The USA Disaster Situation Report
The Daily USA Disaster Situation Report
For December 11, 2000
Christopher Effgen, Editor, host{at}disastercenter.com
------------------------------------------------------------
IN THIS ISSUE
------------------------------------------------------------
=> USA Daily Temperature Extremes
=> Special Notes
=> Current Active National Weather Service Warnings:
=> Severe Weather Probability Forecast
=> Precipitation Forecast, Excessive Rainfall, Heavy Snow And/Or Significant
Icing Forecast
=> USA Flood Report
=> USA Fire Report and Forecast
=> USA Earthquake Report
=> Yesterday's USA Severe Weather Reports
=> Guest Column- -- Larry Cosgrove -- Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Valley
Prepare For
Worst Blizzard In Past 17 Years; Arctic Cold, Active Storm Track Control
Longer Term
U.S. Weather Pattern
=> Sponsored by The Rothstein Catalog On Disaster Recovery
**** ARTICLES ****
=> Article DOT Proposes To Temporarily Reduce Hazardous Materials
Registration Fees
=> Article California ISO Files Emergency Action With Ferc To Deal With
Electricty
Supply Crisis
=> Article On January 9th through 12th a Disaster Mitigation and Education
Implementers
Workshop will be held in Tallahassee Florida
=> Article December 11th Historic Weather Events
=> Classified Ads
=> Links Area
=> How to Be Featured as our Guest Columnist
------------------------------------------------------------
Sponsored by the The Rothstein Catalog On Disaster Recovery
http://www.disastercenter.com/Rothstein/
------------------------------------------------------------
=> Subscribe/Unsubscribe information
The Daily USA Disaster Situation Report
For December 11, 2000
Christopher Effgen, Editor, host{at}disastercenter.com
------------------------------------------------------------
IN THIS ISSUE
------------------------------------------------------------
=> USA Daily Temperature Extremes
National Temperature Extremes
High Sun...27 Below Zero At Flag Island MN
Low Mon...85 At Ocala And Brooksville FL
=> Special Notes
Central northern and north northeast states winter storm
Weather system to move into the northwest Wednesday
=> Current Active National Weather Service Warnings:
Active Warnings:
Updated Mon Dec 11 11:10:31 2000
Non Precipitation
Arkansas
A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH ARKANSAS TODAY. BEHIND
THE FRONT...WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTHWEST AND WILL BECOME
GUSTY IN MUCH OF THE STATE THIS AFTERNOON.
LAKE WIND ADVISORY IN MUCH OF ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON...
Colorado
A WIND CHILL WARNING IS IN EFFECT TODAY FOR EAST CENTRAL
COLORADO...NORTHWEST KANSAS...SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...
BITTERLY COLD AIR COMBINING WITH BLUSTERY NORTH WINDS BETWEEN 20
AND 30 MPH WILL PRODUCE WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES BETWEEN 30 AND 40
DEGREES BELOW ZERO.
Delaware
Iowa
DANGEROUS WIND CHILL VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON...ACROSS SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA AND SOUTHWEST
MINNESOTA AS WELL AS NORTHWEST IOWA.
Illinois
WIND CHILL ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL
AND NORTHEASTERN MISSOURI AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS FOR
THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT...
Indiana
HIGH WIND WATCH TONIGHT
Kansas
A WIND CHILL WARNING IS IN EFFECT TODAY FOR EAST CENTRAL
COLORADO...NORTHWEST KANSAS...SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...
Kentucky
HIGH WIND WATCH TONIGHT
Maryland
HIGH WIND WATCH FROM MIDNIGHT EST TUESDAY UNTIL 1000 AM EST
TUESDAY...
Minnesota
HAZARDOUS WIND CHILLS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS NORTHWEST NORTH
DAKOTA AND EXTREME NORTHWEST MINNESOTA TODAY...
Missouri
WIND CHILL ADVISORY CONTINUES FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT
Montana
WIND CHILL ADVISORY TODAY
North Carolina
HIGH WIND WATCH FOR TONIGHT IN THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS...
