National Situation Update: Sunday, June 1, 2008

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

Midwest
Some strong thunderstorms may occur in parts of the Ohio Valley. In the Plains from Kansas to western South Dakota, severe thunderstorms with hail, damaging wind gusts and isolated tornadoes are forecast for later today.
Northeast
Some showers will remain from northern New York to Maine and a few thunderstorms could materialize in Virginia or West Virginia.
West
Scattered thunderstorms, some severe, could develop along the Washington and Oregon coasts.
South
Scattered thunderstorms could produce some severe weather from the Southeast Coast to Arkansas and Oklahoma today. (NWS, Media Sources)

Midwest Tornado Response Update

Nebraska
Public Assistance PDAs will begin Monday, June 2, 2008 for severe storms, flooding and tornadoes in Nebraska that occurred May 29. PDAs will be conducted in at least 28 counties including Buffalo County. Region II deployed an Emergency Response Team (ERT) to the State EOC in Lincoln, Nebraska. The State EOC remains activated at Level III, 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. CDT through the weekend. The Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) reported just over 500 customers remained without power as of this morning. Officials of NPPD were anticipating that service would be restored to residential customers by late Saturday night, although there may be small isolated outages that could remain in parts of Kearney until early next week. (Region VII)
Kansas
Saturday storms produced baseball-size hail damage in two towns in Chautauqua County. More than half the homes and vehicles in these towns reported heavy damage. The county is filing a local declaration. Kansas requested joint PDAs for approximately 30 counties for storms that occurred May 22-27, 2008. The State EOC is at regular operating hours. (Region VII)

Indiana Tornado Activity – May 30

Strong thunderstorms produced hazardous conditions throughout Indiana Friday night. A National Weather Service spokesman indicated straight-line winds of at least 100 mph, and flash flooding was reported in Lafayette, IN. No injuries or fatalities have been reported. Impact of the storm include reports of damage to over 70 homes in Hancock County and an apartment complex in Marion County was designated uninhabitable by local assessment teams, affecting about 100 people. Two shelters opened Friday night with a population of 125.

Local media sources indicate that Indianapolis Power and Light and Duke Power are reporting 2,892 customers affected late Saturday, down from the 36,000 customers without power Friday night. In western Hancock County, Duke Power is repairing major power lines that may keep about 300 out of power for a few days.

The State EOC indicates that State PDAs are ongoing. There are no unmet needs and there have been no requests for Federal assistance. (Region V, media sources)

Official Start of Atlantic Hurricane Season

Today marks the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, officially from June 1 to November 30. There is nothing magical in these dates, as evidenced by this weekend's activity; however, the designated six month season was selected to encompass over 97% of tropical activity. Once in a few years there may be a tropical cyclone occurring "out of season"- primarily in May or December.

The Northeast Pacific season is from May 15 to November 30. This basin has a broader peak of activity, with the majority of storms occurring in late August or early September. There is no official definition of typhoon season for the Western Pacific basin. The Northwest Pacific has tropical cyclones occurring all year round, with a distinct minimum in February and the first half of March, the season extending from July to November and a peak in late August or early September. www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/intro.shtml (NOAA, National Hurricane Center)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Tropical Storm Arthur; Caribbean: A Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect for the coast of Belize and for the East Coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from Cabo Catoche, Mexico, southward to the Mexico/Belize border.

At 5:00 a.m. EDT the center of Tropical Storm Arthur was located about 115 miles south-southeast of Campeche Mexico. Arthur is moving toward the west near 7 mph and this motion is expected to continue for the next day or two. On this track the center of Arthur would remain over land.

Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph with higher gusts mainly east of the center in the Gulf of Honduras. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 230 miles east of the center. Arthur is expected to weaken to a depression later today

Arthur is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 5 to 10 inches over portions of Belize, Guatemala, and southeastern Mexico with isolated amounts up to 15 inches. These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mud slides especially in mountainous terrain.

An intermediate advisory will be issued by the National Hurricane Center at 8:00 a.m. EDT followed by the next complete advisory at 11:00 a.m. EDT.

Atlantic/Caribbean:
No additional tropical cyclone formation is expected during the next 48 hours.
Eastern Pacific:
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours.
Western Pacific:
No activity affecting U.S. Territories is forecast during the next 48 hours. (NOAA, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

Missouri
A PDA for Newton County, Missouri has been requested for DR-1760-MO, to begin early next week. The JFO will coordinate. (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

National Preparedness Level: 2
National Fire Activity as of Saturday, May 31, 2008:

Initial attack activity: Light (147 new fires)
New large fires: 0
Large fires contained: 0
Uncontained large fires: 4

Weather Discussion:
Warm and dry conditions will continue across the southwest quarter of the country. Localized gusty winds are possible over the southern Sierra, southern Great Basin, northern Arizona, and western Colorado. Widespread showers will end a stretch of low relative humidity in the Northeast.

Red Flag Warnings will be in effect until Monday night for portions of extreme south central and southwest Utah; and until Sunday night for northwest Colorado. (National Interagency Fire Center, National Incident Information Center, NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center, NGB)

Disaster Declaration Activity