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Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED)

Significant National Weather

South
A storm system descends into the Lower Mississippi Valley today, as a cold front moves into the Tennessee Valley and Southeast.

Snow continues in northeast Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas; snowfall totals could reach 12 inches locally. Strong thunderstorms and rain will accompany the cold front; 1 to 2 inches of rain totals are possible. Showers are forecast east of the Mississippi with snow possible in the southern Appalachians. Temperatures will be 5 to 20 degrees below average from the eastern Plains to the Southeast coast.
Midwest
Heavy snow continues across the Central Plains and Mississippi Valley regions; over a foot of snow could accumulate in parts of Kansas and Missouri.

River flooding continues in the Upper Midwest. Rain will fall from Missouri through the Ohio Valley, where totals could reach 1 to 3 inches locally. The rain will mix with wet snow from the southern Great Lakes to the Mid-Mississippi Valley. Temperatures will be 5 to 20 degrees below average from Kansas to western Illinois. Rain will continue in the Ohio Valley on Monday, and a new system will bring a little rain and snow to the Northern Plains on Tuesday.
Northeast

Showers will develop over northern Pennsylvania, Upstate New York, northern New England, and the Ohio Valley. On Monday and Tuesday, a storm is forecast to move from the Ohio Valley to the Mid-Atlantic coast, bringing two days of rain and gusty winds to the Northeast; 1 to 2 inches of rainfall is expected with the possibility of some wet snow in the mountains.
West
While most of the West enjoys a dry Sunday and Monday, a new cold front will bring showery rain and mountain snow to the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies. Rainfall will locally top 1 inch in the lower elevations of the Olympics and Cascades. The high mountains could receive 6 to 12 inches of snow.(NOAA’s National Weather Service, Hydro Meteorological Prediction Center, and various media sources)

Late Season Snowstorm Strikes Central and Southern Plains

A powerful storm system moved out of the Four Corners region Friday and across the Southern Plains on Saturday. This late season winter storm continued to produce heavy snow and locally near-blizzard conditions Saturday across parts of the Central and Southern Plains. As of late Saturday afternoon, snowfall totals of 2 to 8 inches occurred from north Texas to southwestern Wisconsin with drifts as high as three feet reported in Kansas. By Sunday evening, final snowfall totals could exceed a foot in parts of eastern Oklahoma.

Much colder air associated with this system created snowfall from north-central Texas and Oklahoma, northeastward through Kansas City and Chicago and into lower Michigan. Additionally, strong northerly winds between 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 40 mph resulted in areas of blowing and drifting snow. Near blizzard conditions with greatly reduced visibilities have caused, and will continue to cause, a significant impact to travel across the Southern and Central Plains. At least three storm-related traffic deaths were reported as of late Saturday afternoon. Localized freezing rain and sleet accompanied the snow in parts of Kansas and Missouri Friday night and Saturday morning.

Winter Storm Warnings covered much of central and eastern Oklahoma, southeastern Kansas, southwestern Missouri and extreme western Arkansas. There were Winter Weather Advisories surrounding the warning area. Wind Advisories were in effect for much of central, southern and eastern Texas as well as northern Louisiana. A Flood Watch was in effect for southern Missouri.(NWS, NOAA)

Upper Midwest Flooding

Flooding continues across the southern and western portions of Minnesota. Little or no precipitation is expected across Minnesota over the next five days and cooler temperatures will slow the rate of snow melt; most rivers are expected to crest during the next 24-72 hours. Forecasts for the Red River at Fargo, North Dakota have been lowered slightly; river is expected to crest on Sunday March 21at 37 feet; below the record crest of 40.84 feet in 2009. At Grand Forks, North Dakota, the Red River is forecast to crest between 47 and 48 feet on Monday March 22; below the record crest of 49.34 feet in 2009.

Cooler temperatures over the next three days will slow the rate of snow melt.

Ice jams have been reported along the South Fork Crow River at Delano, MN. Most impacts are expected to be to low-lying lands, local roads, and possibly some residences near the river.

FEMA Headquarters

FEMA Response Watch Center remains at 24/7 operations monitoring flood response and recovery activities. NRCC Activation Team is on alert for potential activation. The FEMA Logistics Management Division (LMD) continues to coordinate sourcing and shipment of commodities and generators to three ISBs established at Grand Forks AFB, ND, National Guard Armory at Mitchell, South Dakota, and Twin City Army Ammunitions Plant, Arden, MN.

