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National Situation Update: Sunday, January 25, 2009

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

West:
Heavy snow will persist Sunday and Monday in the Wasatch and Uintas mountains of Utah, the Colorado Rockies, and parts of southern Wyoming, where several feet may pile up. Elsewhere, areas of rain and snow will cover much of the west with even the lower elevatons of southern Idaho possibly seeing a few inches of snow accumulation. Southern California, most of Arizona, New Mexico and the northern portions of Washington, Idaho, and Montana will remain dry. High temperatures will range from near zero in northern Montana to the upper 70s in far southeast New Mexico.
Midwest:
A stripe of accumulating snow will reach eastward from Nebraska into west-central Illinois Sunday. Several inches of additional snow are forecast in western Nebraska but Illinois will see only an inch or less of snow. A few snow showers or flurries may move as far east as Indiana and Ohio. Monday, more light snow will move eastward from the Rockies into the central Plains. Monday night and Tuesday, with the cold through modifying arctic air still in place across the Midwest, the western storm will finally be on the move eastward across the southern half of the region. A developing area of sleet and freezing rain from southern Kansas to Kentucky has the potential to turn into a dangerous ice storm. North of the icing, significant snow is possible from northern Missouri to Ohio.
Northeast:
The northeastern U.S. will enjoy dimishing winds Sunday, but temperatures will remain noticeably below seasonal means. Heavy lake-effect snows will stream off the eastern end of Lake Ontario while elsewhere,  scattered snow showers and flurries will dot northern New York state and northern New England. A few flurries may develop over western Pennsylvania late in the day. Later Tuesday and Wednesday, snow could overspread the mid-Atlantic, southern New York, and southern New England with sleet and freezing rain in southern Virginia. The storm could bring significant snow to Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. - cities that have seen ltitle snow so far this season.  (NOAA, NWS, Various Media Sources)

Texas Wildfires

Dry, windy conditions in Texas keep fires burning
High wind and dry weather Saturday allowed wildfires to continue burning across Texas, where fires have destroyed six houses, killed a man and blackened about 6,200 acres of grassland. A spokesman for the Texas Forest Service said the low humidity and extremely high wind created hazardous conditions in south-central Texas and the Hill Country.  Crews worked Saturday to contain a 1,700-acre fire in Jack County. Two buildings were lost in the blaze, which was about 70 percent contained by Saturday evening.

A blaze that charred 1,000 acres in Montague County just south of the Oklahoma-Texas state line was in cleanup stages Saturday, a sheriff's department spokesperson said. No structures were threatened by that fire on Friday and no evacuations were ordered, said a spokesperson for the Montague County Sheriff's Department. No injuries were reported.

Two other fires Friday charred more than 3,500 acres of grass in West Texas, burning at least 6 homes, five hunting cabins, 22 outbuildings and 10 vehicles. One of them, a 2,500-acre fire that destroyed six homes in Jones County, about 25 miles northwest of Abilene, was no longer active Saturday, the spokesperson said. However, firefighters had made little progress containing the second fire, which had covered more than 1,000 acres and destroyed two outbuildings near Albany.

In central Texas, a 53-year-old man died Friday in a small grass fire near several homeless camps on the outskirts of Austin. The victim suffered third-degree burns over 90 percent of his body.(Various Media Sources)

Suspected Avian Flu – British Columbia, Canada

H5 avian flu virus confirmed on B.C. farm, Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) calls it 'low pathogenic' strain
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed the presence of an H5 avian influenza virus on a commercial turkey farm in Abbotsford, in British Columbia's Fraser Valley. The agency said tests to date indicate that the strain involved in this case is "low pathogenic" and indicated that all birds on the premises will be euthanized and disposed of safely. The agency is also restricting the movement of poultry and poultry products within three kilometers of the infected premises. "To limit potential virus spread the CFIA has applied restrictions on movement of poultry and poultry products within three kilometers of the infected premises", a disease control specialist with the agency at a news conference in Abbotsford indicated.

Avian influenza rarely affects humans, unless they have had close contact with infected birds. Further testing is underway to confirm pathogenicity and to determine the precise subtype and strain of the virus. Once all birds have been removed, the agency will oversee the cleaning and disinfection of the area to eliminate any infectious material that may remain. The testing was done after turkeys on a 50,000-bird farm showed signs of respiratory distress. Low path viruses, as they are called, typically only lead to a drop in egg production. But high path viruses are dreaded in poultry operations because they can wipe out whole flocks. And the birds that don't die must be culled to extinguish the outbreak.
In 2004, 17 million birds died or were destroyed in an outbreak caused by a high path H7N3 virus in the Fraser Valley.

The presence of H5 virus does not mean there is an outbreak of the H5N1 virus that has killed nearly 250 people in parts of Asia, Africa and Europe. There are multiple subtypes of H5 avian flu. In fact, the Fraser Valley experienced an H5N2 outbreak in November 2005.

The quarantine zone is approximately 600 yards north of the U.S. border and five miles north of  Lynden, Washington. The closest U.S. city is Sumas, Washington (population 1,204) which borders Abbotsford, B.C.. (Region X, Various News Sources)

Fire Management Assistance Grant

No activity. (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Western Pacific:
There are no current tropical cyclone warnings. (NOAA, HPC, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

On January 24, 2009, at 1:09 p.m. EST a 5.7 magnitude earthquake occurred 32 miles from Nanwalek, Alaska, at a depth of 62 miles. No reports of injury or damage and no tsunami was generated . (USGS, Earthquake Hazards Program)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Last Modified: Thursday, 04-Jun-2009 16:27:53 EDT