Key Facts Of The Day 1/25

Storms and Flooding

• In Miami, Florida as the temperature dipped below 50 degrees iguanas go into a dormant or cold-stunned state and fall out of trees.

• Despite California having a mostly dry January, snow depth and snow water content is still running above average for this time of year.

  • Currently, the Northern Sierra is at about 113% of what is considered the normal amount of snow for this time of year. Central Sierra snow is at about 109%.

• The Denver, Colorado metro area could see 3-6 inches of snow with the incoming storm.

  • A Winter Weather Advisory and Winter Storm Watch will cover much of the Front Range and eastern plains starting Monday evening.

  • The snow will begin Monday evening and last through the Tuesday morning commute.

  • Drivers should expect slick, slow and hazardous travel on snow-covered roads Tuesday morning.

• This week, another winter storm is streaking across the northern Plains and the Midwest, dropping a few inches of snow.

  • Snowplow drivers work 12-hour shifts and run 80,000-pound trucks that simultaneously plow the streets and lay down salt and chemicals to keep the roads from becoming an icy mess.

  • Lows in some areas Tuesday night could drop to 30 degrees below zero, and over the next few days, the wind chill across this region will feel even colder than the forecast temperature.

• A powerful winter storm or nor’easter will form off the Mid-Atlantic late this week and charge up the East Coast over the weekend.

  • The storm has the potential to produce very heavy snow and strong winds, especially for areas north of Maryland into New England.

  • Forecasters continue to closely watch the potential development of a major winter storm that could bring a “significant” amount of snow and wintry mix to New Jersey starting Friday night into Saturday.

Wildfires

• As of Friday, there are currently 5 large active wildfires that have burned 2,382 acres across AK, FL, LA, OK, and TX. As of Friday, 929 wildfires have burned 20,686 acres across the country.

• As of Tuesday, the Colorado Fire in California has burned 700 acres and is 45% contained.

  • As of Monday, the fire has destroyed one structure, a yurt. More than 200 structures remain threatened.

  • There are eight firefighting crews, three helicopters, 22 engines, one bulldozer and nine water tenders assigned to the blaze.

  • An evacuation order remains in place for portions of the mountainous Big Sur region of Monterey County, California.

  • The American Red Cross opened a shelter in Carmel Middle School late Friday evening for residents who received mandatory evacuation orders as the fire spread dangerously close to the community.

  • The Monterey County Health Department issued a boil water notice for those in the Colorado Fire area due to potential damage to the water system infrastructure and loss of pressure from power outages until further notice.

• The Biden administration announced this week a $50 billion plan to more than double the use of controlled burns and logging to thin out vegetation that has fueled the growing number of catastrophic wildfires, primarily in the West.

  • The aggressive plan that would address some 50 million acres also calls for working with private landowners and Native American tribes both in the highest-risk areas and other vulnerable zones.

  • The primary ignition source of wildfires come from the growing population in the West.

• Worsening wildfires spark changes to Alaska’s forestry division.

  • With the frequency and severity of wildland fires only expected to increase, officials say the division needs to further build up its capacity to prepare for conditions ahead.

  • Now, over 90% of the division’s budget goes toward fighting fires.

  • A fire ecologist in Alaska said an increase in wildfires in Alaska is related to more lightning and drier conditions that make fuel out of vegetation like moss.

  • Fire seasons are also becoming longer, complicating existing agreements between crews in Alaska and the Lower 48. Now that those seasons overlap, it’s harder for states to send crews elsewhere during their off-seasons.

• The destruction from the Paradise, Kansas wildfires kept a 70 year old rancher from retirement.

  • Without time to cut the fence and let cattle free to run from the fires, more than 260 cows expecting to calve burned on his ranch that day.

  • After losing everything, he’s working to get back what took generations to build.

Extreme Heat

• Missouri recorded their hottest December with an average temperature of 44.6 degrees.

• Kansas recorded their hottest December with an average temperature of 41.1 degrees.

• June’s historic heat wave and a string of dry summer days helped make 2021 the third-hottest year on record for Eugene, Oregon and its hottest summer ever.

  •  More than 100 people died in Oregon due to the heat wave.

  • From June 15 to Sept. 15, Eugene had the driest weather ever recorded for that period, with just 0.01 inches of rain in July. Between those two showers, Eugene had gone 71 days without rain.

• As heat becomes more extreme, California outlines “The Extreme Heat Action Plan” to keep people safe.

  • Daily maximum average temperatures are expected to increase by 4.4 to 5.8 degrees by 2050 and by 5.6 to 8.8 degrees by 2100.

  • The plan is an “all-of-government” approach involving a long list of state agencies, and includes eight areas of “near-term focus”:

    • Implementing a statewide public health monitoring system to identify heat illness events early, monitor trends, and track illnesses and deaths.

    • Cooling schools in heat-vulnerable communities and support for climate smart planning.

    • Accelerating heat readiness and protection of low-income households and expanding tree canopy in communities most impacted by extreme heat.

    • Protecting vulnerable populations through increased heat risk-reduction strategies and codes, standards, and regulations.

    • Building a climate smart workforce through training partnerships and apprenticeships in jobs and careers that address extreme heat.

    • Increasing public awareness to reduce risks posed by extreme heat.

    • Supporting local and regional extreme heat action.

    • Protecting natural systems, including fish and wildlife, from the impacts of extreme heat.

New Reports And Data

• A January 2022 study found that all-cause visits to the Emergency Room had a stronger association to heat among all children of color and those of low income on public health insurance.

• A January 2022 study  found significantly higher climate change anxiety following last summer’s North American heat dome.

• A January 2022 study found that green backyards help increase urban climate resilience.