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National Situation Update: Sunday, December 16, 2007

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

West: A Pacific cold front will bring rain to the West Coast from northern California to western Washington and snow from the Cascades and northern Sierra to western sections of Montana and Wyoming into Monday.  Wind gusts could reach 65 mph at the headlands and 40 to 50 mph in the coastal range.  Snow levels will range from 2000 feet in the Washington Cascades to between 3500 and 4000 feet in the Siskiyou and northern Sierra.  Wednesday and Thursday will bring another storm moving through the Pacific Northwest.

Midwest:  Heavy snowfall is forecast for parts of northern Indiana, southern Michigan and southern Ohio today.  Across southern Michigan, northern Indiana and northwest Ohio snowfall may reach 10 to 15 inches.  Winds gusting up to 40 mph will cause blizzard conditions.

South:  The region remains dry although cold and windy.  A strong storm off the New England Coast will bring wind gusts that could reach 50 mph in parts of North Carolina and Georgia.  Temperatures range between 5 to 15 degrees below average from the Tennessee Valley to the northern Gulf Coast.  High temperatures will be in the 30s for Tennessee, western North Carolina and the extreme northern counties of Alabama and Georgia, and the 40s into southern sections of Mississippi, Alabama and the central part of Georgia.  Some flurries and snow showers are possible in the southern Appalachians.

Northeast:  A storm system will reach northern Pennsylvania and weaken as a second storm system develops in eastern North Carolina and heads up the coastal plain toward North Jersey.  The New England States will experience significant snowfall in excess of a foot.  The snowfall will be widespread across the western New England States.  The Mid-Atlantic States will experience changing precipitation today.  Freezing rain could bring significant icing to the mountains of West Virginia, western Virginia and southwest Pennsylvania.  Across northwestern and north-central Pennsylvania, several inches of snow will change to sleet and freezing rain but temperatures may only rise to near freezing today.  Upstate New York will see snow mixed with sleet in some areas, and change completely to sleet in others.  Western New York will receive over a foot of snow.  Late Sunday into early Monday, heavy snow mixed with sleet will continue from western and northern New York to Maine, and some areas could see well over a foot.  Monday will bring wind and cold across the region with lake-effect snow downwind of Lakes Erie and Ontario. (National Weather Service, Media Sources)

Midwest Ice Storm

Region VI

Oklahoma
OK State EOC is fully activated.
More than 182,783 customers are without power (Power restoration progress could be slowed due to snow storm over the weekend).
The American Red Cross reported 46 shelters remain open with 2,000 people.
The State is reporting 23 fatalities. (Region VI, OK OEM, NGB)

Region VII

Iowa
Joint PDAs should begin on Monday, December 17.
9 Shelters remain open with 45 people.
The state reports 7,670 customers without power.

Kansas
46 shelters remain open with 1,320 people.
The state reports 6,500 customers without power.
Weekend storm snowfall could delay power restoration 7-10 days.

Missouri
More than 24,860 customers are without power.
26 shelters and 9 warming centers remain open with 343 people.
The state reports four fatalities. (Region VII, MO SEOC, NGB, ACE)

Ohio Oil Spill

In Toledo, OH the United States Coast Guard, (USCG), state and local agencies, and oil spill response contractors continue cleanup efforts in response to the 3,300-gallon diesel fuel spill in the Maumee River.  The 730-foot bulk carrier Algonorth contacted the dock, rupturing two fuel tanks approximately 10 feet above the water line.  After an approximate 14-hour river closure, the Captain of the Port opened the river just after noon on Saturday. Four commercial vessels were delayed during the closure. The cause of the incident remains under investigation. (NICC)

Georgia Tornado

At 1:00 a.m. December 16, 2007, Georgia Emergency Mangement Agency (GEMA) reported extensive damage in five counties in SW Georgia: Miller, Turner, Mitchell, Treutlen and Worth, as a result of a suspected tornado.  There are widespread power outages, which the local utility companies are responding to one minor injury was reported in Mitchell County.  There is a curfew in effect for Turner County from 12:00 a.m. - 6:00 a.m. (FEMA-MOC-THOMASVILLE)

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

No new activity to report.  (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic/Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico/Eastern Pacific/Central Pacific:
No activity.
Western Pacific:
No current tropical cyclone warnings.  ( NOAA, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

Iowa: Public assistance PDA's are scheduled to begin on Monday, December 17, 2007.
PDAs in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma continue.
Joint PDAs on the island of Maui, Hawaii continue.
PDAs in Oregon and Washington continue.  (HI Civil Defense, Region IX, Region X, Washington, Oregon)

Disaster Declaration Activity

Amendments were approved for two disasters on December 15, 2007, to include:
FEMA-1733-DR-OR, Amendment #3 adds five counties for PA (Categories C-G) which had already been designated for Categories A & B; two counties for PA Program (all categories); and one county for IA.
FEMA 1734-DR-WA, Amendment #2, adds three counties for IA. (FEMA HQ)