Monday, January 30, 2012

[FEMA]

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED)

Significant National Weather:

West:
The rain and high elevation snow over the Intermountain West and Northern Rockies will begin to taper off this morning, but another storm system will move into the region on Tuesday. Light rain and snow will continue in the Olympics and Northern Cascades through Tuesday.
Midwest:
Warm temperatures are expected to continue today across the Northern and Central Plains with temperatures 15 to 25 degrees above average. Scattered snow showers over the Upper Midwest will move eastward into New England by Tuesday. Due to high temperatures, gusty winds and low humidity, fire weather conditions are possible Monday afternoon for southeastern Kansas and parts of southwestern and central Missouri.
South:
Light rain lingering in the southern tip of Florida will begin to subside this evening. High pressure over parts of the Gulf Coast will begin to move east allowing rain to spread into Texas tonight. Long durations of low relative humidity and strong winds will continue to increase the risk of fire across portions of Alabama, Georgia and Florida; Red Flag Warnings remain in effect in these areas through this evening.
Northeast:
The storm system moving eastward out of the Midwest will continue to produce light snow across portions of the region this morning. Light accumulations are possible.

Space Weather:

Space weather for the past 24 hours has been moderate with solar radiation storms reaching the S2 level occurring.Â* Space weather for the next 24 hours is predicted to be minor; solar radiation storms reaching the S1 level are expected.Â*Â*(SWPC)Â*
USGS Monitors Earthâs Magnetic Field to Prepare Citizens for Magnetic Storms

On January 19, 2012, scientists saw a solar flare, along with a concentrated blast of solar-wind plasma and magnetic field lines known as a coronal mass ejection, burst from the Sun’s surface. When these solar winds met Earth’s magnetic field, the interaction created a large magnetic storm which peaked on January 24th, 2012, just as another storm began. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), these storms indicate an up-tick in solar activity—and potentially an increase in the amount of magnetic storms on Earth—coming with the Earth’s ascent into the next solar maximum. The “solar maximum” is the period of greatest activity in the solar cycle of the Sun, which is predicted to occur sometime in 2013.
Magnetic storms are a space weather phenomenon responsible for the lights of the aurora borealis and, sometimes, for disruptions in technology and infrastructure. Large magnetic storms, for example, can interrupt radio communication, interfere with global-positioning systems, disrupt oil and gas well drilling, damage satellites and affect their operations, and even cause electrical blackouts by inducing voltage surges in electric power grids.
The USGS Geomagnetism Program, a partner in the multi-agency National Space Weather Program, maintains 14 observatories around the United States and its territories and provides ground-based measurements of changes in the magnetic field to various governmental, academic, and private institutions in order to help us understand how magnetic storms may impact the United States. In addition to providing data to its customers, the USGS produces models of the Earth’s magnetic field that are used in a host of applications, including GPS receivers, military and civilian navigational systems, and in research for studies of the effects of geomagnetic storms on the ionosphere (a shell of electrons and electrically charged atoms and molecules surrounding Earth), atmosphere, and near-space environment. Additional information on the USGS Geomagnetism Program and the Solar Cycle Prediction may be found at the following websites: geomag.usgs.gov/about.php, http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/predict.shtml.

Increasing U.S. Earthquake Preparedness

The Great Central U.S. Shakeout earthquake drill will be held on February, 7, 2012 to commemorate the bicentennial of the 1812 New Madrid Earthquake. More than 1.7 million people across nine states are expected to participate this year. Shakeout drills, modeled after California’s program for public earthquake preparedness, are designed to educate the public about how to how to prepare for, and protect themselves during a large earthquake. The shakeout teaches participants the “Drop, Cover and Hold On” model designed to save lives during actual events, and allows the opportunity for coordination between local and state entities. For more information visit: http://www.shakeout.org/centralus/. Japan will hold its first ShakeOut event, centered in Tokyo, on March 11, 2012, the anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Additional ShakeOut drills in California, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, British Columbia, and Guam, will be held on October 18, 2012.
Tropical Weather Outlook

No new activity (FEMA HQ)
Earthquake Activity

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake occurred at 12:11 a.m. EST on January 30, 2012 near the coast of central Peru. The quake occurred approximately 9 miles southeast of Ica, Peru and 173 miles south-southeast of Lima, Peru at a depth of 24.4 miles. There have been no reports of injury or damage and no tsunami was generated. There were no requests for FEMA assistance.Â*
Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)


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