Key Facts Of The Day 4/1

Storms and Flooding

• At least two people were killed and two others were injured when a severe storm destroyed homes and toppled trees in the Florida Panhandle early on Thursday morning.

  • The two people who were killed lived in a mobile home in Washington County that was destroyed early Thursday morning.

  • The storm also severely damaged a brick home in Washington County and toppled a tanker truck on Interstate 10 in Jackson County.

  • The Washington County School District closed on Thursday because of the threat of severe weather.

  • Parts of the Carolinas, Maryland and Virginia were under tornado watches Thursday evening.

  • More than 15,000 customers were without power in Virginia Thursday evening, as well as 13,000 customers in Mississippi, 11,000 in North Carolina and 11,000 in Tennessee.

• After severe storms rolled through the D.C. area Thursday night, the National Weather Service on Friday morning will assess whether a tornado touched down in the Tysons area of Fairfax County, Virginia.

• After back-to-back tornado outbreaks two weeks in a row, March sets record for most tornado reports with 233 tornado reports.

  • More than 60 tornadoes have already been confirmed from the March 21-23 outbreak.

  • This outbreak included a violent 160 mph EF3 tornado that struck parts of the New Orleans metro area, making it the strongest tornado to impact Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Bernard Parishes on record.

  • The tornado outbreak this week featured more than 400 tornado warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings that spanned nearly two-dozen states.

  • The strongest tornado confirmed so far from this outbreak was a 145 MPH EF3 tornado that struck Springdale, Arkansas, early on Wednesday.

  • Warming temperatures, both air temperature and Gulf of Mexico temperatures, are also likely contributing to more winter-season tornadoes and causing tornado season to begin earlier, such as early March.

• AccuWeather forecasters are predicting another active Atlantic hurricane season this year. Similar to last year, forecasters expect between 16 and 20 tropical storms to form this hurricane season which begins in June and ends at the end of November.

  • Out of those tropical storms, six to eight will most likely turn into full-fledged hurricanes with at least three to five of those hurricanes projected to make landfall.

  • Climate experts have warned that warming waters and rising sea levels stemming from climate change are playing a role in the increasing number of hurricanes each year and in their increasingly destructive nature.

  • Hurricanes are one of the costliest natural disasters and the price of the damage caused by the storm has steadily gone up over the years.

Wildfires

• As of Friday, there are currently 40 large active wildfires that have burned 205,647 acres across AL, AZ, FL, GA, KS, KY, OK, NC, TN, TX. As of Friday, 15,807 wildfires have burned 683,727 acres across the country.

• As of Friday, the Crittenberg Complex in Texas has burned 33,175 acres and is 85% contained.

• As of Thursday, the Hatcher Mountain-Indigo Lane Fire in Tennessee has burned 3,700 acres and is 5% contained.

• Fire officials warn Arizona could see an even more catastrophic wildfire season in 2022.

  • Every western state has moderate to severe staffing shortages in fire fighting agencies.

Extreme Heat

• California snowpack vastly depleted after record dry start to year.

  • Snow could be gone by late April, straining water resources, worsening drought and increasing fire risk into the summer.

  • Statewide snowpack now sits at 39% of average, about a third of where it should be this time of year.

  • State climatologist Michael Anderson said that this year would likely break the record for the lowest statewide average precipitation during January, February and March, which was set in 2013.

  • During a recent heat wave, the Northern Sierra lost more than a quarter of its snow water content in a single week from March 19-26.

  • Forecast models currently show an intense heat wave could build over the western U.S. next week.

• As heat settles in, more hikers are being rescued from Phoenix trails.

  • During the past weekend, two people were rescued from trails in Piestewa Peak and another from a trail in South Mountain. At least 20 hikers had to be rescued in March.

• A woman died while visiting a Texas national park with her family Monday as hot temperatures reached 91 degrees in the area.

  • The incident is still under investigation, but extreme heat may have been a factor.

  • The National Park Service warned that temperatures in Big Bend are starting to exceed 100 degrees.

New Reports And Data

• A March 2022 study found that nighttime light pollution levels are increasing the most in the southeastern United States, Mexico, and Central America, which is a real concern for birds that fly at night during spring and fall migration and even during non-migratory seasons.

• A March 2022 study found that tropical trees’ trunk growth is reduced in years when the dry season is drier and warmer than normal.

• A March 2022 study found a link between meltwater drainage and the shrinking Helheim Glacier.