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National Situation Update: Thursday, January 19, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

West: An upper level low will produce snow over the northern and central Rockies. Accumulations of three to six inches are expected by this afternoon. Only light showers are forecast today along coastal Washington and Oregon but a new storm will significant rain and snow on Friday.

Midwest: A weak low pressure system moving through the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes will produce light snow and rain. One to two inches of snow is forecast from the eastern Dakotas through central Minnesota and northern Wisconsin to northern Michigan. Rain showers are forecast for parts of northern Iowa, southern Minnesota, southern Wisconsin and lower Michigan. Unseasonably warm weather continues with temperatures 10 to 20 degrees above average.

South: A trough from the low over the Midwest will produce isolated afternoon or evening thunderstorms over the lower Mississippi Valley. Unfortunately, this rainfall will remain east of the drought and fire areas in Oklahoma and Texas.

Northeast: Gusty winds are expected diminish today as the storm moves away from the East Coast. Yesterday, gusts over 50 mph closed several bridges in and around New York City. (NOAA/NWS and Various Media Sources)

Wildfire Potential

The combination of gusty southerly winds, low humidity and long term drought continue to produce conditions favorable for wildfires in an area stretching from Texas to Missouri

Red flag warnings are in effect until early this evening for southeastern New Mexico, western Texas and a larger area extending from north central Texas, western Oklahoma, southeastern Kansas, northwestern Arkansas and Southwest Missouri. (NWS)

New Horizons Mission

The scheduled launch of National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) New Horizons spacecraft to Pluto was postponed again yesterday due to a weather-related power outage at the spacecraft mission operations center in Maryland.

Severe storms in the Baltimore-Washington area had knocked out power in several locations, including the campus of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., where the New Horizons spacecraft will be operated in flight. With primary power out the New Horizons mission operations center was on backup power, but New Horizons mission managers wanted to have sufficient backup to those systems in place before conducting critical launch and early flight operations.

The launch window extends until Feb. 14, 2006. (NASA)

Train Collision/Fire in Alabama

On January 18, 2006 at approximately 4:21pm a train carrying sodium cyanide, ethylendiamine, and amines rear-ended another train. At the time of this report it has been determined that none of the chemicals have been released. The County has evacuated up to one mile. Road closures include 207at hwy 78 E, 207 at Oxford Lane W and, Stine Lane at hwy 78N. Three people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, non-life threatening. At this time the fire is still burning. Officials will let burn till it burns out for fear that water will react with chemicals.

State And Local Actions: Talladega County EOC operational. Lincoln Fire and HazMat Team, Childersburg HazMat Team, Calhoun County HazMat and Mobile Command Vehicle, as well as Law Enforcement and Red Cross all on scene. (FEMA Region IV)

Augustine Volcano

The level of concern color code is has been lowered to ORANGE. Seismicity remains relatively quiet but above background levels.

Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) is monitoring the situation closely and will issue further updates as new information and analyses become available.

Volcano information on the internet: http://www.avo.alaska.edu (USGS/ Alaska Volcano Observatory, Region X)

Tropical Activity

There are no active tropical disturbances in the Atlantic or Pacific. (USDOC/NOAA/NWS, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

No significant earthquake activity during the past 24 hours in the United States or its Territories. (United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)