Key Facts Of The Day 4/18

Storms and Flooding

• An early spring storm is expected to bring heavy snow to the interior Northeast, particularly New York, on Monday into Tuesday, raising the potential for downed trees, power interruptions and difficult travel.

  • The Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for more than 1.4 million people across northern Pennsylvania and central and northern New York.

  • In New York State, which is expected to get the brunt of the storm, snowfall of up to 11 inches is possible in some northern counties.

  • A mix of rain and snow was expected to spread into much of Central New York and Northeastern Pennsylvania on Monday evening.

• A spring storm brought several feet of snow to the Sierra Nevada and rain to parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, with more stormy weather expected this week.

  • The seven-day snow total topped 3 feet in some mountain areas as of Saturday.

  • Mammoth Mountain in the eastern Sierra reported a foot of fresh snow and will remain open to skiing and snowboarding until Memorial Day.

  • Lake Tahoe resorts also reported significant snowfall.

  • The precipitation could help slow the start of the fire season, but won’t do anything to alleviate the state’s drought.

Wildfires

• As of Monday, there are currently 11 large active wildfires that have burned 27,364 acres across AZ, NC, NM, OK, and TX. As of Monday, 19,226 wildfires have burned 820,587 acres across the country.

• As of Monday, the McBride Fire in New Mexico has burned 6,159 acres and is 80% contained.

  • Some evacuation orders were lifted late Friday, covering about 60% of the estimated 4,500 people ordered to leave their homes since the fire started last Tuesday.

  • New Mexico authorities said they suspect the fire was sparked by a downed power line and the investigation continued Friday.

  • Air quality concerns arise as New Mexico wildfires spread.

  • High fire danger continues in New Mexico, as very dry weather and gusty winds are leading to an increased risk while firefighters continue to battle a deadly blaze.

Extreme Heat

• U.S. military bases in the Arctic and sub-Arctic are failing to prepare their installations for long-term climate change as required.

  • Soaring temperatures and melting ice are already cracking base runways and roads and worsening flood risks up north.

  • Of 79 U.S. military installations overall, the Department of Defense says two-thirds are vulnerable to worsening flooding as the climate worsens and half are vulnerable to increasing drought and wildfires.

• After brown winter and dry spring, experts say drought conditions could worsen this summer in Nebraska.

  • Nebraska as a whole is experiencing its driest start to a year in 128 years of record-keeping.

  • The amount of extreme drought in the state more than doubled in the past week, going from 3.8% to 9.7%.

  • The latest soil moisture report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that 80% of the state has moisture levels that are short or very short.

• Lafayette, Louisiana  is off to one of its driest starts in recorded history, with rainfall totals more than 50% below average in 2022

• Drought conditions continue to weaken Colorado forests that are fighting insects and disease.

New Reports And Data

• An April 2022 study found that Black and Latino communities have a higher level of oil drilling and pollution.

• An April 2022 report found that U.S. installations in the Arctic and sub-Arctic are ill-prepared for climate change.

• A March 2022 study found that approximately 1 in 4 lives lost to extreme heat could be saved in Los Angeles if the county planted more trees and utilized more reflective surfaces.