Key Facts Of The Day 4/25

Storms and Flooding

• Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency in response to flash flooding on the Red Lake River in Polk County, specifically in the city of Crookston.

  • A heavy downpour and strong winds that began Saturday caused river levels to rise to just above 26 feet by midday Sunday.

  • At least 50 members of the state’s National Guard were deployed Sunday to northwestern Minnesota to help local officials.

  • Guard members and local officials, including Polk County emergency response teams, and volunteers are working on sandbagging vulnerable areas.

  • The National Weather Service on Monday morning forecast the river to crest at 27.1 feet.

  • Officials in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and East Grand Forks, Minnesota, on Sunday closed the Point Bridge connecting the two cities.

  • Officials urged residents to limit water usage to lessen the burden on the city’s wastewater treatment plant.

  • To the north, the rising Red River once again is threatening to cut off access to the community of Oslo, Minnesota.

    • The Weather Service is predicting a crest of 38 feet on Thursday — slightly below the record for Oslo.

    • The community itself is protected by levees up to a river stage of 41 to 42 feet — but highways to and from the town are not.

  • A resident’s childhood home of 65 years, which sits near the Red Lake River, has been overtaken by the water.

  • The barrier of sand bags that were set up on Riverside Ave. broke down and the water began pouring into the neighborhood.

• Rising sea levels and climate change are putting New England lighthouses at risk.

• Sea level rise is a threat to all Californians, whether they live near the coast or not.

  • Without interventions, ocean water is forecast to inundate the Central Delta waterways in the decades ahead, which could contaminate drinking water for 27 million residents.

  • The Delta’s complex network of waterways is home to a diverse ecosystem. It also serves 750,000 acres of farmland with fresh water. Drinking water is also sent through the Delta to the State Water Project system in Southern California.

  • During dry periods, less water is sent from reservoirs into the Delta. Those releases help to push back ocean water to keep it from intruding inland. Without those releases, other methods are needed to keep the water in the Delta safe.

  • Earlier in April, California’s Department of Water Resources reinstalled a portion of an emergency drought barrier at the West False River in the Central Delta. But as ocean levels rise higher, a temporary dam won’t be enough to keep saltwater out of the Delta.

Wildfires

• As of Monday, there are currently 14 large active wildfires that have burned 244,294 acres across AK, AZ, CO, FL, LA, NE, NM, and TX. As of Friday, 20,006 wildfires have burned 834,238 acres across the country.

• As of Monday, the Tunnel Fire in Arizona has burned 21,216 and is 15% contained.

  • Winds and dryness heighten danger from Tunnel fire as teams battle blazes in the American south-west.

  • At least 30 homes and numerous other buildings had been destroyed, with sheriff’s deputies saying more than 100 properties were affected.

• As of Sunday night, the Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak fires have combined, have burned 54,004 acres, and are 12% contained.

  • Much of the area is suffering from prolonged, severe drought.

  • At a briefing Sunday evening, officials warned the combined fire had the potential to spread and there is still a lot of unburned fuel within its boundaries.

  • Two “scooper” aircraft had been deployed to scoop water from a nearby lake to douse the flames, with a further two expected Monday.

• Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham warned that New Mexico faces a long and potentially devastating wildfire season.

  • Over 20 active wildfires were burning in at least 16 of the state’s 33 counties, in the wake of winds that gusted up to 90 MPH on Friday.

  • Hundreds of structures were lost in a growing number of wind-driven blazes across drought-stricken New Mexico.

  • Winds and temperatures in New Mexico diminished Saturday but remained strong enough to still fan fires, and dozens of evacuation orders remained in place.

• Retired Fire Chief John P. Trumble, 66, died in a Nebraska wildfire.

  • He was driving while acting as a spotter. Smoke and dust blocked his visibility, causing his vehicle to leave the road. He was then overwhelmed by fire and smoke.

Extreme Heat

• At Earth Day celebration, Mayor Wu announced a Heat Plan to prepare Boston for extreme heat.

  • The city’s Heat Plan presents 26 strategies to help the entire city cope with increasing temperatures while focusing on three main goals: reducing heat exposure, adapting to heat, and reducing sensitivity and fostering healthy, connected communities.

  • The plan also focuses on five environmental justice communities that are hotspots in Boston: Chinatown, Dorchester, East Boston, Mattapan, and Roxbury.

  • Some immediate action projects include distributing 30 pop-up cooling kits that include a hose, misters, and tent to community organizations for public events this summer, a Cool Roof Grant program, and a community-wide design challenge to design a “cool bus stop” this fall.

• While April’s rain showers certainly helped bring up Bay Area rainfall totals, they won’t be enough to stave off California’s third year of drought.

  • California faces another summer of water restrictions on local water customers.

  • The state emergency regulations mean residents must:

    • Turn off decorative water fountains;

    • Turn off/pause irrigation system when it’s raining and for two days after rain;

    • Use an automatic shutoff nozzle on water hoses;

    • Use a broom, not water, to clean sidewalks and driveways; and

    • Give trees just what they need: avoid overwatering.

New Reports And Data

• An April 2022 study found that Kauai’s 2018 record-setting rain was caused by a series of supercell thunderstorms.

• An April 2022 study found that tree-filled spaces are more favorable to child development than paved or grassy surfaces.

• An April 2022 study found that Vancouver seafood lovers may see more Humboldt squid but less sockeye salmon on restaurant menus in the near future due to climate change.