North Dakota
HAZARDOUS WIND CHILLS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS NORTHWEST NORTH
DAKOTA AND EXTREME NORTHWEST MINNESOTA TODAY
Nebraska
A WIND CHILL WARNING IS IN EFFECT TODAY FOR EAST CENTRAL
COLORADO...NORTHWEST KANSAS...SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...
New York
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CONTINUED A HIGH WIND WATCH FOR
ALL OF NORTHERN NEW YORK AND NORTHERN AND CENTRAL VERMONT FOR
TUESDAY...
Ohio
HIGH WIND WATCH FOR LATE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING...
WINDS COULD GUST OVER 50 MPH LATE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING AND
SUSTAINED WINDS COULD AVERAGE 35 TO 40 MPH FOR A WHILE. WIND DAMAGE
IS POSSIBLE.
Oklahoma
ARCTIC AIR AND BLUSTERY WINDS WILL BRING DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS...
Pennsylvania
STRONG POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WINDS POSSIBLE TUESDAY
South Dakota
DANGEROUS WIND CHILL VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON...ACROSS SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA AND SOUTHWEST
MINNESOTA AS WELL AS NORTHWEST IOWA.
Tennessee
HIGH WIND WATCH TONIGHT FOR THE MOUNTAINOUS AREAS OF SOUTHWEST
VIRGINIA...EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...
Texas
COLDEST AIR OF THE SEASON EXPECTED TONIGHT...
AN ARCTIC AIRMASS WILL MOVE INTO THE PANHANDLES TODAY WITH WINDS
OF 15 TO 25 MPH. TEMPERATURES WILL FALL INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS IN
THE OKLAHOMA AND NORTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLES TODAY...
Virginia
HIGH WIND WATCH TONIGHT FOR THE MOUNTAINOUS AREAS OF SOUTHWEST
VIRGINIA...EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA
Vermont
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CONTINUED A HIGH WIND WATCH FOR
ALL OF NORTHERN NEW YORK AND NORTHERN AND CENTRAL VERMONT FOR
TUESDAY...
West Virginia
WIND ADVISORY FOR OVERNIGHT TONIGHT
Winter Storm
Arkansas
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY CONTINUED THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON...
.AFTER PERIODS OF FREEZING RAIN...FREEZING DRIZZLE AND LIGHT SNOW
Colorado
A WIND CHILL WARNING IS IN EFFECT TODAY FOR EAST CENTRAL
COLORADO...SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...NORTHWEST KANSAS.
Connecticut
A MIXTURE OF LIGHT SNOW...FREEZING RAIN AND FREEZING DRIZZLE WILL
CREATE SLIPPERY SURFACES THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ACROSS
MUCH OF INTERIOR SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND.
Iowa
IN THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY AREA OF NORTHWEST IOWA...WIND CHILL
VALUES OF 25 BELOW TO 45 BELOW ZERO ARE EXPECTED ALONG WITH
DRIFTING SNOW. TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS FROM SUNDAY THROUGH THIS
AFTERNOON IN NORTHWEST IOWA WILL RANGE FROM 3 TO 8 INCHES.
Idaho
A SNOW ADVISORY HAS BEEN POSTED FOR SOUTHERN HARNEY COUNTY FOR
TONIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING FOR 3 TO 5 INCHES EXPECTED
ACCUMULATION. NORTHERN HARNEY COUNTY WILL RECEIVE 1 TO 3 INCHES.
Illinois
HEAVIEST SNOW WILL VEER TO THE NORTH OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS...
Indiana
AN INTENSIFYING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE OUT OF SOUTHWESTERN
MISSOURI INTO CENTRAL INDIANA BRINGING A MIXTURE OF HEAVY
SNOW...SLEET...AND FREEZING RAIN TO NORTHERN INDIANA...SOUTHERN
MICHIGAN...AND EXTREME NORTHWEST OHIO TODAY.
Kansas
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT TODAY...FOR ROAD
Louisiana
FREEZING RAIN IS EXPECTED FOR TUESDAY NIGHT ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS
AND SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA
Massachusetts
A MIXTURE OF LIGHT SNOW...FREEZING RAIN AND FREEZING DRIZZLE WILL
CREATE SLIPPERY SURFACES THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ACROSS
MUCH OF INTERIOR SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND.
