Sunday, October 23, 2011

[FEMA]

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED)

Significant National Weather

West
Scattered showers will continue across the Pacific Northwest through the weekend. Widespread precipitation may develop across the higher elevations of Idaho and Montana with rain and snow possible across the region Sunday Night.
Midwest
Showers and a few thunderstorms are possible across much of the Great Lakes region through Monday morning. An area of more widespread rain may develop by Sunday afternoon across the central Great Lakes and spreading eastward to the eastern Great Lakes by Monday morning. Temperatures will range from near average in the eastern Ohio Valley to as much as 15 degrees above average in the Plains.
SouthÂ*
Much of the South will be dry and sunny today. An area of showers and thunderstorms is expected to spread into the ARKLATEX region this morning. Locally heavy rainfall is possible with rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches possible in some areas. Early morning frost likely in the Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachians.
Northeast
High pressure will bring mostly sunny skies and dry weather to most of the Northeast. Seasonable temperatures are expected to continue through the first half of next week. Lows in the 30s and 40s can be expected. Another weak cold front will move through the region late Monday bringing an increased chance of showers.

ROSAT Re-enters Earth's Atmosphere

DLR, the German Aerospace Center, announced Saturday night that the 2.7-ton Roentgen Satellite, or ROSAT, had reentered the Earthâs atmosphere between 9:45 p.m. EDT and 10:15 p.m. EDT, Saturday evening. The precise time and location of the reentry was not determined; but it is thought that re-entry occurred over the ocean and pieces that may have survived re-entry fell harmlessly into the ocean.
"Based on the latest studies, it is thought possible that up to 30 individual debris items with a total mass of up to 1.6 tons might reach the surface of the Earth," DLR said in a web posting last week. A statement posted on the DLR website Saturday night stated that "There is currently no confirmation if pieces of debris have reached Earthâs surface.â There have been no reports of pieces of the ROSAT satellite surviving reentry or being found.

It is the mission of U.S. Strategic Commandâs Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) to detect, track, and identify all man-made objects in Earth orbit. When an object appears to be re-entering within seven days, the JSpOC will increase monitoring and continue to closely monitor the object through re-entry. If the object is forecast to make landfall in North America or Hawaii, the JSpOC will notify the Federal Emergency Management Agency through the FEMA Operations Center and/or Public Safety Canada. (USSTRATCOM Space Surveillance Fact Sheet; www.dlr.de/dlr/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10002 /)
Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic / Caribbean / Gulf
Invest 96L (Area 1)
Thunderstorm activity has increased and become more concentrated near the center of low pressure located about 150 miles east-southeast of the Nicaragua/Honduras border. Conditions are gradually becoming more conducive for development and a Tropical Depression could form later today or tonight.
This system has a High Chance (70%) of becoming a Tropical Cyclone during the next 48 hours as it moves slowly northward and northwestward.

FEMA Response and Logistics will conduct a conference call today with FEMA Regions II, III, IV, and VI to discuss regional preparations and resource requirements as Invest 96L continues to develop.
Invest 97L (Area 2)
A broad area of low pressure continues to produce cloudiness and scattered showers several hundred miles east of the southern Windward Islands. Development, if any, of this disturbance is likely to be slow to occur. This system has a Low Chance (10%) of becoming a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours as it moves slowly northwestward and then west-northwestward.
Eastern Pacific
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours.
Central Pacific
No tropical cyclone activity is expected through Monday evening.
Western Pacific
No tropical cyclone activity.(NOAA, NHC, CPHC, and JTWC)Â*

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)
Wildfire Update

Saturday, Oct. 22 - The National Preparedness Level remains at Preparedness Level 1 (Minimal large fire activity nationally.) Initial fire attack activity was reported LIGHT with only 34 new fires reported on Friday.Â* No new large fires were reported. One large uncontained fire continues in Minnesota. The Pagami Creek Fire near Ely, Minn., has consumed 92,682 acres and remains at 93 percent contained.Â* There has been no request for FEMA assistance and none is anticipated.
Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)


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