THE EMN DAILY NEWS | Monday, 21 September 2026

THE EMN DAILY NEWS | Monday, 21 September 2026

Tropical Storm Fay peaked at 70 miles per hour overnight, just short of hurricane strength, and is now weakening about 405 miles southwest of the Azores with no hazards to land. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center gives the remnants of Tropical Depression Fifteen-E a 60 percent chance of becoming a depression within seven days, possibly south or southeast of Hawaii later this week. National Preparedness Level 3 holds with 96 incidents and 10,886 personnel, down 437 in a day, and uncontained large fires fell from 46 to 34. The Southern Area carries more incidents than any other region, 36, as hot and dry conditions persist across the Lower Mississippi Valley. Boil water advisories are in effect in three states, including all of Monroe County, Indiana, and most of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The EMN NEWS Daily Brief is your concise daily update on national and state-by-state emergency management news.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Hawai’i watch: As of Sunday’s outlook, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center puts formation chances for the remnants of Tropical Depression Fifteen-E near zero through 48 hours and at 60 percent over seven days as the system moves west to west-southwest. A depression could form south or southeast of the Hawaiian Islands once conditions improve. No watches are posted, keeping the first half of the week as the preparation window.

Atlantic: Fay reached 70 miles per hour at the 0300 UTC advisory, then weakened to 65 miles per hour and 997 millibars by 0900 UTC, drifting south-southeast at 2 miles per hour. The National Hurricane Center expects Fay to become post-tropical in a day or two and to dissipate by Saturday. No hazards affect land.

Wildfire posture: Preparedness Level 3 holds with 96 incidents, 34 uncontained large fires, 1,999,381 acres and 10,886 personnel, a drop of 437, per the Sunday situation report. Initial attack was light, with 60 fires and no new large incidents, and eight complex incident management teams remain committed. Year to date, the country is at 56,525 fires and 8,541,715 acres, 125 percent and 146 percent of the ten-year averages.

Southern Area: Thirty-six incidents and 1,038 personnel, down 157, after 26 new fires. Dry River near Sonora, Texas, is 8,939 acres and 85 percent contained, with energy infrastructure threatened. Gracemont near Binger, Oklahoma, has destroyed 31 structures on 2,665 acres and is 60 percent contained. Relative humidity of 20 to 30 percent persists across the