Maine
SIGNIFICANT SNOW AND ICE IS POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY...
.A DEEPENING AREA OF LOW PRESSURE APPROACHING FROM THE MIDWEST
WILL SPREAD SNOW ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MAINE LATE TONIGHT.
Michigan
A STORM SYSTEM TAKING SHAPE OVER MISSOURI WILL INTENSIFY AND MOVE
NORTHEASTWARD TO SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN BY THIS EVENING
A MIX WITH SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM DETROIT TO
ADRIAN...INCLUDING ANN ARBOR...
STRONG WINDS COULD CREATE NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ACROSS MUCH
OF THE REGION TONIGHT...WITH CONSIDERABLE BLOWING OF SNOW
EXPECTED.
WINTER STORM WARNING THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY MORNING FOR SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES...
Minnesota
SNOW AND BITTER COLD WIND CHILLS TODAY...
.SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA THROUGH
THE MORNING.
Missouri
WINTERY WEATHER CONTINUES ACROSS THE OZARKS
Nebraska
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT TODAY FOR EAST CENTRAL
COLORADO...NORTHWEST KANSAS AND SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...
New Mexico
A WINTER STORM WATCH FOR WEST TEXAS AND SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO
FOR TUESDAY...
New York
A MIX OF SNOW-FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET EXPECTED TONIGHT IN CENTRAL
NEW YORK AND THE NORTHERN TIER OF PENNSYLVANIA...
SNOW IS EXPECTED TO CHANGE OVER TO SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN BETWEEN
7 AND 10 PM. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE
EXPECTED...FOLLOWED BY SOME ICING.
Ohio
A MIXTURE OF HEAVY SNOW...SLEET...AND FREEZING RAIN TO NORTHERN
INDIANA...SOUTHERN MICHIGAN...AND EXTREME NORTHWEST OHIO TODAY.
Oklahoma
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY CONTINUED THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON...
.AFTER PERIODS OF FREEZING RAIN...FREEZING DRIZZLE AND LIGHT SNOW
THIS MORNING AREA ROADS HAVE BECOME HAZARDOUS FOR TRAVEL.
Oregon
A PACIFIC STORM JUST OFF THE NORTHWEST COAST THIS MORNING WILL
MOVE INLAND THIS AFTERNOON THEN SOUTHEAST THROUGH OREGON
TONIGHT AND INTO NEVADA TUESDAY. SNOW WILL TAPER OFF IN HARNEY
COUNTY FROM THE NORTH AND WEST TUESDAY MORNING.
Pennsylvania
A MIX OF SNOW-FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET EXPECTED TONIGHT IN CENTRAL
NEW YORK AND THE NORTHERN TIER OF PENNSYLVANIA...
A MIXED BAG OF WINTERY PRECIPITATION TO MOST OF CENTRAL NEW YORK
AND THE NORTHERN TIER OF PENNSYLVANIA TONIGHT. SNOW WILL DEVELOP
BY THIS EVENING OVER THE NORTHERN FINGER
South Dakota
BITTERLY COLD WIND CHILLS
OF 25 BELOW TO 40 BELOW. ACTUAL HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL ONLY CLIMB
TO ZERO TO 5 ABOVE.
Texas
AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH WEST CENTRAL TEXAS TODAY...
BRINGING MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES AND BITTERLY COLD WIND CHILLS.
AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL CROSS NORTHERN MEXICO
TONIGHT...AND ENTER WEST CENTRAL TEXAS TUESDAY.
PRECIPITATION CHANCES INCREASEON TUESDAY...WITH SNOW EXPECTED
OVER THE BIG COUNTRY...FREEZING RAIN CHANGING TO SNOW OVER THE
CONCHO VALLEY AND HEARTLAND...AND FREEZING RAIN MOST OF THE DAY
ALONG THE INTERSTATE 10 CORRIDOR. THE STRENGTH OF THE APPROACHING
UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF FREEZING RAIN
AND SNOWFALL. BUT IT APPEARS AT THIS TIME SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS
OF SNOW ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE NORTHERN TWO-THIRDS OF WEST
CENTRAL TEXAS BY LATE TUESDAY...WHILE SIGNIFICANT ICE ACCUMULATIONS
MAY OCCUR FURTHER SOUTH...NEAR INTERSTATE 10
Vermont
WINTER STORM WATCH FOR
TONIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING ACROSS THE SAINT LAWRENCE VALLEY AND
THE NORTHERN ADIRONDACKS...