FEMA Regions and State Actions

Region V

RRCC is activated to Level III - conducting 24 hour operations along with Planning, Logistics, Operations, Finance and Administration, and ESF-15. An IOF has been activated in downtown St. Paul, MN. An IOF Operations Field Branch has been activated in Moorhead, MN. FEMA Region V IMAT FRB is deployed to the St. Paul, MN IOF. Region V IMAT Red Team has deployed to the St. Paul, MN IOF. IMAT White Team is on alert. Two FEMA Region V LNOs deployed to MN State EOC. Incident Support Base is operational at Arden Hills Army Ammunition Depot.
Minnesota

MN SEOC is fully activated at Level III, 8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. CDT, Duty Officer maintains coverage 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 a.m. CDT. On March 15, 2010, the Governor declared a State of Emergency for 29 counties to protect property and infrastructure from damage due to flooding along the Red River, Mississippi, Minnesota and Crow Rivers. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is providing Emergency Protection Assistance to Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Pumps and sandbags have been issued to various communities. USACE has completed temporary levees in numerous areas in Minnesota and North Dakota. In Oakport, MN construction is ongoing with 24 hour operations to build 3.5 miles of levee to 40’. In Moorhead, MN construction is in progress to build 1 mile of levee to 40'. Completion for both Oakport and Moorhead is expected no later than March 21, 2010. The American Red Cross (ARC) has established a Disaster Relief Operation in the Fargo/Moorhead area. Three non-ARC community-based shelters for emergency workers are open in the Moorhead area. 280 MN National Guard members are conducting dike and security patrols, monitoring pumps and providing command and control. MN Dept of Transportation reports several roads closed across western and northwest MN due to high water and overland flooding. MN DOT is working with the Federal Highway Administration on damage assessments. No interstate highways have been reported closed. U.S. Coast Guard has staged assets and personnel at Air National Guard Base, Fargo, ND for deployment to Minnesota and North Dakota.

Region VII

RRCC is activated at Level III, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. CDT (Sat and Sun) and 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. CDT (M-F). On March 12, 2010, the Governor of Nebraska requested Joint PDAs for 35 counties for flood related damage since March 1, 2010. PDAs began on Wednesday, March 17. No State EOCs are activated. Duty Officers from each state are monitoring the situation.
Iowa

Rivers throughout the State continue to recede. Eight rivers remain above moderate flood stage. Most of affected areas are agricultural or low-lying. There are no unmet needs or requests for Federal assistance.

Region VIII

RRCC is activated at Level III, 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. MDT Mon-Sun; Watch: Denver MOC 24/7. Operations, Planning, External Affairs, Admin/Finance, Human Resources, Logistics/IT, DEC, and facilities are activated. Advanced Planning Region VIII IMAT- deployed to SD and ND. On March 1, IMAT-A deployed to North Dakota and merged with the FEMA-1879-DR-ND JFO team located in Bismarck, ND. FEMA Tribal Liaison and other staff are in contact with each tribe and tribal chairman in SD to discuss resource needs.
North Dakota

State EOC is activated at Level I (Full Activation, 24/7 operations). Grand Forks EOC is operational 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. MDT. FEMA-1879-DR-ND was signed on February 26 for Severe Winter Storms. The President signed State of Emergency FEMA-3390-EM in North Dakota on March 14, 2010 to provide emergency protective measures (Category B), including Federal assistance under the Public Assistance Program. National Guard activated on March 16 to assist in levee construction and traffic control. Cottonwood Creek Dam is discharging water in the new emergency spillway. This spillway was replaced as a result of the 2009 flood.
South Dakota

State EOC is activated at Level II, 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. MDT (Mon-Sun). Conducting aerial surveys and photographing flooded areas. Numerous roads and bridges are closed due to flooding. State bridges are being inspected for safety due to ice jams. The ARC has identified ten shelter locations (seven in eastern SD and three in northwest MN) to house South Dakota residents.

Tropical Weather Outlook

Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert WPTN 21P

As of 7:00 p.m. EDT on March 20, 2010, an area of convection was located approximately 610 miles east-southeast of Yap. Winds in the area are measuring 23-28 mph. Available data does not justify issuance of a numbered cyclone warning at this time; however, the potential to develop into a significant tropical cyclone within the next 12-24 hours is good.(FEMA HQ)

Earthquake Activity

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurred on March 20, 2010 at 1:21 p.m. EDT, south of the Aleutian Islands, 132 miles southeast of Nikolski, Alaska, at a reported depth of 18 miles. There have been no reports of damage or injury. A tsunami warning, watch, or advisory was not generated.(USGS, WCATWC)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)