National Situation Update: Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).
National Weather
Midwest
A significant storm system will affect the Midwest, especially across parts of southern Minnesota and Wisconsin; six to ten inches are possible in Madison and Milwaukee, and somewhat lower amounts will fall around Minneapolis.
Rain will change to snow across parts of northern Illinois, including Chicago, and parts of northern Indiana, southern Michigan, and northern Ohio. Rain and wind will prevail across the Ohio Valley.
South
Scattered thunderstorms are expected along the I-40 corridor from western Tennessee to North Carolina.
Parts of the Deep South will see some thunderstorm activity; a few storms may become severe across parts of Alabama and Georgia.
West
A new storm system will produce rain and mountain snow for western Oregon and northern California, with showers reaching eastward through central and southeast Oregon and the northern two-thirds of Nevada.
Winds will be quite gusty across parts of Southern California, Arizona and New Mexico, especially in the higher elevations.
Northeast
From western New York to the Middle Atlantic region rain will increase during the day, changing to snow over much of upstate New York.
Significant snowfall is possible across parts of central and western New York Wednesday night, before moving into New England.
A winter storm watch is in effect across parts of Vermont, New Hampshire and the northern third of Massachusetts. Significant accumulations of heavy wet snow are expected. (NWS)
Fire Agencies Prepare for Wildfire Season in Colorado
Recent warm weather has increased the wildfire risk. And if it's a strong La Nina, the fire season could be rough for Colorado.
Forecasters and fire officials are meeting this Friday through Sunday at the annual Colorado Mitigation and Wildfire Conference in Pueblo, Colorado to discuss these issues.
Emergency managers and fire departments will determine where equipment and firefighters are in Colorado and neighboring states.
Fire agencies are also keeping an eye on the weather as they prepare for the wildfire season. Forecasters say a moderate to strong La Nina pattern could be bad news for areas where the snowpack is already disappearing.
La Nina is a cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean. It can result in drier weather in the South and central Plains. (Media sources)
Tropical Weather Outlook
No new activity (FEMA HQ)
Earthquake Activity
California: A magnitude 3.4 earthquake, depth 9.6 miles, was recorded at 9:27 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, April 10th, in the greater Los Angeles area of California; 9 miles south southwest from Thousand Oaks and 40 miles west of the Los Angeles Civic Center. No injuries or damage were reported.
Alaska: Twelve earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 through 4.5 have occurred over the last three days in Northern Alaska, approximately 40 to 70 miles southwest of Kaktovik, Alaska, and103 miles east southeast of Prudhoe Bay, the Trans-Alaska pipeline origination point.
The largest quake, magnitude 4.5, occurred Tuesday, April 10, at 12:34 a.m. EDT, at a depth of 3.1 miles. The most recent occurrence was recorded at 9:42 p.m. EDT Tuesday at magnitude 3.5 and a depth of six-tenths of a mile. No injuries or damage have been reported. (USGS; Alaska Earthquake Information Center Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks; NOAA)
Preliminary Damage Assessments
No new activity (FEMA HQ)
Wildfire Update
NEW - Darkness Fire (Florida Division of Forestry): 12,000 acres at 10 percent contained. The fire is located 17 miles west of Weston, Florida. Alligator Alley Highway was reported closed.
No Red Flag Warnings posted as of Tuesday night. Fire Weather Watches are in effect for the Tallahassee, and parts of Texas, NM, Nevada, Arizona, and California.(NIFC)
Disaster Declaration Activity
No new activity (FEMA HQ)
Last Modified: Wednesday, 11-Apr-2007 08:02:43 EDT