Wisconsin
WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...
SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL ACCUMULATE TO BETWEEN 4 TO 8 INCHES
ACROSS FOND DU LAC AND SHEBOYGAN COUNTIES...AND 8 TO 12 INCHES
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM JANESVILLE TO MILWAUKEE...BY MIDNIGHT.
=> Severe Weather Probability Forecast
The forecast probability of an event is by the stated percentage or greater
for the event, within 25 miles of any point for the area described.
Tornado Risk - Slight
There is less than a 2% probability of a tornado.
Hail Risk - Slight
There is less than a 5% probability of hail 3/4 inch or larger.
Wind Risk - Slight
There is less than a 5% probability of winds in excess of 50 knots.
Tomorrow's Risk -
There is less than a 5% probability of any severe weather tomorrow.
=> Precipitation Forecast, Excessive Rainfall, Heavy Snow And/Or
Significant
Icing Forecast
Precipitation Forecast
The 24 hour forecast is calling for over 1 inch of precipitation over
extreme northeast Indiana,
extreme northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan, and extreme northwest New York
The 24 - 48 hour forecast is calling for over 1 inch of precipitation over
Excessive Rainfall Forecast
Rainfall is not expected to exceed flash flood values.
USA heavy snow and/or significant icing
>From noon to midnight today EST the probability of 4 inches or greater of
snow is low over central
to eastern Iowa, the south southeast 1/3 of Wisconsin, the northern 1/3 of
Illinois, north northwest
Indiana, extreme northwest Ohio, Michigan's lower peninsula, north northwest
New York.
The moderate probability area is over northeast Illinois, southeast
Wisconsin, Michigan's lower
peninsula, and extreme northwest New York.
The probability of 1/4 inch or greater of ice accumulation is low over
extreme northwest Indiana,
exteme northern Ohio, extreme north northwest Pennsylvania, and the
northwest 1/2 of New York.
>From midnight to noon tomorrow EST the probability of 4 inches or greater of
snow is low over
north northeast Pennsylvania, New York except the east southeast area, the
northern 1/2 of
Vermont, the northern 1/3 of Vermont and the northwest 1/4 of Maine.
The moderate probability area is over the central north part of New York.
The probability of 1/4 inch or greater of ice accumulation is low over north
northeast New York, the
northern 1/2 of Vermont, the northern 1/2 of New Hampshire, and the
northwest 2/3 of Maine
except the far northwest area.
=> USA Flood Report
NATIONAL HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS
08:00 AM EST MON DEC 11 2000
FLOOD SUMMARY
SOME FLORIDA FLOODING
UP TO 8 INCHES OF RAIN FELL ACROSS MIAMI-DADE COUNTY SUNDAY,
CAUSING SOME URBAN FLOODING.
FLASH FLOODING:
FLOOD/FLASH FLOOD AND/OR URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORIES
ISSUED DURING THE WEEK END FOR LOCATIONS INCLUDING:
ALPHABETICALLY BY STATE):
FLORIDA:
SUNDAY: MIAMI-DADE COUNTY.
RIVER FLOODING:
NO RIVERS OR STREAMS WITH LOCATIONS EITHER ABOVE FLOOD STAGE OR
EXPECTED TO RISE ABOVE FLOOD STAGE HAVE BEEN REPORTED DURING THE
PAST 24 HOURS.
=> USA Fire Report and Forecast
The USA Fire Report and Forecast has not been updated.
