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National Situation Update: Thursday, August 10, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

National Weather Forecast

West: Afternoon and evening thunderstorms are forecast for the Desert Southwest from central Colorado to New Mexico and Arizona. Wildfires will continue to be a threat given low afternoon humidity in the interior Northwest and northern Rockies and gusty afternoon winds over northern Montana and the northern Sierras.

Midwest: A stationary front (boundary between cool, Canadian high pressure and hot air over the Great Plains) will produce thunderstorms from the Northern Plains to the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. A second area of strong storms is possible from Kansas to Kentucky. Severe storms with hail, damaging winds and possible tornado activity is forecast for North Dakota.

South: Isolated thunderstorms are forecast for much of the South with the heaviest activity from the Tennessee Valley to the Carolinas. Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Mississippi will have high temperatures in the triple-digits. Other areas will have highs well into the 90s.

Northeast: A Canadian cold front moving southward will produce scattered thunderstorms over New England. A separate area of thunderstorms well ahead of the front is forecast for the Mid-Atlantic States. The cooling trend will continue through the weekend. (NWS, Media Sources)

Tropical Activity

Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean Sea: A strong, well-defined tropical wave is set to enter the eastern Caribbean Sea. It is along 59W south of 20N and moving west 23 mph. A surface 1010 mb low pressure center is along the wave near 14N. The system currently is poorly organized - it still has the potential to develop into a tropical depression during the next 24 to 36 hours. An Air Force reserve hurricane hunter aircraft is scheduled to investigate the system this afternoon if necessary.

Eastern Pacific: No significant activity.

Western Pacific: There are two tropical systems in the Western Pacific; Super Typhoon 08W (Saomai), and Tropical Storm 10W (Bopha). They pose no threat to U.S. territories. (USDOC/NOAA/NWS, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

A magnitude of 4.1 (light) earthquake occurred today at 0452 EDT.  The quake was centered 84 miles east-southeast of Anchorage, Alaska at a depth of 9.3 miles. There have been no reports of damages or injuries.

Alaska is home to 3 of the 10 largest earthquakes ever recorded in the world, and 10 of the 15 largest earthquakes recorded in the U.S. None of these earthquakes was smaller than M7.9.

Alaska has approximately 24,000 earthquakes annually. This accounts for approximately 11% of the world's earthquakes and 52% of all earthquakes in the U.S. (United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program, Alaska Earthquake Information Center, Region X )

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

National Preparedness Level - 5

Yesterday, August 9, 2006, Fire activity was heavy with 424 new fires reported.

Twenty-three large fires were reported: one each in Nevada, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming; two each in California and Washington; three each in Idaho, Oregon, and Montana; and six in Texas.

Eight large fires were contained: one each in California, Texas, Nevada, and Wyoming; and four in Idaho.( National Interagency Fire Center)

Disaster Declaration Activity

Amendment 1 to (FEMA-1656-DR) Ohio: The incident period for this disaster is closed effective August 4, 2006. (FEMA HQ)