Monday, October 18, 2010

[FEMA]

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED)

Significant National Weather

Northeast
A cold front from Canada is stalled across the Mid Atlantic states and the Central Plains bringing cooler temperatures. A narrow corridor of rain and shower activity can be expected to the north of the front extending from the Ohio Valley into the Mid-Atlantic region but conditions will be dry and warm to its south.
South
Warm, dry conditions continue through Tuesday across the Gulf Coast states. Dry conditions, low relative humidity and gusty winds are creating Critical Fire Areas and extreme drought conditions across parts of the southeast and Lower Mississippi Valley.Â*
Midwest
A dry cold front will stall across the Central Plains bringing cooler temperatures and an area of light rain will move across the Northern Plains today.Â*Â*Â*
West
There is a threat of scattered thundershowers and afternoon thunderstorms across the Great Basin and Northwestern Arizona. The best chance of rain will be across central California and the Sierra-Nevada range and several areas could see up to an inch of rain in Nevada, Utah and Arizona. Higher elevations in the Sierra-Nevada Range may see snow.Â*Â*(NOAA and media sources)Â*
Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of MexicoÂ*
A broad area of low pressure is located near the coast of Nicaragua but is already interacting with land and may inhibit development of this system. There is a medium chance, near 30 percent, of this disturbance becoming a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours.
A different area of weak low pressure is located about 850 miles west-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands. Tropical cyclone formation over this part of the Atlantic Ocean is not normally expected this time of year and there is a low chance, near 10 percent, of the system becoming a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours.
Central, Eastern and Western Pacific
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours.
(NOAA, JTWC)Â*
Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)
Wildfire Update

National Preparedness: Level 1
National Fire Activity as of Sunday, October 17, 2010:Â*
Initial attack activity: light (62 new fires), new large fires: 2, large fires contained: 1
Uncontained large fires: 3, U.S. States affected: LA, AR, MS, CO & OR
(NIFC)
Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)
No activity.
(HQ FEMA)Â*
Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)
Disaster Field Offices
17 Open Field Offices are supporting 28 Major Disaster Declarations and 4 Emergency Declarations.Â*(HQ FEMA)Â*
Â*
Stay informed of FEMAâs activities online: videos and podcasts available atÂ*www.fema.gov/medialibraryÂ*Â*andÂ*www.youtube.com/femaÂ*; follow us on Twitter atÂ*www.twitter.com/femaÂ*Â*and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/femaÂ*


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