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National Situation Update: Monday, June 26, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

National Weather

Northeast:  Rain will continue over most of the Northeast as a vigorous flow of moisture funnels in from the Atlantic. The heaviest potentially-flooding rain, accompanied by occasional thunder, is expected over interior sections where a slow-moving warm front will help focus the action. Locations along the coast from Boston to Dover, De., may get a break with little if any rain likely.

West:  Outside of isolated afternoon and evening thunderstorms in the high terrain of the West -- mainly in New Mexico and southern Colorado -- "hot" will be the watchword for the weather, west of the Rockies. The Pacific Northwest, in particular, is likely to be affected by record or near-record heat with the mercury soaring to over 90 in Seattle and to 100 or more in Portland. High temperatures overall will range from the 60s in the higher Rockies to the over 110 in southeast California and southwest Arizona. Triple-digit heat will bake the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys.

South:  Flooding and thunderstorms will continue in the Southeast (Alabama excepted) today with plentiful amounts of rainfall likely in some locations. Atlantic moisture being swept inland by a disturbance that has swirled from the Bahamas into Florida and Georgia plus a stalled front over the Appalachians will bring additional rain. High temperatures are expected to range from the upper 60s in the highest Appalachians to over 100 in the lower Rio Grande Valley.

Midwest:  Scattered showers and thunderstorms will occur in the northern Plains and Midwest as an upper-level, low-pressure system stalls over the region. The heaviest downpours are expected to be in the extreme eastern portions of Ohio and Kentucky where a front will push into the area from the east.   (NWS, Media Sources)

Severe Weather Warning for DC Area

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch until 7:00 AM EDT Monday, June 25, 2006 for the following location in the DC area.

Portions of central Maryland, north central Maryland, Northern Maryland, western Maryland north central Maryland, the District of Columbia, central Virginia, northern Virginia, northwest Virginia, western Virginia and northeast West Virginia including the following areas:

In north central Maryland; Anne Arundel, Howard, Montgomery and Prince Georges Carroll and Frederick

In northern Maryland; Harford, northern Baltimore, and southern Baltimore

In western Maryland; Allegany

In north central Maryland; Columbia

 In central Virginia; Albemarle Greene, Nelson and Orange

In northern Virginia; Arlington, Falls Church, Alexandria, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun and Prince William, Manassas, Manassas Park

In northwest Virginia; Clarke, Frederick, Madison, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah and Warren

In western Virginia; Augusta Highland, and Rockingham

In northeast West Virginia; Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral, Morgan, and Pendleton.

Tropical moisture feeding into a stationary front just west of the Appalachian Mountains will continue to be the focus for showers and thunderstorms. The area overnight most prone to flash flooding will be east of the Blue Ridge, especially along and east of I-95. Additional rainfall of 2 to 4 inches can expected on top of the rain that has already been received. Further west another inch of rain can be expected adding to ongoing flooding problems.  (National Weather Service)

DC Area Emergency Operation Center Activations

Due to the severe storms and heavy rain in the area, the following Emergency Operations Centers are activated:

District of Columbia, State of Maryland (Level 1), Arlington County, Virginia.  (WAWAS, FEMA HQ)

Rain Sparks Evacuations On East Coast

Heavy rains caused serious flooding yesterday in Pennsylvania, Delaware and along Maryland's Eastern Shore, washing out roads and forcing some residents to evacuate their homes. No deaths or injuries were reported.

In Maryland, 4 to 5 feet of water was reported in parts of northern Dorchester and southern Caroline County, state Emergency Management Agency spokesman Jeff Welsh said. At least 20 roads in Dorchester County were closed, and a large section of Route 307 was washed out down to the gravel, said 1st Sgt. Russell Newell, spokesman for Maryland State Police.

Low-laying areas of Federalsburg, a southern Caroline County town of about 2,600 people, were flooded Sunday morning and about 45 people voluntarily evacuated, police chief Donald Nagel said. A state of emergency was declared in the city.

In the southwest Delaware town of Seaford, cars were floating in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Up to 15 people were evacuated from their homes, city spokeswoman Amy Walls said.

In western Pennsylvania, flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall prompted a state of emergency in parts of Armstrong County.

The basements of 100 to 200 homes in Ford City and nearby areas were flooded and some residents had to be evacuated, said Randy Brozenick, director of the county's public safety department.  (Media Sources)

Elburz Fire, Nevada

The Elburz Fire has consumed 200 plus acres in Elko County, 15 miles east of the city of Elko, Nevada.  Thirty to fifty homes in the community of Elburz are threatened.  One home was ordered to evacuate and other homeowners volunteered to evacuate.  Damage to power lines has caused some power outages in the community.  The fire was caused by lightning strikes. FEMA Region IX will continue to monitor wildfire activity.   (FEMA Region IX)

Northern N.M. Wildfire Forces Evacuations

A nearly 2,300-acre wildfire forced residents of three small communities to flee their northern New Mexico homes on Sunday.  The 120 mostly year-round residences in Gallina Plaza, Bear Paw Estates and Albers Valley were told to leave, and a 10-mile stretch of state Highway 96 from Regina to Gallina was closed.

