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National Situation Update: Sunday, May 7, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Severe Weather Hazards for Upcoming Week

• Heavy rain is forecast over the I-95 corridor from near Washington, DC to Cape Cod/Boston, as well as over southern Missouri and northern parts of Arkansas on May 8 and 9.
  
• Local snow-melt generated river and small stream flooding will continue for north-central and northeastern Nevada, as well as for southern Idaho.
  
• A general wildfire risk is indicated for parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and peninsular Florida.
  
• Severe drought exists across the Southwest, southern Plains, the western Gulf Coast region, and a small part of South Carolina; some relief is anticipated. (NWS)

Southern Storms Moving East

South:  Heavy rains over one inch will fall in the Carolinas Sunday. A few severe thunderstorms are possible from southeast Louisiana to central and southern Georgia, and South Carolina. Other than the Panhandle, Florida will remain dry. On Monday, rain will linger in North Carolina as the storm is slow to move away. As a disturbance comes out of the West Monday, strong thunderstorms with heavy downpours are forecast for the eastern half of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Tuesday through Thursday as a storm intensifies over the north-central states and a strong cold front drives southward and eastward, strong-to-severe thunderstorms with heavy rains will extend from parts of Oklahoma and Texas into the Southeast. 

Northeast:  Frost advisories will be in effect for northwest Pennsylvania and parts of Upstate New York early Sunday.  Showers are forecast southern Virginias. On Monday, the storm will continue to ease northward, spreading rain over most of the Mid-Atlantic by late day. The heaviest rain will be south of the Mason-Dixon Line.  On Tuesday, rain could linger in the Delaware Valley and New Jersey and possibly southeast New York and southern New England.

Midwest:  Sunday will be dry across most of the Midwest region. Some rain is forecast for parts of Kentucky. In the Plains, a few hail-producing thunderstorms are possible later in the day. During Monday and Tuesday, a strengthening cold front moving across the Upper Midwest, lower Missouri Valley and Central Plains will spark thunderstorms from Minnesota, Wisconsin and western Michigan to eastern Kansas, Missouri and Kentucky.

West:  Sunday and Monday showers and some mountain snow are forecast for the Northwest and even a few thunderstorms to the high Plains. By Tuesday, the West will be dry except for a few lingering showers over the northern and central high Plains.  (NWS, Media Sources)

Storms pound parts of Texas

Severe thunderstorms moved through Southeast Texas Saturday morning, some packing 80 mph wind gusts.  There were no reports of injuries; however there was damage to power lines and buildings in parts of Texas. The National Weather Service has yet to determine if the storm was indeed a tornado or just strong winds.

In Waco, much of the damage appeared concentrated in an industrial area, where winds peeled off warehouse roofs and crumbled the walls at a Coca-Cola Co. bottling plant.  A City of Waco spokesman said about 22,000 residents were without power Saturday morning.

To the south in Austin, earlier storms on Friday left about 15,000 Austin Energy customers without electricity. An Austin Energy spokesman said it could be Sunday before service was fully restored.

In San Antonio, meanwhile, there were numerous high-water rescues for motorists who became stranded in their vehicles. (Media sources)

FEMA Regional Activity

FEMA-1633-DR-IL Joint Field Office will close on or about May 20, 2006.  (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

The Cardinal Fire, in the northern Shenandoah Valley, seven miles west of Luray, Virginia, on National Forest property, is nearly contained. Three hundred firefighters and equipment operators, along with three helicopters, were deployed to fight the wildfire, which began last Sunday. Containment near 50 homes the fire once threatened has eliminated any threat to those structures.

Initial attack activity was light nationally with 60 new fires reported. Three new large fires were reported, two in the Southwest Area and one in the Eastern Area. Three large fires were contained, two in the Eastern Area, and one in the Western Great Basin Area.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, Delaware, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Pennsylvania.  (NIFC, NICC, Media sources)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)