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National Situation Update: Monday, October 23, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Cold Weather Continues To Affect Large Portions of the U.S.

Midwest:
A cold front with rain showers continues to move south and eastward through the mid-Mississippi Valley, southern Great Lakes and the Ohio Valley into the Northeast through Monday afternoon.

Rain will change to snow over eastern Iowa, southern and central Wisconsin and parts of Lower Michigan.
 
Early Monday, a cold northwest flow over Lakes Superior and Michigan is forecasted to produce locally heavy lake effect snows over parts of Michigan, and northern Indiana.

Northeast:
A cold front will move into Upstate New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia bringing scattered showers and light snow flurries.

Lake effect snow may bring moderate accumulations at higher elevations.

South:
High winds and thunderstorm watches and warnings are forecasted from Oklahoma to south-central Georgia.

A strong cold front brings freeze warnings for Oklahoma, Arkansas and the northern Gulf, Florida Panhandle, eastern Georgia and the central Carolinas by Monday evening.

Showers will precede the cold front across the Southeast. 

West:
The West will continue to be dry and sunny with only minor changes as moisture from Hurricane PAUL moves north into southern New Mexico and west Texas.

Temperatures are forecasted in the 30s and 40s over Montana, Wyoming and Colorado but 70s and 80s in most of California and 90s in southwest Arizona. (National Weather Service, Various Media Sources)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean Sea:
Tropical storm formation is not expected through Tuesday.

Central and Eastern Pacific:
At 5:00 am EDT October 23, Hurricane Paul, with maximum sustained wind speeds near 100 mph, was located about 475 miles south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas Mexico.
Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 25 miles. There is no threat to the U.S. or any U.S. territories.

Elsewhere, tropical storm formation is not expected through Tuesday.

Western Pacific:
No significant activity to report. (USDOC/NOAA/NWS, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

National Preparedness Level 1 on a scale of 1 (low) - 5 (high)
National Fire Activity

• Wildfire activity:  Light (65 new fires)
  
• New large fires:  0
  
• Large fires contained:  0
  
• Uncontained large fires:  2
  

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)