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National Situation Update: Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

National Weather Summary

South
Showers and thunderstorms will prevail from much of Texas and Louisiana northward into Arkansas and central and eastern Oklahoma.
High temperatures will range from the 90s east of the Mississippi River, to the 70s in northeast Texas.

Northeast
Frost in northern Maine, far northern New Hampshire and northern New York by morning as lows dip into the 30s.
Highs are expected to range from the 60s in much of northern New England and northeastern New York to the 90s in southern Virginia and western West Virginia.

Midwest
Missouri and Illinois will see rain moving up from the south.
Highs will range from the 70s to the 90s.

West
Low pressure will trigger scattered thunderstorms across the Interior West, to include southern Idaho, southwest Montana, western Wyoming and the Colorado Rockies.
A few thunderstorms could turn severe from Yellowstone National Park southward through western Utah and far eastern Nevada.
Temperatures range from the 50s around Yellowstone to over 100 in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts.

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

No significant activity to report (FEMA HQ)   

Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic/Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico:
Hurricane Felix
Tropical Depression Felix
Felix weakened as it moved into Honduras, all coastal watches and warnings are discontinued but flooding danger continues. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 30 mph, with higher gusts. The center of Tropical Depression Felix was located near Tegucigalpa. Heavy rain and isolated thunderstorms continue over Nicaragua and Honduras and could produce life-threatening flash floods and mud slides. 

Other Tropical Activity - Atlantic
Low Pressure
A non-tropical area of low pressure is located about midway between Bermuda and the northeast Florida coast.  The associated shower activity has become more concentrated east of the center.  A tropical or subtropical depression could form from this system today as the system moves slowly and erratically.  An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft is scheduled to investigate the system this afternoon.

Eastern Pacific:
Hurricane Henrietta
Henriette is a category one Hurricane on the Saffir Simpson scale.  Little change in strength is forecast prior to landfall. Maximum sustained winds are near 75mph with higher gusts. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 15 miles and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 125 miles from the center. The government of Mexico has replaced the Hurricane Watch and Tropical Storm Warning with a Hurricane Warning along the coast of mainland Mexico from Topolobampo northward to Bahia Kino.
Moisture form the remnants of Henriette should make it into the southwestern United States during the next few days.
 
Elsewhere, tropical cyclone activity is not expected during the next 48 hours.

Central Pacific:
Tropical cyclone activity is not expected during the next 48 hours.

Western Pacific:
Typhoon Fitow
Located approximately 448 miles south of Tokyo, Japan, has tracked northwestward over last 6 hours.
Tropical cyclone activity impacting US interests is not expected during the next 48 hours. 
(NOAA, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

Illinois:  Individual Assistance (IA) PDAs will begin on September 4, 2007; and Public Assistance (PA) PDAs will begin on or about September 9, 2007 for Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Lake, LaSalle, and McHenry Counties.  Region I providing staffing support for the IA PDAs.

Indiana:  IA PDA for Lake County is scheduled to begin September 5, 2007.

Ohio:  PA PDAs for Allen, Crawford, Hancock, Hardin, Putnam, Richland, and Wyandot Counties will begin on September 4, 2007.  Region II is assisting. (FEMA Regions, FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

National Preparedness Level:  4
States Most Affected:  Montana, Idaho.
National Fire Activity as of Tuesday, September 4, 2007:

• Initial Attack Activity:  Moderate with 236 new fires.
• New large fires:  9
• Large fires contained:  3
• Uncontained large fires:  39
• 2007 acres burned to date:  7,082,919

Weather Discussion:  Dry and windy weather today for northeast California, the northern Great Basin, northern Wyoming and the Northern Rockies. A cold front will move across the northwest quarter of the country today with dry and windy conditions out ahead of it. Wet thunderstorms are expected in eastern Oregon, the northern Great Basin, western Montana and southern California. The Southeast will be mostly dry with thundershowers over the Gulf Coast states.  (National Interagency Coordination Center)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)