Climate Impact Report – 02/28

Quick Facts
Avalanche
A level 4 atmospheric river is hitting the Pacific Northwest bringing the threat of avalanches and flooding, which will persist for days
3.6 billion
people live in places already highly vulnerable to climate hazards
at least 6
people died on icy roads in three states from Wednesday to Friday, as a winter storm hit the U.S.
Key Facts Of The Day 2/28
Storms and Flooding
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A level 4 atmospheric river is hitting the Pacific Northwest bringing the threat of avalanches and flooding, which will persist for days.
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Flood watches are in place for over five million people across Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
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Heavy snow has also prompted winter weather advisories across portions of Washington, Idaho, and Montana and avalanche warnings across the Cascades.
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The atmospheric river is bringing heavy snow to the Cascades where an additional 4 to 6 inches is forecast through Monday morning.
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With warming temperatures and excessive rain in place today across higher elevations, the threat of avalanches is “high” today.
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Avalanches could become very large and run for very long distances, all the way down to valley bottoms with “wet and destructive debris.”
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Snoqualmie Pass and Stevens Pass were closed in both directions Monday morning with no estimated time of reopening.
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As heavy rain falls across freshly fallen snow and current snow pack, melting is expected to happen, which will worsen flood conditions.
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Several rivers across Washington are forecast to reach moderate to major flood stage this week.
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A Level 3 out of 4 “moderate” risk of excessive rain is in place Monday across portions of Washington and Oregon’s coastal mountains and the southern Washington Cascades.
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At least six people died on icy roads in three states from Wednesday to Friday, as a winter storm hit the U.S.
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More than 3,000 flights were canceled on Thursday and Friday as a sprawling winter storm system brought rain, snow and ice to states as widespread as Texas and Massachusetts.
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More than 10,000 customers were without power on Friday afternoon in Pennsylvania and Ohio due to the winter storm.
Wildfires
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As of Friday, there are currently 6 large active wildfires that have burned 12,214 acres across CA, FL, MS, and OK. As of Friday, 7,087 wildfires have burned 149,774 acres across the country.
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Millions of dollars are coming to Colorado State University to study wildfire prevention, mitigation and recovery, after years of drought and record-setting wildfires across the state.
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Pacific Gas and Electric Co. will bury close to 72 miles of electrical lines in Sonoma, Napa, Lake, Marin and Mendocino counties, part of its $5.9 billion spending plan for this year to reduce the wildfire risks presented by its sprawling power grid.
Extreme Heat
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A report, from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), showed if the limit of warming beyond 1.5 degrees is breached, some changes will be irreversible for hundreds — if not thousands — of years. And some changes may be permanent, even if the planet cools back down.
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The world is already 1.1 degrees Celsius warmer than before industrialization.
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The world is on track to warm at least 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in five scenarios. Only the lowest emission scenario, in which carbon dioxide emissions decline to net zero around 2050, would eventually bring the planet below this key mark.
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The pace of human-caused global warming is pushing many of the planet’s most critical systems — like rainforests, coral reefs and the Arctic — to the brink.
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As many as 3.6 billion people live in places already highly vulnerable to climate hazards, some of which will increase beyond the ability to adapt once the planet hits the 1.5-degree mark.
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At 2 degrees of warming — which scientists predict the planet will reach by midcentury — as many as three billion people around the world will experience “chronic water scarcity.”
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The countries that emit the least planet-warming gases, mainly those in the Global South and island territories, tend to be the ones disproportionately harmed by climate hazards.
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As climate change worsens, more Indigenous people will lose the land, water and biodiversity they depend on.
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New Reports And Data
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A February 2022 report found that extreme weather events linked to climate change like floods and heatwaves are hitting humans and other species much harder than previous assessments indicated.
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A February 2022 study found that machine learning helps to identify climatic thresholds that shape the distribution of natural vegetation.
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A February 2022 study found that Swiss rivers are on track to overheat by the end of the century.
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