National Situation Update: Sunday, August 30, 2009

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

National Weather

West:
An upper low will continue moving inland over the Pacific Northwest producing scattered showers and thunderstorms over the Northern Rockies.Up slope winds will produce scattered showers and storms over parts of Colorado and New Mexico and the adjacent High Plains.Gusty winds across portions of Nevada, southern Utah, northern Arizona and the Sierra Nevada of California combined with warm temperatures and low humidity will cause the fire danger to be high. High temperatures will reach the 100s and 110s over the Desert Southwest.
Midwest:
The region will be generally dry under a cool Canadian air mass. There will be a few showers in the Great Lakes and thunderstorms in the western High Plains of Nebraska and Kansas. Lows this morning will be in the 40s and 50s. Portions of northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan will dip in the 30s and records may be set.
South:
The tail end of a front draped across the region will produce scattered showers and thunderstorms from the Texas Gulf Coast eastward to Georgia and the Carolinas. High temperatures could reach the low 100s in South Texas.
Northeast:
A low pressure system will produce morning showers over New England before moving off into the Canadian Maritimes. Lake-enhanced rain showers are likely near the eastern Great Lakes.(NOAA, National Weather Service, media sources)

Region IX, California Wildfires

Station Fire (FEMA-2830-FM-CA)
The Station Fire is located 4 miles north of La Canada in Los Angeles County, CA. The fire has burned 20,102 acres and is 5% contained. The estimated date of containment is September 8, 2009. 10,000 residences, 500 commercial buildings, and 2,000 other buildings are threatened. Mandatory evacuations are in place for approximately 757 residences and 500 homes are without power.An ARC shelter has been established at La Canada High School. The fire is threatening the Mount Wilson Communications Facilities and Observatory. Three people have been injured.

Cottonwood Fire
The Cottonwood Fire is located 4 miles east of Hemet in Riverside County, CA. The fire has consumed 2,200 acres and is 30% contained. The estimated date of containment is August 31, 2009. The fire has high growth potential. Highway 74 is closed east of Hemet, CA. Mandatory evacuations for five residences and voluntary evacuations for the vicinity of Bee Canyon have been lifted. If the fire moves east, the communities of Idyllwild and Pine Cover will be threatened, increasing the number of homes threatened by several hundred.

Gloria Fire
The Gloria Fire is a wildland fire burning northeast of Soledad in San Benito, CA. The fire has burned 6,000 acres and is 60% contained. All evacuations have been lifted on Highway 146, Bryant Canyon and Stonewall Road. 100 residences and 50 commercial buildings remain threatened. One residence and one outbuilding have been destroyed and one injury reported.(Cal Fire)

Region X, Oregon Wildfire

The Microwave Fire is located 3 miles west of Mosier, on the border of Hood River and Wasco Counties in the Columbia River Gorge area. The fire has burned 1,000 acres and is 20% contained. The estimated date of containment is September 5, 2009. Residents of the community of Mosier (450 residents) were allowed to return to their homes. Three residences and one outbuilding were destroyed.(Region X DSAR; Inciweb)

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

On August 30, 2009, an FMAG FEMA-2831-FM-UT was approved for the Mill Flat Fire near New Harmony, Washington County, Utah. The fire begain on July 25, 2009 as a result of lightning and has burned between 4,000-5,000 acres and is 0% contained. 550 residences and 58 commercial buildings are threatened. A mandatory evacuation is in effect for 150 residents.(FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic
Invest 94
A broad area of low pressure located about 1,150 miles east of the Lesser Antilles continues to produce limited shower and thunderstorm activity. Development of this system, if any, should be slow to occur as it moves west to west-northwestward at around 15 mph during the next couple of days. There is a low chance (less than 30 percent) of this system becoming a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours.

Eastern Pacific
Hurricane Jimena
At 5:00 a.m. EDT the center of Jimena was about 305 miles south of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico and about 550 miles south-southeast of the southern tip of Baja California. Jimena is moving toward the northwest near 12 mph. This general motion is forecast to continue with some decrease in forward speed during the next couple of days. On the forecast track the center of Jimena will move parallel to, but offshore of, the west coast of Mexico. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 115 mph with higher gusts. Jimena is a category three hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 24 to 48 hours and Jimena could become a category four during the next day or so. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 70 miles.

Tropical Storm Kevin
At 5:00 a.m. EDT the center of Tropical Storm Kevin was located about 995 miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Kevin is moving toward the north near 7 mph. A turn toward the north-northeast is expected later today with a turn toward the northeast on Monday. Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph with higher gusts - some additional strengthening is expected over the next couple of days. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 60 miles mainly to the south and west.

Central Pacific
No Activity.

Western Pacific
Tropical Depression 02-C
Tropical Depression 02-C has crossed the International Dateline into the Western Pacific. At 8:00 p.m. EDT Tropical depression 02-C, was located approximately 760 nm east-southeast of Wake Island and tracked westward at 13 mph over the past six hours. Due to the high vertical wind shear, the system is expected to gradually weaken then dissipate as a significant tropical cyclone within 48 hours. (NOAA, HPC, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

On August 29, 2009, between 6:11 a.m. and 1:08 p.m. EDT, a series of four earthquakes occurred approximately 200 miles west-northwest of Bandon, OR and 300 miles west-southwest of Portland, OR. The earthquakes ranged from 4.3 to 5.2 in magnitude and were at depths ranging between 6 to 27 miles. There were no reports of injuries, damage, or tsunami being generated. (USGS, Earthquake Hazards Program)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

National Preparedness Level 2
National Fire Activity as of Saturday, August 29, 2009:
Initial attack activity: Light (115 new fires)
New large fires: 4
Large fires contained: 1
Uncontained large fires: 13
States affected: CA, OR, WA, TX, MT, AZ & ID(NIFC)

Disaster Declaration Activity