=> USA Earthquake Report
UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE INFORMATION CENTER
GOLDEN, COLORADO
LISTS OF U.S. EARTHQUAKES IN THE LAST 30 HOURS
Prepared by USGS/NEIC 2000 DEC 11 at 00:15 UTC
EARTHQUAKES IN NORTHWESTERN UNITED STATES
(40.3 TO 50.0 N, 102.0 TO 125.0 W)
Date Time (UTC) Lat Long Depth Magnitude
2000 DEC 10 12:35:41.67 40.3 N 120.4 W 5 km 3.5
15 miles ESE of Susanville, California
=> Yesterday's USA Severe Weather Reports
Note: All data is considered preliminary
Tornado Reports
No reports received
Hail Reports
No reports received
Wind Reports
No reports received
Fields marked UNK are unknown
All Times UTC
Wind Gusts in MPH
Hail Sizes in 1/100 of an Inch (75 = 0.75")
=> Guest Column -- Larry Cosgrove -- Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Valley
Prepare For
Worst Blizzard In Past 17 Years; Arctic Cold, Active Storm Track Control
Longer Term
U.S. Weather Pattern
WEATHER SUMMARY THROUGH NEXT 72 HOURS
It was bound to happen sooner or later. I will be willing to bet that many
residents of the Great Lakes would be hard pressed to remember a widespread
winter storm and blizzard. Sure, they might recall the "December from Hell"
in MI of 1996 (which affected mostly just the Lower MI Peninsula and the
Ontario Peninsula), or perhaps the recent lake effect snows which have
threatened records for one-time and monthly totals of the white stuff. But a
genuine, massive area snowstorm and blizzard has not occurred across a
widespread sector covering the Midwest as well as portions of ONT/QB and the
interior Northeast since 1983. That situation, it would appear, is about to
change!
The culprit in this case is a growing storm in the Central Great Plains.
There are many factors at work in deepening the surface cyclone, among them
a
170 knot jet stream maximum at 250mb; intense 500mb positive vorticity core
(+30 units); superb moisture fetch from the Gulf of Mexico (aided by a
powerful heat ridge over the Bahamas and Sargasso Sea); and an impressive
baroclinic zone separating cAk and mTw domains. Numerical guidance is in
near-complete agreement on the track scenario listed below, which keeps the
threat of a heavy snowfall episode and/or blizzard affecting the following
urban areas:
Des Moines IA; Quad Cities IA/IL; Chicago IL; Milwaukee WI; Grand Rapids MI;
Detroit MI; Ottawa ONT; Toronto ONT; Montreal QB; Quebec City QB
In addition, the intrusion of tropical air at midlevels along the path of
the
low, and just north of the warm front, may result in problems from snow
mixing with or changing to freezing rain and sleet in these metropolitan
ADIs:
Kansas City MO; Chicago NW IN Suburbs; Fort Wayne IN; Toledo OH; Cleveland
OH; Erie PA; Buffalo NY; Rochester NY; Syracuse NY
Another wrinkle to consider is that as the storm deepens, a convective
element may develop. The sharpening negative-tilt upper disturbance is
accompanied on numerical model panels by extremely high UVV levels,
especially from the 24-72 hour range as the low winds up and steers just
south of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River toward N NWF and LBR. The
radical change in temperature may support downward wind transfers ahead of
the system's cold front, but the chief risk of powerful convection is that
near the center of the impulse dynamic cooling will set the rain/snow line
further south and serve to radically increase precipitation rates. If you
also factor in such items as lake-related enhancement, wind gusts exceeding
50 m.p.h. and wrap-around squall development, you can see that the QPF
amounts are indeed fairly conservative.
While locations east of the storm track listed below may experience only
showers and milder temperatures, that will surely be a temporary condition.
By day 3, with the aforementioned cyclone reaching extreme intensity over N
NWF and LBR, the dome of cAk air will drop rapidly southeastward, covering
all but the southern tip of the FL Peninsula. The southwest flow aloft will
remain, however, effectively transporting tropical air over the cold regime
in the boundary layer. As renewed storm energy from the Gulf of Alaska drops
into NM, precipitation will break out over N and C TX, much of it in the
form
of snow and ice. The critical time frame for this episode is tomorrow
afternoon into Wednesday morning, after which time readings should rise high
enough to push the changeover to liquid forms into N OK/NW AR.
