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National Situation Update: Sunday, April 1, 2007

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

National Weather Update

West:  A low pressure system over Montana and the associated cold front extending southwest over northern California will produce light rain and mountain snow over the Pacific Northwest, northern Great Basin, and northern Rockies. Drought concerns continue with snowpack in the Sierra and Wasatch running only 40-60% of average for this time of year.

Midwest:  A low over Minnesota has an occluded front extending east-southeast over the Great Lakes to the "triple point" over Michigan.  From this triple point a cold front extends south to the Louisiana Gulf Coast and a warm front extends eastward to the Mid-Atlantic. This low will produce precipitation in the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes, and Ohio Valley. Along the advancing cold front scattered thunderstorms may develop in Lower Michigan and Ohio this afternoon and evening. Flood watches and Warnings continue for parts of the Upper Midwest. Rivers are currently running high from snowmelt runoff and the soil is saturated. Total rainfall from this storm will be up to three inches by evening from the eastern Dakotas into Minnesota. Local flash flooding may be triggered, and slight rises on rivers already in flood can be expected.

South:  The cold front will produce a band of precipitation that will move slowly eastward through the southern Appalachians, Tennessee Valley, and central Gulf Coast producing up to one inch of rain.  Isolated thunderstorms are forecast along the front from the Tennessee Valley to Louisiana.

Northeast:  As the frontal system moves eastward rain will spread into the Appalachians and eastern Great Lakes then continuing eastward into the Delaware Valley, Tri-State (NYC) region and DelMarVa Peninsula this afternoon. Precipitation amounts of one to two inches are possible. Thunderstorms developing along the front in the eastern Ohio Valley this afternoon may move into western New York, western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia late tonight. New England should remain dry during the day, with rain moving in this evening. (NWS, Media Sources)

Colorado Tornado Update

CO Division of Emergency Management (DEM) reports revised damaged figures of 48 structures destroyed or with major damage and an additional 114 with minor damage.  Approximately 5,000 cubic yards of debris have been removed. 

The CO Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) continues to work health-related issues with local public health agencies involving asbestos assessment; nursing home patient care and medical supplies, food handling and sanitation/hygiene, solid and hazardous waste, drinking water and waste waster.

The Joint FEMA/State/SBA Preliminary Disaster Assessment (PDA) for IA and PA was completed on March 30, 2007.  The Region VIII State Support Team completed its activities in Holly and returned to Denver on March 31, 2007.  The State Liaison has returned to Region VIII from the CO EOC on March 30, 2007.  The Region VIII RRCC has been activated at Level 3 with operating hours of 9:00 am EDT to 9:00 pm EDT. (FEMA Region VIII)

Damaging Storms Hit Texas

Thunderstorms hit parts of Texas late Friday, March 30 and early Saturday, March 31, 2007, blacking out thousands of customers and producing tornadoes.

Late Friday, March 30, 2007, tornadoes hit two communities near Waco and in Lavaca County, and straight-line wind or a tornado tore through a residential area of Wylie. A tornado hit the small town west of Waco on Friday, causing extensive damage, but no injuries were reported.

About 40 people had to be evacuated from their homes in Haltom City, just north of Fort Worth, because of flooding on Big Fossil Creek.  Some Haltom City rescuers had to be rescued themselves. Three of them were trying to reached a handicapped woman when strong current swamped their boat and they had to cling to trees, said a Deputy Chief. A backup team sent to their aid had to climb on top of cars, and finally teams from Fort Worth and Hurst came in with hovercraft and rescued the rescuers. 

One tornado struck early Saturday, March 31, 2007 in Lavaca County, which is between Houston and San Antonio, destroying a mobile home and sending its four residents to a hospital. A hospital spokeswoman said the residents were in stable condition. Other mobile homes and outbuildings in the area were damaged.

About 66,000 Centerpoint Energy customers lost power early Saturday, March 31, 2007 in the Houston area. Texas-New Mexico Power, an electricity distributor for several retailers, reported scattered outages throughout the Gulf Coast region, with the biggest briefly affecting 18,000 customers in Alvin, southeast of Houston.

The violent weather had largely eased by the afternoon and the bulk of the storms had moved into Louisiana and Arkansas.

Lancaster, in southern Dallas County, recorded 10 inches of rain over a two-to-three day period. (Media Sources)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic/Caribbean/Eastern Pacific: No significant activity to report.

Western Pacific: Tropical Storm (TS) 01W (Kong-Rey), located approximately 545 miles east-southeast of Guam, has tracked northwestward at 13 mph over the past six hours.

A typhoon watch is in effect for Guam, Rota Tinian and Saipan. A typhoon watch means typhoon conditions are possible in the watch area within 48 hours. A high surf advisory is also in effect. Surf along the north and west facing reefs will be hazardous 8 to 10 feet for the next few days.

Based on the current warning, 01W will increase to Typhoon strength and pass 37 miles north of Anderson Air Force Base on Guam at 3:00 pm EDT April 2, 2007. (NOAA, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

There were no significant earthquakes in the United States during the last 24 hours.

There was a magnitude 5.5 earthquake on March 31, 2007 at 4:53 pm EDT, 72 miles south of Isangel, Vanuatu.  There was no tsunami generated, and there were no reports of damage or injuries.

There was a magnitude 5.5 earthquake on March 31, 2007 at 9:51 pm EDT, 261 miles south-southwest of Tokyo, Japan. There was no tsunami generated, and there were no reports of damage or injuries.  (USGS, Earthquake Hazards Program, Alaska Earthquake Information Center, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Centers)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)