Episode 86
Coast Guard Operations: Enhancing Navigation in the Pacific
Today, I provide a comprehensive overview of significant meteorological phenomena affecting various regions. The episode elucidates the incursion of Arctic air, which is precipitating lake effect snow across the Great Lakes, accompanied by dangerously low wind chills that may plummet to single digits or below zero in certain locales. We also note the absence of severe thunderstorms as the Storm Prediction Center reports minimal probabilities for such events today. Additionally, we discuss the restoration of buoy tender capacity by the Coast Guard in Oceania, enhancing navigational support in the Western Pacific. Furthermore, a magnitude 4.4 earthquake near Willits, California, has been documented, although no substantial damage has been reported thus far. We will continue to monitor these developments and provide updates as warranted.
Takeaways:
- Arctic air is pushing south and east, leading to significant lake effect snow along the Great Lakes.
- The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for northern Indiana due to severe weather conditions.
- A magnitude 4.4 earthquake occurred near Willits, California, with no significant damage reported by local officials.
- FEMA has updated flood maps for Pima County, urging local residents to prepare for an appeal period for the new mappings.
- The Coast Guard's operational capacity has been restored in Oceania, enhancing navigational support for mariners in the Western Pacific.
- Winter weather advisories remain in effect across multiple states, with specific warnings for parts of New York and Michigan.
Sources
[FEMA | https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20260112/fema-updates-flood-maps-pima-county]
[USGS | https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75295231]
[USGS | https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75295291]
[SF Chronicle | https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/earthquake-willits-mendocino-21248590.php]
[NWS Northern Indiana | https://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?firewxzone=INZ103&product1=Winter+Storm+Warning]
[NWS South Bend page | https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=41.6769&lon=-86.269]
[NWS Gaylord | https://www.weather.gov/apx/]
[NWS Grand Rapids | https://www.weather.gov/grr/]
[NWS Albany | https://www.weather.gov/aly/winterheadlines]
[NWS Buffalo | https://www.weather.gov/buf/BUFHWOBUF]
Transcript
Good morning.
Speaker A: January: Speaker A:Arctic air pushes south and east today, turning lake effect snow on along the Great Lakes and dropping wind chills to single digits or below zero in spots.
Speaker A:The Weather Prediction center keeps excessive rainfall probabilities near zero and the Storm Prediction center calls for no severe thunderstorms today.
Speaker A:The Coast Guard restores full buoy tender capacity across Oceania as USCGC Hickory arrives in Guam, improving aids to navigation support in the Western Pacific.
Speaker A:Mariners there should expect routine servicing ops to ramp back up a magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck of Willits, California on Tuesday at 1:10pm Pacific Time.
Speaker A:Light shaking is reported.
Speaker A:FEMA meanwhile issued a new mapping update for Pima County, Arizona.
Speaker A:Local officials and residents should review preliminary flood maps and prepare for the appeal period.
Speaker A:Let's run through the States Northern California experiences a light but widely felt quake sequence near Willits.
Speaker A:USGS pins the mainshock at magnitude 4.4 approximately 9 km east south east of Willits at 1:10pm Pacific Time Tuesday.
Speaker A:Depth of approximately 7.8 km.
Speaker A:A reviewed magnitude 3.8 aftershock followed at 2:51pm no damage reports from local officials as of this morning.
Speaker A:DHS Maritime Enforcement the Coast Guard reports an interdiction of 15 suspected migrants about 24 miles southwest of San Clemente island on Tuesday morning.
Speaker A:Additional patrols are active off Southern California.
Speaker A:Indiana Lake effect snow intensifies today along and east of Lake Michigan.
Speaker A:NWS Northern Indiana maintains a winter storm warning for northern Laporte and St. Joseph counties through Thursday early afternoon with 35 to 40 mile per hour gusts blowing snow near zero, visibilities in bands and several inches of accumulation.
Speaker A:Michigan Arctic air crosses the lakes today with lake effect snow and falling temperatures.
Speaker A:NWS Gaylord highlights blustery conditions, blowing snow and single digit teens wind chills across northern lower and eastern upper Michigan.
Speaker A:Travel impacts persist into Thursday morning as bands waver farther south and west.
Speaker A:NWS Grand Rapids notes a winter weather advisory along the lakeshore with locally heavy bands and gusts to 40 mph.
Speaker A:Berrien Cass sit near the warning area bordering Indiana.
Speaker A:New York Two zones to watch in the Adirondacks North Country.
Speaker A:NWS Albany issues a winter weather advisory this evening through Thursday evening for Herkimer and Hamilton counties.
Speaker A:Light to moderate snow with slick travel on secondary roads off lakes.
Speaker A:Erie In Ontario.
Speaker A:NWS Buffalo keeps multiple winter weather advisories in place today into early Friday for Wyoming southern Erie, Oswego, Jefferson and Lewis with classic banding gusty winds and rapid visibility drops.
Speaker A:All other states have no significant updates in the last 24 hours.
Speaker A:We'll keep monitoring official alerts and update as conditions evolve.
Speaker A:Source links are in the show notes below.
Speaker A:Stay safe.
