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National Situation Update: Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant Weather

West:
A frontal system will produce widespread afternoon precipitation over the northern Rockies. A weak southwest monsoon and associated tropical moisture will produce scattered thunderstorms in Arizona, and New Mexico during the afternoon and evening hours through Wednesday. Gusty winds from thunderstorms may produce isolated dust storms in the lower elevations of the Desert Southwest. Highs will range between 95 and 110 degrees in the deserts and in the central valley of California.

Midwest:
A large low pressure system stalled over the Great Lakes will produce widespread precipitation around the Great Lakes and south to Tennessee. Expect rain, rainshowers and scattered thunderstorms, mainly during the afternoon hours, across the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. The rest of the Midwest will be mainly dry, except for a few afternoon and evening thunderstorms over the northern plains

South:
A front has dropped south across the Gulf Coast (usual for this time of year) and will result in drier and somewhat cooler air across much of the region. Expect afternoon showers and thunderstorms along the frontal system from Texas to Florida. High temperatures are expected to range from the upper 70s and lower 80s over the mountains to the middle and upper 90s over the southern Plains, southern Texas and interior sections of the Gulf coast states.

Northeast:
The low over the Great Lakes and an occluded front over New England will result in cool and rainy conditions for much of the region.  The front will produce thunderstorms in New England. (NOAA, National Weather Service, Various Media Sources)

Tropical Weather

Atlantic
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours.
Eastern Pacific
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours.
Western Pacific 
No significant activity affecting U.S. interest or territories.  (NOAA, HPC, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

New NOAA Satellite Reaches Orbit

NOAA and NASA officials announced a new Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES), GOES-14, launched June 27, 2009 successfully reached orbit, joining three other GOES spacecraft.
GOES-14 is the second spacecraft in the GOES-N/O/P series and features significant improvements in the instruments that capture high-resolution pictures of weather patterns and atmospheric measurements. GOES-14 also provides expanded measurements for space and solar environment monitoring, including the Solar X-Ray Imager (SXI). The SXI is improving forecasts and warnings for solar disturbances, protecting billions of dollars of commercial and government assets in space and on the ground and lessening the effect of power surges for the satellite-based electronics and communications industry.
NOAA has two operational GOES satellites hovering 22,300 miles above the equator - GOES-12, in the east, and GOES-11, in the west - each provide continuous observations of environmental conditions of North, Central and South America and surrounding oceans. While these two are operational, another GOES satellite, GOES-13, is in orbital storage and can be activated if one of the other satellites experiences trouble. These satellites supply the data critical for fast, accurate weather forecasts and warnings, detecting solar storm activity and relaying distress signals from emergency beacons.
The satellite will undergo a series of tests for approximately six months before completing its "check-out" phase. After check out, GOES-14 will be placed into orbital storage mode. (Excerpt from http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/20090626_goes14.html)

Tropical Weather Outlook

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

National Preparedness Level:  1
National Fire Activity as of Monday, June 29, 2009:

• Initial attack activity:  Light (100 new fires)
• New large fires:  3
• Large fires contained:  0
• Uncontained large fires:  2
• States affected:  CA & TX  (National Interagency Fire Center, National Incident Information Center, NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)