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National Situation Update: Thursday, August 17, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

West: Scattered showers and thunderstorms are forecast for Montana and Idaho with isolated thunderstorms in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. High temperatures will reach over 100 in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts.

Midwest: A cold front across the Upper Midwest will produce showers and thunderstorms over parts of the Plains and Midwest. The heaviest rain (as much as two inches) will fall over Iowa, southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. High temperatures are forecast to reach over 100 in southeast Kansas.

South: Isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms are forecast for western Texas, Oklahoma, much of the Gulf Coast and the Florida Peninsula. Showers could increase along the coast of the Carolinas if the low pressure system, discussed in the Tropical Weather Outlook below, moves closer to land or develops into a tropical depression. Triple-digit heat will continue over most of Oklahoma, the eastern two-thirds of Texas and parts of Arkansas and Louisiana.

Northeast: Dry weather and seasonable temperatures will dominate weather across the region except some precipitation in southeast Virginia. (NWS, Media Sources)

Tropical Activity

Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean Sea:  An area of low pressure located approximately 120 miles east of Charleston South Carolina has changed little over the past several hours while drifting westward. Shower and thunderstorm activity remains limited and maximum winds are estimated to be near 20 mph in a few spots.  While there is still some potential for this system to become a tropical depression over the next 12 to 24 hours upper-level winds are becoming increasingly unfavorable for development.

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring a number of tropical waves and low pressure areas in the Atlantic for signs of development.

Eastern Pacific:  Tropical Storm 09E (Hector) is 1140 miles south of San Diego, Ca.  Hector is moving toward the west-northwest at 10 mph.  Based on the current warning this system poses no threat to the U.S.

Western Pacific: Tropical Storm 11W (Wukong) poses no threat to U.S. territories. Tropical Depression 12W (Sonamu) has dissipated. (USDOC/NOAA/NWS, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center).

Earthquake Activity

A magnitude 4.5 (Light) earthquake occurred on August 17, 2006 at 01:14 EDT in the Near Islands, part of the Aleutian Island chain in Alaska.  The epicenter was 1460 miles west of Anchorage at a depth of 20.6 miles.  No tsunami was generated. (United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program, Alaska Earthquake Information Center, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

Continuing rain and flooding in New Mexico has caused the state to prepare a request for Individual Assistance (IA) and Public Assistance (PA) Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDA) to be performed. One IA team will depart to begin PDA on Friday, 18 August 2006.  The PDA will be done in Dona Ana County. The PDA will focus on the city of Hatch. Three PA Teams will depart on Monday, 21 August 2006 to perform PDA's in fifteen counties of New Mexico. (FEMA Region VI) 

Wildfire Update

National Preparedness Level 5

On August 16, 2006, initial attack activity was moderate nationally with 272 new fires reported.
Twenty new large fires were reported, five in Nevada, four in Idaho, three in Oregon, two each in Montana, Texas and Utah, and one each in Arizona and Wyoming. Two large fires were contained, one each in Oregon and Texas.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Two Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) C-130 aircraft and support personnel from the 153rd Airlift Wing Air National Guard (ANG), Cheyenne, Wyoming are deployed to Klamath Falls, Oregon. Two other MAFFS C-130 aircraft and support personnel from the 146th Airlift Wing ANG, Channel Islands, California are deployed to Boise, Idaho. The U.S. Army Task Force Blaze, is assigned to the Tripod Complex in Washington.  (National Fire Information Center)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)