preliminary Damage Assessment for six counties.

Arkansas
Five tornadoes touched down in northeast Arkansas Tuesday with one unconfirmed fatality reported. (FEMA Regions V, VI, VII, State EOCs, NWS and media sources)

McHenry County, Illinois Train Derailment and Hazmat Spill

Illinois EMA reported an eight car freight train derailment and chemical release (Ethel Oxide) north of Harvard, Illinois on Monday, January 7, 2008. The chemical leak has been contained and further threat is eliminated. Approximately 200 McHenry County residents who were evacuated Monday were allowed to return to their homes Tuesday afternoon. The hazmat team has been released and the environmental contractors hired by the railroad continue clean up around the derailed tank car. (FEMA Region V)

Earthquakes in the Northeast Ohio Seismic Zone

The Northeast Ohio seismic zone has had moderately frequent earthquakes at least since the first one was reported in 1823. The largest earthquake (magnitude 4.8) caused damage in 1986 in northeastern most Ohio, and the most recent damaging shock (magnitude 4.5) occurred in 1998 at the seismic zone's eastern edge in northwestern Pennsylvania. Earthquakes too small to cause damage are felt two or three times per decade.

Earthquakes in the central and eastern U.S., although less frequent than in the western U.S., are typically felt over a much broader region. East of the Rockies, an earthquake can be felt over an area as much as ten times larger than a similar magnitude earthquake on the west coast. A magnitude 4.0 eastern U.S. earthquake typically can be felt at many places as far as 100 km (60 mi) from where it occurred, and it infrequently causes damage near its source. A magnitude 5.5 eastern U.S. earthquake usually can be felt as far as 500 km (300 mi) from where it occurred, and sometimes causes damage as far away as 40 km (25 mi). (U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center, World Data Center for Seismology, Denver)

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

No new activity to report. (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Earthquake Activity

On Tuesday, January 8, 2008 at 8:34 p.m. EST a magnitude 3.1 earthquake occurred offshore in Lake Erie, about four miles west northwest of Mentor-on-the-Lake and 21 miles northeast of Cleveland, Ohio. Although police in several Lake County communities reported calls from people who felt the quake, no damages or injuries were reported. (USGS/NEIC, West Coast & Alaska Tsunami Warning Center, media sources)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

The Governor of Missouri requested Individual Assistance (IA) and Public Assistance (PA) Joint Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDAs) for damages received from tornadoes, flash flooding, hail and high winds Monday night, January 7, 2008 and continuing. Three PA PDA teams are scheduled to begin assessments for six counties today, January 9, 2008. IA PDAs are scheduled to begin later in the week.

Kansas PA PDAs in 37 counties, for damage as a result of severe storms on December 6, 2007 and continuing, began on December 28, 2007 and are expected to be completed this week.(FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

On January 8, 2008, the President signed Major Disaster Declaration FEMA-1738-DR for the State of Nevada for Severe Winter Storms and Flooding that occurred January 5, 2008, and continuing. The declaration designates Individual Assistance and Public Assistance for Lyon County, and Hazard Mitigation statewide.(FEMA HQ)