We will settle the question of this newer disturbance's destination in the
MEDIUM RANGE OUTLOOK below. In its wake, a multitude of upper level impulses
from AK and the Yukon Territory should drop southeastward into the
intermountain region, providing sporadic snows to go along with the
monotonous cold. Even CA and NV may be prone toward heavy rain and snowfall
by Day 3, with an intense low over the Aleutian Islands aimed at the Bay
Area
of CA by that time.
>From Larry Cosgrove's
WeatherAmerica
http://weatheramerica.net/
If you would like to receive the newsletter, just send an e-mail marked
'SUBSCRIBE' to:
WXAMERICA{at}aol.com
------------------------------------------------------------
SPONSORSHIP NOTICE
THE ROTHSTEIN CATALOG ON DISASTER RECOVERY
The Rothstein Catalog On Disaster Recovery is the largest on line source of
Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, IT Disaster Recovery, Software,
CD/Diskette Products,
Videos, Management Issues, Exercising Contingency Plans, Telecommunications,
Networks, Call
Centers, Help Desks, Crisis Management, Crisis Communications, Risk
Management, Business
Impact, Disaster Prevention, Avoidance Info, Network Security, Info
Protection, Service Levels,
Service Quality, Natural Hazards -- Earthquakes, Hurricanes.... Business
Records, Libraries,
Media, Banking, Finance, Govt Regs/Guidelines, Emergency Management,
Industrial, Terrorism,
Workplace Violence, Crime, Physical, Financial Security, and other Valuable
Resources, Tools.
http://www.disastercenter.com/Rothstein/.
--------------------------------------------------------------
**** ARTICLES ****
--------------------------------------------------------------
=> DOT Proposes To Temporarily Reduce Hazardous Materials Registration
Fees
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Research and Special
Programs Administration (RSPA) today announced a proposal to temporarily
reduce registration fees paid by persons who offer or transport hazardous
materials in commerce.
Since the registration fees collected were more than the amount
anticipated when the fee schedule was established, RSPA is reducing future
collections until the surplus is expended. For small businesses, RSPA is
proposing to temporarily lower the annual fee for the next six years to
the minimum provided by law, from $275 to $250. For the same period, the
annual fee for large shippers and carriers would be lowered from $1975 to
$475.
"This year, RSPA collected more registration fees than we had
originally anticipated. As a result, we are able to fund much-needed
state training programs for emergency responders while at the same time
lowering the fees for all registrants," said RSPA Administrator Kelley S.
Coyner. "We also intend to reevaluate the registration fee within three
years to determine if a permanent change can be made to the fee
structure."
The funds collected through the registration fees support the
Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) grants program. These
grants are used by state and local governments to enhance emergency
response planning and training activities to protect communities in the
event of a transportation-related hazardous materials incident.
Since 1993, approximately 814,000 responders and others have been
provided training assistance, using the HMEP grant funds, by the grant
recipients: states, territories, native American tribes, and the
International Association of Fire Fighters. Funding assistance was also
given to the nation's approximately 4,000 local emergency planning
committees in preparing and exercising hazardous materials emergency
response plans and in conducting commodity flow studies that identify
transportation hazards.
RSPA estimates that 800,000 shipments of hazardous materials make
their way through the national transportation system each day.
The notice of proposed rulemaking was published in the Dec. 7
edition of the Federal Register.
=> California ISO Files Emergency Action With Ferc To Deal With
Electricty Supply
Crisis
(Folsom, CA) While grappling with another Stage Two Emergency today, the
California
Independent System Operator (California ISO) is taking swift action to deal
with a critical shortage
of bids in the ISO market as well as serious underscheduling of electricity
in the forward markets.
The proposed market changes create the incentive to sell power in existing
markets and allow the
ISO to compete better for regional energy, which is in short supply
throughout the western United
States.
