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National Situation Update: Monday, August 24, 2009

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

National Weather

Northeast:  An upper trough that helped keep Hurricane Bill off the East Coast will linger in the Northeast today.  Isolated or widely-scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible from New England to Virginia.

West:  Upper-level impulses will move through the West today and tomorrow resulting in scattered showers and thunderstorms.  Today much of the activity is expected from Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming to the Four Corners' States.

Many of the same areas will see the threat of scattered storms tomorrow, from Wyoming, Utah and Colorado southward to Arizona and New Mexico.

South:  Drier air has infiltrated much of the Southeast allowing temperatures to dip below average this morning from the lower-Mississippi Valley to much of Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle. By this afternoon, highs will generally be in the 80s.

To the west, high-pressure aloft will heat up much of Texas and Oklahoma above average. Precipitation will be fairly limited across the region.  Some showers or storms could flare from the Southern Appalachians to eastern North Carolina with an upper trough and scattered thunderstorms will also develop over the Florida Peninsula.

Midwest:  Widely-scattered thunderstorms, a few severe, will develop with a cold front today into tonight from Minnesota westward and southwestward to the Dakotas and Nebraska.  The front will head south and eastward tomorrow into Wednesday spreading scattered storms across the Midwest.  Ahead of the boundary, gusty south winds of 15 to 30 mph are expected today from eastern Kansas, eastern Nebraska and western Iowa to Minnesota and the eastern Dakotas.   (NOAA, National Weather Service, media sources)

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

No activity. (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic
Area 1
Area of low pressure associated with a tropical wave interacting with an upper-level low about 600 miles east of the Leeward Islands.
Any development of this system will be slow to occur over the next couple of days as it moves toward the west-northwest at 20 to 25 mph.
There is a less than 30 percent chance of this system becoming a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours.

Eastern Pacific
Area 1
The broad area of low pressure located about 700 miles west of Manzanillo, Mexico has changed little in organization this evening. 
Upper level conditions are expected to become more favorable for this system to develop into a tropical depression during the next day or two as it moves west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph. 
There is a greater than 50% chance of this system becoming a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours.

Central Pacific
Tropical Storm Hilda
As of 5:00 a.m. EDT, August 24, 2009, the center of Tropical Storm Hilda was located 815 miles east-southeast of Hilo, HI.
Hilda is moving west near 12 mph and this motion is expected continue for the next 48 hours.
Maximum sustained winds are 65 mph with higher gusts.
Slow intensification is expected during the next two days.
Tropical Storm force winds extend outward up to 80 miles

Area 1
An area of disorganized thunderstorms associated with an east to west oriented surface trough continued about 520 miles south of South Point on the Big Island of Hawaii. Development, if any, of this system will be slow to occur during the next couple of days.
There is a less than 30% chance of this system becoming a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours

Western Pacific  
No activity affecting US 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 Preparedness Level 2
National Fire Activity as of Saturday, August 23, 2009:
Initial attack activity: Light (74 new fires)
New large fires:  4
Large fires contained:  3
Uncontained large fires:  11
States affected:  AK, AZ, CA, NV, TX & WA (NIFC)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Last Modified: Monday, 24-Aug-2009 08:05:03 EDT