National Situation Update: Monday, April 28, 2008
Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).
National Weather Forecast
Midwest
Showers and thunderstorms will affect areas from the Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes southward through Missouri and Kentucky today, April 28, 2008.
South
Rain and thunderstorms, some of which may be severe, will move eastward through the south today.
By evening, the severe weather should be confined to the eastern Carolinas and the Florida Peninsula.
Northeast
Rain will move eastward through the Northeast Monday April 28, 2008 as a storm center moves up the Eastern Seaboard.
By evening, the wet weather should affect the region from New England to southern Virginia.
In addition to the rain, a few thunderstorms may rumble across Virginia.
High temperatures will be near-to-below seasonal means, with afternoon readings ranging from the 40s in far-western New York State and northwest Pennsylvania, to the 70s in southeastern Virginia. (NWS, Media Sources)
Santa Anita Fire
The Sierra Madre, CA, city government reports the Santa Anita fire, which began on April 26, 2008, has burned at least 400 acres of wildland urban interface.
All Sierra Madre schools have been cancelled for Monday, April 28, 2008.
As of 9:20 p.m. EDT, April 27, 2008, the fire was 30 percent (30%) contained.
Sierra Madre officials estimate it will take between four-and-five-days for full containment.
Evacuations will remain in place until 9:00 a.m. EDT, April 28, 2008, provided fire conditions remain steady. (NICC, FEMA HQ, Media Sources)
NOAA Employing New Tools to Accurately Measure Climate Change
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced it will install the last nine of the 114 stations as part of its new, high-tech climate monitoring network. The stations track national average changes in temperature and precipitation trends. The U.S. Climate Reference Network (CRN) is on schedule to activate these final stations by the end of the summer of 2008.
Each CRN station logs real-time measurements of surface temperature, precipitation, wind speed and solar radiation. NOAA's geostationary satellites relay the data from these ground-based stations to the National Climate Data Center (NCDC), which posts the observations online.
NOAA also is modernizing 1,000 stations in the Historical Climatology Network (HCN), a regional system of ground-based observing sites that collect climate, weather and water measurements. NOAA's goal is to have both networks work in tandem to feed consistently accurate, high-quality data to scientists studying climate trends. The modernization of the HCN's aging equipment will enhance the extent of America's premiere data source for tracking regional climate variations and trends. The modernization, which began November, 2006, will follow a "climate-region" approach, starting with a pilot project in the Southwest, where 140 sites will be revamped. HCN sites will be equipped with a new temperature and precipitation sensor that will complement the CRN, with precise regional climate data. Data gathered by those existing HCN stations that were located in less-than-ideal areas have been statistically corrected in the analysis of climate trends routinely reported by NOAA. Though some individual stations were placed in less-than-ideal areas, these data anomalies did not significantly alter overall climate measurements. The modernization will relocate these stations in areas that are closer to ideal.
In one critical example, this dense, spatial coverage will provide more timely and accurate regional data to support the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), collaboration among federal agencies and several state governments geared to provide a dynamic and accessible drought-risk information system. (NOAA, Media Sources)
Mississippi Valley Flooding
Severe Weather/Midwest Flooding
Regional Offices and NRCC are monitoring current river levels in the Mississippi Valley.
Flood Warnings and Watches continue in the Mississippi River Valley from Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri to Arkansas and Louisiana.
The Regions and States have reported no issues. (Region IV RRCC, Region VI RRCC, National Weather Service)
Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)
A Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG-2763-FM-CA) was approved on April 27, 2008, at 3:01 p.m. EDT for the Sierra Madre Fire in Los Angles County California. The fire started on April 26, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. EDT, and the cause is under investigation. There are 400 homes and 2 commercial buildings threatened. One structure has burned. There have been 1,000 mandatory evacuations. The fire behavior is reported as extreme, due to the terrain, and is 30 percent (30%) contained. Resources are 205 firefighters, twenty (20) Type 1 Engines and two (2) helicopters. (FEMA HQ)
Tropical Weather Outlook
No new activity (FEMA HQ)
Earthquake Activity
On Sunday, April 27, 2008 at 3:48 p.m. EDT, an earthquake measuring 4.5 occurred about 75 miles south-southwest of Nikolski, Alaska and 983 miles west-southwest of Anchorage, Alaska at a depth of 21.7 miles. There were no reports of damage or injuries and there was no tsunami generated. (USGS, Alaska Earthquake Information Center)
Preliminary Damage Assessments
No new activity (FEMA HQ)
Wildfire Update
National Preparedness Level: 1
National Fire Activity as of Sunday, April 27, 2008:
Initial attack activity: Light (62 new fires)
New large fires: 1
Large fires contained: 1
Uncontained large fires: 10
Weather Discussion: The Northern Plains will be cool, dry and windy today, April 28, 2008, with winds diminishing today. For the Southwest, dry and light winds today, except for windy conditions in southeast Arizona. Winds will increase across the area today. For the Southeast, showers are expected over most of the area today. For the Northeast, rain will be moving into the region today. (National Interagency Fire Center, National Incident Information Center, InciWeb, NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center)
Disaster Declaration Activity
No new activity (FEMA HQ)
Last Modified: Monday, 28-Apr-2008 08:30:00 EDT