This afternoon, the ISO filed an emergency tariff Amendment 33 filing with
the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC). Commencing at 3:00 p.m. today Friday, December
08, 2000, the
California ISO will implement a $250 "soft cap" on the ISO's Real-Time
Energy Market similar to
that proposed by FERC in its November 1 Order Proposing Remedies for
California Wholesale
Electric Markets (93 FERC 61,121). Analogous to the soft cap proposed by
FERC, Energy bids
prices in excess of $250/MWh will no longer be rejected by the ISO's
computerized scheduling
system but, instead, will be evaluated in price merit order. The California
ISO has recently been
placed in the position of having to negotiate prices for power in real-time
and is finding it increasingly
difficult to manage these negotiations while at the same time balancing
supply and demand; causing
significant risk to the California ISO's ability to maintain reliable
control of the power grid. The ISO
will no longer negotiate prices in real-time. To the extent the ISO issues
dispatch instructions to
Scheduling Coordinators (market participants) for energy bid prices in
excess of the $250 soft cap,
then settlement will be as-bid, subject to refund, if the costs cannot be
verified. Market participants
will be required to submit cost documentation to the FERC, with
informational filings to the ISO and
the state, supporting any Energy payments priced in excess of the soft cap.
The current $250 price cap in Ancillary Service capacity bids is
unaffected. Also, the market
clearing prices for Ancillary Services and Imbalance Energy will continue to
be calculated and
posted up to the $250 soft cap.
Amendment 33 proposes three key elements:
1. Implement a "soft cap" of $250/MWh for Imbalance Energy. This soft cap
would limit market
clearing prices to $250/MWh, but would allow market participants to submit
bids over $250 if they
submit verifiable costs.
2. Allocate the costs for energy purchases above the soft cap to Scheduling
Coordinators who rely
on the ISO's real-time energy purchases to meet their loads, rather than
buying their own supplies in
the forward markets; and
3. Impose penalties on Participating Generators that fail to comply with
ISO dispatch instructions.
Amendment 33 is posted on the ISO's website at www.caiso.com under FERC
FILINGS on the
home page. The ISO has seen a dramatic increase in costs for the power it
buys in real time. For the
first five days of December we averaged approximately $5 million per day.
However, on December
5th we paid $36 million, December 7th $81 million. Failure to take action
now would have the local
utilities and ultimately their customers continue to face these
extraordinary costs.
The California ISO is charged with managing the flow of electricity along
the long-distance,
high-voltage power lines that make up the bulk of California's transmission
system. The
not-for-profit public-benefit corporation assumed the responsibility in
March, 1998, when California
opened its energy markets to competition and the state's investor-owned
utilities turned their private
transmission power lines over to the California ISO to manage. The mission
of the California ISO is
to safeguard the reliable delivery of electricity, facilitate markets and
ensure equal access to a 12,500
circuit mile "electron highway."
=> On January 9th through 12th a Disaster Mitigation and Education
Implementers
Workshop will be held in Tallahassee Florida.
This workshop will offer four successful Disaster
Mitigation and Education programs. They are:
* Building Disaster Resistant Neighborhoods
* Masters of Disaster
* Emergency Management Planning Workshop for Business
* Firewise Communities
This workshop is designed for any organization who
is involved in implementing disaster mitigation initiatives
into their communities.
For additional information please log onto our web
site at http://www.tallytown.com/redcross then click
on the Disaster Mitigation and Education Implementers
Workshop link in the blue left-hand boarder. There
is no charge for this four day workshop.
Thanks
Chris Floyd
Disaster Services Director
Capital Area Chapter
American Red Cross
=> December 11th Historic Weather Events
...1932...
Very cold weather prevailed along the West Coast. San Francisco received 0.8
inch of snow, and at
the airport the temperature dipped to 20 degrees. At Sacramento CA, the
mercury dipped to 17
degrees to establish an all-time record low for that location. Morning lows
were below freezing from
the 9th to the 15th at Sacramento, and the high on the 11th was just 34
degrees. The cold wave
dealt severe damage to truck crops and orange groves in the Sacramento
Valley. (David Ludlum)
(The Weather Channel)
...1987...
Low pressure over southwestern Ontario, Canada, brought snow and gusty winds
to the North
Central U.S. Winds gusted to 62 mph at Riverton WY. Snow and high winds in
eastern North
Dakota reduced visibilities to less than one hundred feet at times. Warm
weather prevailed across
the Southern Plains Region. Half a dozen cities reported record high
temperatures for the date,
including Del Rio TX with a reading of 89 degrees. Laredo TX and Kingsville
TX tied for honors as
hot spot in the nation with afternoon highs of 92 degrees. (The National
Weather Summary)
...1988...
