National Situation Update: Sunday, November 9, 2008

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

West:
A cold front will move through the interior West today with a wintery mix of rain and mountain snow. The snow level will drop to 4500 feet in the Cascades and to 5000 feet in the northern Sierra. As the storm system moves into the southern Plains strong northerly winds are forecast for the mountains of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Tomorrow, snow will linger in the northern and central Rockies and the high Plains of Wyoming and Colorado.

Midwest:
Under a ridge of high pressure most of the Plains and the Midwest should remain sunny and dry. A low over James Bay, Canada will produce snow across northern Wisconsin, Minnesota and Upper Michigan where heavy lake-effect snow could produce accumulations up to 8 inches. To the south, snow showers will fall across Lower Michigan and northern Indiana producing minor accumulations. Areas around Lake Erie will have rain showers and temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below average. Highs will range from the 20s and 30s in the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Upper Michigan to the lower 50s from southern Kansas and southern Missouri. Tomorrow, the storm over the Rockies will move into the southern Plains, bringing rain and snow from Kansas to southwest Illinois.

South:
Under building high pressure the region will be rain free except for southern Florida. Tomorrow, a new storm will enter the southern Plains, spreading showers and thunderstorms from Oklahoma and central Texas into the lower Mississippi Valley.

Northeast:
The cold front that passed over the Mid-Atlantic yesterday will move through New England later today. The circulation around the low in eastern Canada will produce a wintery mix of snow and rain from West Virginia to Maine. Coastal areas from New York City to Boston will see rain later on tonight. (NOAA, National Weather Service and Various Media Sources)

Blizzard Storm

South Dakota:
The Office of Emergency Management is monitoring the situation and coordinating with local jurisdictions. There are numerous power outages and road closures due to heavy snow accumulation. The SD National Guard is assisting the SD DOT with snow blowers to reopen some of the major highways. Shelters are open in many communities assisting stranded travelers and residents without power. There has been no request for Federal assistance at this time.

North Dakota:
The Department of Emergency Services reported numerous road closures in southwestern ND. There has been no request for Federal assistance at this time. (FEMA Region VIII)

Tropical Weather

Atlantic/Caribbean:
Hurricane Paloma
At 4:00 a.m. EST November 9, 2008, the center of Hurricane Paloma was moving across east-central Cuba about 360 miles southeast of Miami, Florida. Paloma is moving toward the northeast near 5 mph and this motion is expected to continue with a decrease in forward speed on Monday. On this track, Paloma will be nearing the central Bahamas by Monday morning. Paloma is currently a category one hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale and is forecast to become a tropical storm later today and degenerate to a weak area of low pressure by Monday. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 85 mph, with higher gusts. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 30 miles and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 115 miles.

Elsewhere, an area of showers and thunderstorms has developed in association with a non-tropical low pressure system located about 675 miles southwest of the Azores. Environmental conditions appear somewhat favorable for development of a subtropical cyclone within the next couple of days.

Eastern Pacific:
No tropical cyclone formation is expected during the next 48 hours.

Western Pacific:
No tropical cyclone activity affecting United States Territories. (NOAA, HPC, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

No new activity to report. (FEMA HQ)

Earthquake Activity

No significant activity to report. (USGS, Earthquake Hazards Program, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, Caribbean Tsunami Warning Center)