(Advisory Center Logo) Advisory Center Status BETA

There are no serious national events at this time.

The United States faces escalating near-term geopolitical risks centered on imminent US-Iran military confrontation and critical Strait of Hormuz tensions, concurrent with significant domestic severe weather threats including wildfires, flash flooding, and widespread air quality degradation. Financial markets are experiencing heightened volatility reflecting global uncertainty, while major power competition between the US, Russia, and China continues to intensify across multiple strategic domains.

LAST UPDATED 07-17-2026 @ 04:31PM (CDT)

World Clock

At time of update

Washington, D.C.

05:31PM

Los Angeles

02:31PM

London

10:31PM

Moscow

12:31AM

Beijing

05:31AM

Urgent

The most severe events and alerts

extr Afghanistan: Level 4: Do Not Travel

Effective 5 years ago ---

extr Volatility Index is up 12.19367%, currently at 18.77

Effective 22 min ago ---

warn Severe Thunderstorm Warning

Effective 7 min ago Lincoln, MT (Lewis and Clark County) US

warn Severe Thunderstorm Warning

Effective 7 min ago Trenton, FL (Gilchrist County) US

warn Severe Thunderstorm Warning

Effective 40 min ago Lincoln, MT (Lewis and Clark County) US

Alerts

The most recent alerts

advi Special Weather Statement

Elizabeth, WV
Effective 5 min ago Expires in 29 min

warn Special Marine Warning

Washburn, WI
Effective 5 min ago Expires in 29 min

advi Test Message

Gaithersburg, MD
Effective 5 min ago Expires in 5 min

advi Special Weather Statement

Monticello, GA
Effective 6 min ago Expires in 29 min

warn Special Marine Warning

Cape Canaveral, FL
Effective 7 min ago Expires in 59 min

Events

The most recent events

Financial

The latest global financial data
Cardano (ADA)
0.1659
3.30%
Coinbase
Bitcoin (BTC)
64134.62
0.57%
Coinbase
Dogecoin (DOGE)
0.07277
0.61%
Coinbase
Ethereum (ETH)
1843.93
-1.03%
Coinbase
Solana (SOL)
75.13
-0.17%
Coinbase
DOW
52146.42
-0.77%
Yahoo Finance
FTSE 100
10600.37
0.27%
Yahoo Finance
DAX
24830.98
-0.34%
Yahoo Finance
S&P 500
7457.69
-1.01%
Yahoo Finance
Nikkei
64141.12
-4.03%
Yahoo Finance
Volatility Index
18.77
12.19%
Yahoo Finance
Crude Oil
81.79
4.48%
Yahoo Finance
Gold
4021.3
0.73%
Yahoo Finance
DOW Futures
52378
-0.77%
Yahoo Finance
U.S. Regular Gasoline Prices - National
3.855
2.07%
US EIA
U.S. Regular Gasoline Prices - East Coast
3.765
1.76%
US EIA
U.S. Regular Gasoline Prices - New England
3.851
1.18%
US EIA
U.S. Regular Gasoline Prices - Central Atlantic
3.925
1.32%
US EIA
U.S. Regular Gasoline Prices - Lower Atlantic
3.642
2.25%
US EIA
U.S. Regular Gasoline Prices - Midwest
3.662
3.71%
US EIA
U.S. Regular Gasoline Prices - Gulf Coast
3.423
2.39%
US EIA
U.S. Regular Gasoline Prices - Rocky Mountain
3.823
4.43%
US EIA
U.S. Regular Gasoline Prices - West Coast
4.832
0.02%
US EIA
Financial markets show mixed performance with notable volatility indicators elevated. The Volatility Index (VIX) has increased 8.3 percent to 18.12, suggesting higher market uncertainty. Asian markets experienced significant declines, with the Nikkei down 4.03 percent. U.S. equity indices show modest downward pressure, including the S&P 500 down 0.87 percent and the DOW down 0.58 percent. Energy commodities and transportation fuels are experiencing notable increases, with crude oil up 4.46 percent and U.S. regular gasoline prices rising 2.1 to 4.4 percent across all regions. Gold maintains slight gains at 0.56 percent, while cryptocurrency markets show mixed activity with Bitcoin up 0.26 percent but Ethereum down 1.26 percent.

Data

The latest global data
Togo
Level 2
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Singapore
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Eswatini
Level 2
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Afghanistan
Level 4
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
The Kyrgyz Republic
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Bhutan
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Spain
Level 2
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Cuba
Level 2
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Australia
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Georgia
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Cameroon
Level 2
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Nicaragua
Level 3
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Moldova
Level 2
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Latvia
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Paraguay
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Geomagnetic Storm
none
NOAA SWPC
Radio Blackout
none
NOAA SWPC
Solar Radiation
none
NOAA SWPC
Current DEFCON Level
DEFCON 5 - GREEN
DEFCON Warning System
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Level 4
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Argentina
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Saint Lucia
Level 2
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Eswatini
Level 2
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Haiti
Level 4
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Malta
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Niger
Level 4
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
French Guiana
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Malaysia
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Federated States of Micronesia
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Federated States of Micronesia
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Montserrat
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Thailand
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Samoa
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Ghana
Level 2
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Indonesia
Level 2
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Turks and Caicos Islands
Level 2
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Gabon
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Norway
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Pakistan
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Malawi
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Burkina Faso
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Kuwait
Level 3
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Oman
Level 3
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Venezuela
Level 3
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Russia
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
El Salvador
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
El Salvador
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Vietnam
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Vietnam
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Jamaica
Level 2
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Jamaica
Level 2
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Slovakia
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Chad
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Bangladesh
Level 1
US Dept. of State - Travel Advisories
Two countries maintain Level 4 Do Not Travel designations: Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nicaragua has been raised to Level 3 Reconsider Travel status. Multiple nations including Spain, Cuba, Cameroon, Moldova, Eswatini, and Togo remain at Level 2 Exercise Increased Caution. Numerous countries including Singapore, Australia, Georgia, Latvia, Paraguay, Kyrgyzstan, and Bhutan are maintained at Level 1 Exercise Normal Precautions. Space weather monitoring shows no active geomagnetic storms, radio blackouts, or elevated solar radiation at this time.

Headlines

The latest headlines of interest
Multiple active conflicts and natural disasters are creating significant global instability, with critical developments in Iran-US tensions, Ukrainian political turmoil amid ongoing war, and major seismic activity affecting North America.

Snapshots

The latest website snapshots