Arctic cold invaded the central and eastern U.S. Sault Ste Marie MI reported
a record low of 14
degrees below zero, and International Falls MN was the cold spot in the
nation with a low of 25
degrees below zero. Temperatures remained below zero all day over parts of
eastern Upper
Michigan and northern New England. (The National Weather Summary)
...1989...
Strong Santa Ana winds developed across southern California and parts of
central California. Winds
in Kern County of central California gusted to 100 mph near Grapevine. The
high winds reduced
visibilities to near zero in the desert areas, closing major interstate
highways east of Ontario CA.
(Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
=> Classified Ads
Door-to-Door CoPilot Version 2.0 GPS TravRoute
List Price:
$299.99
Our Price:
$250.99
Platform: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT
Media: CD-ROM
Availability: This item usually ships within 2-3 days.
Features:
Enter the street address of your destination, and CoPilot computes the exact
route
CoPilot speaks instructions telling you where to turn--every step of the way
Gives you new directions if you miss a turn, encounter traffic, or choose
another route
Complete nationwide information on one CD that features more than 96 million
addresses
GPS receiver picks up satellite signals and uses them to pinpoint your
location on earth
Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000J495/thedisastercenteA/
FREE 30 days of StormWarn by Email, Pager, PCS/GSM Phone, Business Fax at no
cost*
Sign up today and you'll receive no obligation, no commitment StormWarn . If
you find it helpful, you can then decide to continue service at very low
rates. Your account is held in strictest confidence and you won't keep
hearing from us if you decide not to keep the service. We believe in the
value of StormWarn, and we think you will too.
*Direct pages and faxes are limited to 50 bulletins during the trial period.
http://www.stormwarn.com/index.asp?a=10296
=> Links Area
Combat terrorism, not civil rights
http://www.oregonlive.com/oped/index.ssf?/oped/00/12/ed_61ldh08.frame
=> How to Be Featured as our Guest Columnist
If you have report or notice that you think would be of interest to the
readers of the SitRep please send an email to: host{at}disastercenter.com
=> Subscribe/Unsubscribe information
The information presented here is not authoritative.
It contains preliminary and partial information reports. It is intended to serve as a general daily digest of disaster related reports. Any other use is not intended or authorized.
The Disaster Center is a partner with CASI - Central Atlantic Storm Investigators. CASI is a group of over a thousand amateur and professional meteorologists, storm spotters, and weather observers from around the world dedicated to the observation and documentation of weather events
http://www.weatherwatchers.org
The Current Report can be accessed at:
http://www.disastercenter.com/current.htm
If you wish to send a report please use our Disaster Center Situation Report Form form located at:
http://www.disastercenter.com/email/formSR.htm
To subcribe or unsubscribe to this list send an e-mail to:
sitrep-request{at}disastercenter.com
with the word
subscribe
or the word
unsubscribe
only, in the body of the message.
If you wish to contact the list owner send an e-mail to: host{at}disastercenter.com
Copyright The Disaster Center
Please feel free to to pass this e-zine along to your friends.
However we ask that keep it intact and forward it along in its entirety.
===================================================
CASI StormReports Email List
TOO MUCH StormReport EMAIL?
Set yourself to "Digest" to receive only ONE Email per day!
http://stormreports{at}casi-internal
CASI StormReports Administration Addresses:
Post message: stormreports{at}casi-internal
UNSUBSCRIBE: stormreports-unsubscribe{at}egroups.com OR
http://stormreports{at}casi-internal
ReSubscribe: stormreports-subscribe{at}egroups.com OR
http://stormreports{at}casi-internal
List owner: stormreports-owner{at}egroups.com
TO CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS PLEASE UNSUBSCRIBE THEN RESUBSCRIBE
Posting Suggestions URL:
http://www.weatherwatchers.org/members/casisr.html
===================================================
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Dec 31 2000 - 19:41:14 EST