Aircraft dropped water and retardant on the blaze, while bulldozers and hand crews dug lines to stop the flames, said Lawrence Lujan, a fire information officer.  Fire crews plan to use infrared mapping Sunday evening to get a better estimate on the fire's acreage.
No structures have been lost to the fire, which was zero percent contained Sunday. The cause of the fire, which started Saturday, was under investigation.

In southern New Mexico, a fire burning in the Gila National Forest was held back as thunderstorms brought rain and cooler temperatures to the area. The blaze has charred 47,196 acres of dense stands of ponderosa pine and spruce fir.  The fire, detected June 19, destroyed one cabin and forced evacuations from the area, although authorities have not said how many people were evacuated.  About 80 structures are threatened, including a remote station at the Negrito Forest Service Work Center, said Roland Giller, a fire information officer for the Gila National Forest.  Investigators determined a campfire ignited the fire and forest officials have offered a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible.

In southern Colorado, all evacuation orders were lifted Sunday for homes near a 13,780-acre wildfire as firefighters got help from cooler, more humid weather.  Residents of about 50 homes in the area were allowed back into the area in the afternoon. At one point, about 300 homes had been asked to evacuate after the fire started June 18. Fire officials warned that residents could be asked to evacuate again if the weather and fire activity shift.

In northern Arizona, a 4,200-acre wildfire that threatened hundreds of homes was 35 percent contained, fire officials said.  Though an evacuation order was lifted for some residents of scenic Oak Creek Canyon on Saturday, the blaze still threatens homes in the canyon's southern end, where crews focused on finishing a protection line.

Overnight efforts to widen the lines protecting the homes went as planned, said David Eaker, a spokesman for the team fighting the fire.  Authorities said it would be about two days before the remaining evacuees could return home. Officials hope to have full containment by Wednesday, barring any weather disturbances that could push the flames.
"In my mind, we have crossed the threshold where we are on the offense, chasing it down," Mike Dondero, deputy incident commander for the fire, said late Saturday. "And we are gaining on it real fast."

The fire started June 18 north of Sedona as a transient's campfire and spread to steep terrain above the canyon. No homes have burned. 

North of Sedona, officials reopened two roads leading to the Grand Canyon National Park that were closed because of a 17,589-acre wildfire.   (Media Sources)

Tropical Activity

Atlantic:  A broad area of low pressure covers the area from the Straits of Florida to South Georgia with a 1010 mb low centered near Cocoa, Florida.  The environment is expected to become marginally favorable for further development over the next day or so. Even if a tropical system does not develop, it is expected to bring heavy showers and scattered thunderstorms to the Florida Peninsula and the coastal areas through North Carolina.

Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean Sea:  No tropical storm activity.

Eastern Pacific: No tropical storm activity, although there are several tropical waves which have some enhanced convection and cyclonic turning observed.  These waves will bear watching over the next few days.

Western Pacific: Although there is a strong chance of a Tropical Cyclone forming, its position poses no threat to U.S. interests. (USDOC/NOAA/NWS, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

There was a moderate (5.2 magnitude) earthquake at 9:59 pm EDT 112 miles south-southeast of Adak, Alaska.  There were no reports of damage and there was no tsumani generated as a result.  (United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program, NWS, West Coast-Alaska Tsunami Warning Center)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

Current Situation:  Wildland fire activity was light with 85 new fires reported throughout the United States. Six new large fire was reported, two in Nevada, and one each in California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, California, Montana, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas and Wyoming.

Weather Discussion: A large high pressure ridge will bring continued high temperatures with much above normal temperatures to much of the West. Moisture in the West will increase from the south and east today with thunderstorm activity spreading in coverage. In Alaska, a warming and drying trend is expected.

Arizona
Brins (Coconino National Forest): 4,222 acres at 20 percent contained. This fire is two miles northeast of Sedona in timber. Numerous residences, structures, commercial resources, endangered species, the Oak Creek watershed and Scenic Highway remain threatened. Evacuation orders for 75 homes were lifted and the northern portion of highway 89A was reopened to residents. Backing, short range spotting, single tree torching and short runs were observed. Burn out operations are planned.

Colorado
NEW Coolbroth (Rio Grande National Forest): 195 acres at 30 percent contained. This fire is 13 miles north of Del Norte in timber and grass. Numerous structures are threatened and an evacuation order is in place. Significant amounts of insect and disease killed trees are contributing to rapid rates of spread.

Nevada
NEW Olinghouse (Western Region, Nevada Division of Forestry): 3.000 acres at 60 percent contained. This fire is 20 miles east of Reno in grass and sagebrush. Isolated structures and secondary powerlines are threatened. High temperatures and low relative humidity contributed to active fire behavior. Short fire runs were reported in the flashy fuels.

New Mexico
NEW Bear Paw (Santa Fe National Forest): 700 acres at five percent contained. This fire started on state land two and a half miles northeast of Regina in ponderosa pine and litter. Voluntary evacuations for Bear Paw and Cuba, NM are in effect. Numerous residences, 345 kilovolt powerlines and the community of Bear Paw are threatened. Extreme fire behavior with group torching, short crown runs and spotting up to a half mile was reported.   (National Interagency Fire Center)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)