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National Situation Update: Saturday, October 4, 2008

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

West:
The storm system producing precipitation across Washington, Oregon and northern California will push southward as far as Los Angeles and eastward across the Great Basin and into the northern and central Rockies.  By tonight, snow levels will range from 5500 feet in the Washington Cascades to 7000 feet in the southern Sierra and will be lowering to 6000 feet in the Great Basin.  Some higher elevations will see 2 to 4 inches of rain with locally higher amounts.  Snowfall in the highest elevations of the Cascades and Sierra could top 1 foot. The next front moving into the Pacific Northwest, by late Monday, could lower snow the snow level to 5000 feet

Midwest:
A dry stationary front over the region will keep the region precipitation free for most of the day.  However, precipitation will spread southeastward out of the Dakotas into northern Illinois tonight.  A tight pressure gradient will bring strong southerly winds to the western Plains.  Morning lows will be in the upper 20s and low 30s across northern Minnesota and in the lower 30s across much of Wisconsin and Michigan. Frost and freeze warnings extend from central Minnesota to northern Ohio.  Tomorrow, rain will slide eastward from the Dakotas to the Great Lakes north of a developing warm front. The central Plains will see an increase in thunderstorm activity.

Northeast:
Circulation on the backside of the low off Newfoundland will produce just a few showers along the border.  The remainder of the region will have nice fall weather.  Morning lows will range from the 30s and lower 40s over the interior Northeast to the upper 50s in Tidewater Virginia.  Some frost is possible in Upstate New York and interior New England.

South:
Under a ridge of high pressure, most of the region will have clear skies. Showers and thunderstorms are forecast over southern Florida and isolated thunderstorms are possible in the Ozarks.  Tomorrow, thunderstorms are forecast across western Texas and the Oklahoma Panhandle. (NOAA, National Weather Service, Various Media Sources)

Federal / State Response for Hurricane Ike

FEMA Region VI

  • As of 03 Oct 08, it is estimated that approximately 48.2 percent of the oil production in the Gulf is shut-in, 626,045 BPD (NICC)
  • As of 03 Oct 08, it is estimated that approximately 44.6 percent of the natural gas production is shut-in, 3,303 (NICC)
  • USACE teams completed all field work and are demobilizing  (Austin JFO)

Louisiana

  • GOSHEP activated at Level III (Emergency Operations)
  • 5 fatalities; no injuries
  • 4 shelters; population 166 (NSS)
  • 11 DRCs and 8 MDRCs located throughout affected areas

Texas

  • SEOC activated at Level I, 24/7
  • 47 fatalities; no injuries
  • 13 Shelters; population of 1,981 (NSS)
  • 2,500 customers remain without power (DOE  as of 6:00 p.m. EDT Oct 3)
  • 3 state-run PODS remain open; FEMA continues to supply product to State run Resource Staging Areas (RSAs)
  • 15 DRCs and 24 MDRCs (includes 3 MRICs), located throughout affected areas (FEMA DAD)
  • Preliminary Damage Assessments completed in 14 counties and scheduled/continuing in 12 counties (Austin JFO)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic/Caribbean:
A broad area of low pressure over the northwestern Caribbean Sea is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms between Honduras and western Cuba. Surface pressures are not falling and additional development is not anticipated as the system drifts westward during the next couple of days.
Showers and thunderstorms over the Windward Islands and adjacent Atlantic are associated with a westward moving tropical wave interacting with an upper-level low. This activity is expected to move westward with no development.

Eastern Pacific:
Hurricane Marie
At 5:00 am EDT, the center of Hurricane Marie was located about 840 miles west-southwest of the southern  tip of Baja California.  Marie is drifting to the north for the past several hours but is expected to resume a slow west-northwestward motion over the next couple of days.  Maximum sustained winds are near 80 mph with higher gusts.  Little change is expected during the next 24 hours.  Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 35 miles from the center.

Tropical Depression Fifteen-E
The fifteenth tropical depression of the season develops south of the Pacific coast of Mexico.
At 5:00 am EDT, the center of Tropical Depression
Fifteen-E was located about 240 miles south-southeast   of Acapulco, Mexico.  The depression is nearly stationary.  A gradual turn toward the northwest and west-northwest is expected today and Sunday.  On the forecasted track, the center of the depression should remain well south of Mexico and move parallel to the coastline.  Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph with higher gusts.  Some strengthening is forecast   during the next 24 hours and the depression could become a tropical storm later today.

Western Pacific:
No tropical cyclone activity affecting United States Territories. (NOAA, HPC,  National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

  • National Fire Activity as of Friday, October 03, 2008:
  • National Wildfire Preparedness Level: 2
  • Initial attack activity: Light (67)
  • New large fires: 2
  • Uncontained large fires: 6
  • Large fires contained: 1
  • States with large fires: AZ (1), CA (2), ID (1) and OR (3)  (NIFC)

Disaster Declaration Activity

On October 3, 2008 the President signed FEMA-1799-DR for the State of New Hampshire for Severe Storms and Flooding occurring September 6 - 7, 2008, specifically for Public Assistance for Hillsborough County and Hazard Mitigation statewide.

On October 3, 2008 the President signed FEMA-1800-DR for the State of Illinois for Severe Storms and Flooding occurring September 13, 2008 and continuing, specifically for Individual Assistance for Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kan, LaSalle and Will Counties and Hazard Mitigation statewide.

FEMA-1791-DR-TX was amended effective October 3, 2008, closing the incident period for this disaster effective October 2, 2008.

FEMA-1794-DR-MS was amended effective October 2, 2008, adding Adams and Wilkinson Counties for Individual Assistance (already designated for Public Assistance).

FEMA-1795-DR-IN was amended effective October 3, 2008, adding Clark, Crawford, Dearborn, Jackson, Knox, Lawrence, Martin, Pike, Spencer and Switzerland Counties for Individual Assistance. (FEMA HQ)

Last Modified: Thursday, 04-Jun-2009 16:32:34 EDT