Key Facts Of The Day 4/28

Storms and Flooding

• AccuWeather forecasters warn that a new storm system from the West will bring rounds of severe weather and some snow to the central United States this week and into the weekend.

• After consecutive April storms that dropped as much as 4 feet of snow in the western part of the northern Plains and excessive moisture on eastern areas, farmers and ranchers hope that calmer weather conditions will prevail in May.

  • In eastern North Dakota and northwest Minnesota, excessive rain is delaying spring planting.

  • During the week of April 25, young animals were suffering from the after-affects of the second weekend storm. Some calves were showing signs of pneumonia.

• Due to climate change, the U.S. has seen widespread increases in rainfall intensity since the 1970s.

  • This elevates the risk of dangerous flash floods, soil erosion, and the destruction of crops.

  • Some of the largest jumps in extreme rainfall were in typically dry places:

    • El Paso, Texas, experienced a 40% increase in hourly rainfall intensity despite having an average annual precipitation rate of less than 9 inches.

    • Reno, Nevada saw 30% more intense rainfall despite getting just 7.4 inches of rain per year.

  • Rising temperatures play a significant role in heavier rainfall.

    • A high-emissions scenario could cause U.S. flash floods to become 8% more intense by the end of the century, threatening infrastructure, the food system, and lives.

Wildfires

• As of Wednesday, there are currently 11 large active wildfires that have burned 223,796 acres across AK, AZ, FL, NE, NM, and VA. As of Wednesday, 21,181 wildfires have burned 1,080,836 acres across the country.

• As of Wednesday, the Tunnel Fire in Arizona has burned 19,344 and is 30% contained.

• As of Wednesday, the Hermits Peak fire in New Mexico has burned 60,649 acres and is 20% contained.

• Massive wildfires accounted for more than a third of the world’s tree cover losses last year.

  • Earth saw more than 97,500 square miles of tree cover vanish last year, an area roughly the size of Oregon.

  • Wildfires now generate as much as a third of all carbon emissions from the world’s forests and landscapes.

• Last year’s dry summer, record-low snowfall in the winter, and unusually high winds have led to multiple days of red flag warnings in Nebraska.

  • Since October, Nebraska has received less than half of the rainfall it typically gets.

  • A challenge for Nebraska in its efforts to battle the blazes is that nearly 90 percent of the state’s 1,5419 firefighters are volunteers who often leave work or home abruptly to respond to emergencies.

Extreme Heat

• 95% of California is experiencing severe to extreme drought.

• The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) declared a water shortage emergency and ordered limits to “reduce nonessential water use” in parts of Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Bernardino counties.

  • The measure includes restricting outdoor watering to one day a week for about a third of their region.

  • Those that do not meet the requirements will be fined $2,000 per acre-foot for any water the agency supplied that exceeds limits.

  • Some areas will have to make greater cuts, but everyone across Southern California is urged to immediately reduce their water use by 20 to 30%.

  • The average person in Southern California uses about 125 gallons of water per day, but the number needs to be closer to 80 gallons per person per day to reach conservation goals.

  • If conditions don’t improve, parts of Southern California face a full outdoor watering ban by September.

• Over the next 50 years, climate change will drive thousands of viruses to jump from one species of mammal to another, increasing the risk of jumping onto humans and creating a new pandemic.

  • As temperatures increase, many species are expected to spread away from the blazing Equator to find more comfortable habitats and be able to infect new hosts.

  • As viruses move to new host species, they evolve — and can potentially evolve in ways that make them more likely to infect people.

• Native and Indigenous tribes are using traditional skills on reacquired ancestral land to combat climate change.

  • Indigenous people make up less than 5% of the world population, however, they have protected 80% of the Earth’s biodiversity for centuries.

  • Dune Lankard and his team have cultivated rich kelp mariculture farms which are a valuable food source and business opportunities for tribes.

    • Kelp farms can sequester up to nine billion metric tons of carbon per year, essentially reversion the effects of climate change.

  • The more land and water Indigenous people can conserve and repair, the more they can implement climate-saving strategies such as kelp farming.

New Reports And Data

• An April 2022 study found that climate change will accelerate viral spillovers.

• An April 2022 study found that the U.S. has seen widespread increases in rainfall intensity since the 1970s and climate change is to blame.

• An April 2022 study found that experimental plant-based jet fuel could increase engine performance and efficiency.