Key Facts Of The Day 2/3

Storms and Flooding

• Widespread winter storm is causing a second day of disruptions in the Midwest and South.

  • As of Thursday more than 100 million Americans were under some form of winter weather warning.

  • As of Thursday morning nearly 70,000 customers in Texas and about 25,000 in Arkansas had lost power.

  • The storm was creating dangerous road conditions in several states, and more than 4,000 flights were canceled on Thursday.

  • Thursday could be “a very active weather day,” with widespread heavy snow and freezing rain from New England to Texas. Portions of the South could see flash flooding.

  •  In North Texas, two to four inches of snow and sleet were expected on Thursday, with light accumulations of ice.

  • In Dallas, local officials urged motorists to stay off the roads to allow emergency medical workers to travel safely.

  • The Weather Service office in San Angelo, Texas, said on Twitter early Thursday that “many accidents” had been reported on Interstate 20, which runs through the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

  • The Dallas and Fort Worth school districts, among the largest in the state, will be closed for the rest of the week.

  • In Kansas, residents woke up Thursday to single-digit temperatures, with wind chills as cold as 17 degrees below zero.

    • Officials in rural southeast Kansas reported several accidents on roads and highways slicked with snow and black ice.

    • In Wichita, Kan., where the snowfall was expected to reach six inches by Thursday morning, public schools canceled classes for a second day.

  • Parts of western Tennessee and Kentucky were under an ice storm warning.

  • A portion of Interstate 57 in Illinois was blocked for several hours early Thursday after multiple tractor-trailers jackknifed.

  • Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas positioned eight National Guard units across the state in advance of the storm.

  • About a foot of snow coated the Mississippi River cities of Hannibal, Missouri, and Quincy, Illinois.

• The winter storm is expected to continue pushing east on Thursday.

  • Parts of Maine could record up to 18 inches of snow, and up to 18 inches were also possible in parts of upstate New York.

Wildfires

• As of Friday, there are currently 2 large active wildfires that have burned 926 acres across CA and FL. As of Friday, 1,302 wildfires have burned 25,691 acres across the country.

• As of Wednesday, the Colorado Fire in California has burned 687 acres and is 98% contained.

• Google parent company, Alphabet,  adds air quality and power shutoffs from wildfires to risk factors in its latest 10-K.

  • Alphabet, which relies on suppliers globally for manufacturing and supply chain management, stated that severe climate effects could disrupt its ability to supply hardware products as well as internet-based services.

• The risk of dangerous landslides is increasing as forest fires devastate more landscapes across the West, but it can be hard to predict in the aftermath of a fire, especially given environmental variations across geographic regions.

• Some San Diego County residents will soon be able to tap into a $24 million to retrofit their homes to protect against wildfire as part of a new statewide initiative.

  • Residents of Dulzura, in rural southeastern San Diego County, will be the first eligible, followed by nearby Potrero and Campo residents in 2023 and 2024.

Extreme Heat

• Nevada’s plan to protect workers from extreme heat gets pushback from industry.

  • A draft of the proposed regulations would require employers to provide training relating to heat illness once workers are exposed to extreme heat.

  • At 90 degrees, employers would be required to monitor their workers for signs of heat illness, provide cooldown rest periods and develop emergency medical plans, including contacting medical services.

  • The proposed regulations have received pushback from industries that say Nevada businesses already follow guidelines to prevent heat illness, and worry they could see additional costs or fines under proposed rules if they are found noncompliant.

  • In 2020 Nevada OSHA conducted only four heat stress inspections, despite receiving 113 complaints related to heat stress, a significant increase in heat stress complaints compared to previous years.

• The Louisiana Department of Health will receive a $1.2 million grant from the Center for Disease Prevention and Control over five years to protect Louisiana workers and communities from extreme heat.

• California and the Western U.S. could see an increased drought risk as there are no storms in sight for at least the first half of February.

New Reports And Data

• A February 2022 study found a model that can be used to predict the location and timing of red snow algal blooms.

• A February 2022 study found that climate change is causing plants in the UK to flower a month earlier on average, which could have profound consequences for wildlife, agriculture and gardeners.

• A February 2022 study found a way to detect plastic waste on remote beaches that are not visible in conventional satellite images.