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National Situation Update: Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

National Weather Summary

West: A very powerful Pacific Ocean storm will head toward British Columbia on Tuesday; some effects will be felt along coastal areas of Washington and Oregon.  Coastal areas from northern California northward could see gusts of 60 mph or more.  Most of the rest of the West will be dry with moderate temperatures.

Midwest:  Much colder air is moving into the region and will continue to spread eastward.  Morning showers will impact eastern sections of the Ohio Valley.  High temperatures will range from the 40s in northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan to the 80s from Kansas eastward through the Ohio Valley.

South:  An approaching cold front will trigger scattered showers and thunderstorms from areas just east of the Mississippi down to coastal Texas.  Highs will be mostly in the 80s, although the 90s will be more prevalent in the Carolinas and near the Gulf Coast.

Northeast: One cold front will move in from the north, while another cold front will approach from the west.  The result will be cooler temperatures around New York City from the first front while rain and thunderstorms will spread eastward across the region.  A general cooling trend will begin on Tuesday; parts of the Mid-Atlantic region will be hot for one more day.  (National Weather Service, Media reports)

Unmanned Drones Aid Hurricane Researchers

Researchers with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said Monday they hope to utilize new tools to analyze the strength of hurricanes.

NOAA is exploring the use of a new unmanned drone capable of examining the lower strata of hurricane walls.

Named Aerosonde after its Australian designers, is a dramatic improvement in the ability to measure the energy transfer from the ocean to the atmosphere that fuels hurricanes and causes them to intensify and grow more deadly.

Normal recon flight instruments allowed researchers only a brief glimpse at a small cross section of the hurricane. The new drone will fly as low as 500 feet, gathering detailed observations of the high-wind, low-altitude eye-wall regions that are too dangerous for manned hurricane hunter airplanes to probe. Two years ago, researchers sent a drone on a 10-hour mission into Tropical Storm Ophelia and showed the fragile-looking drone to be remarkably rugged.

The 28-pound drone can be launched from the roof of a sport-utility vehicle and can fly 1,200 to 1,300 miles round-trip. Scientists initially steer it by radio control using a joystick, then, at greater distances, via satellite.

NOAA has stationed "rapid response" teams to launch drones at a NASA facility in Wallops Island, Virginia and at Key West Naval Air Station in Florida until Oct. 31 in the hopes of catching a hurricane within range.

Researchers said they hoped the new tools can give better forecasting to aide officials in making evacuation decisions in the path of a hurricane.(Media sources)

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

No new activity to report. (FEMA HQ)

California Landslide Update

On Monday, October 8, 2007, the Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed a State of Emergency for the City of San Diego in response to a massive landslide that occurred in a San Diego residential neighborhood near La Jolla, CA. According to media sources, city officals estimate that the landslide has caused approximately $48 million dollars in damages.  The proclamation allows the state Office of Emergency Services to deploy emergency personnel, equipment and facilities, and provide local government assistance under the authority of the California Disaster Assistance Act.  There has been no request for Federal assistance. (California Office of the Governor and Media Sources)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic - Caribbean Sea - Gulf of Mexico
An area of low pressure centered over the northwestern Caribbean Sea about 100 miles east of Chetumal, Mexico is moving slowly west-northwest.  Conditions appear favorable for development and this system could become a Tropical Depression before reaching the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.  Elsewhere, tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours.

Eastern Pacific:
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours.

Central and Western Pacific:
Two areas of disturbed weather; one 1,000 miles southwest and the second 500 miles south of Hawaii, will continue to be monitored for development during the next 48 hours.  Neither are threats to Hawaii. (NOAA, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

No earthquake activity greater than 3.2 magnitude in the United States during the last 24 hours. (USGS, Earthquake Hazards Program, Alaska Earthquake Information Center, NOAA, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center)

Wildfire Update

National Preparedness Level: 1
States Most Affected: None
Uncontained Large Fires: None
National Fire Activity:  No new fire activity to report. Due to low fire activity, the Wildfire Incident Management Situation Report will be updated on Fridays, unless there is significant activity to report.  (National Interagency Coordination Center, National Incident Information Center)

Disaster Declaration Activity

Nothing significant to report.  (FEMA Regions, HQ)