Key Facts Of The Day 5/5

• On Wednesday night, a springtime storm system spawned several tornadoes that whipped through areas of Texas and Oklahoma.
• President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration that brings new financial resources to remote stretches of New Mexico devastated by fire since early April.
• In April, levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere reached the highest levels on record ever.

Storms and Flooding

• On Wednesday night, a springtime storm system spawned several tornadoes that whipped through areas of Texas and Oklahoma.
  • The tornadoes caused damage to a school, a marijuana farm and other structures.
  • There were no reports of serious injuries.
  • The system also caused flooding in parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas and several roads and highways were still closed Thursday morning.
  • More stormy weather was expected Thursday from Texas into parts of the South. 
    • The storms could bring more tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds, and the threat of severe weather will continue Friday in parts of the South and over the weekend in the central Plains and Midwest.
• The North Dakota National Guard is helping to stabilize a dam in Cavalier County that is in danger of breaking and causing even worse flooding in the area.
  • Gov. Doug Burgum authorized the National Guard to send two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to place sandbags, each weighing 1 ton, to help stop the Bourbanis Dam from breaking.
  • The National Weather Service continued a flood warning for parts of northeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota, including the Red River of the North between the two states.

Wildfires

• As of Wednesday, there are currently 12 large active wildfires that have burned 279,172 across AZ, FL, NC, NM, and TN. As of Wednesday, 22,530 wildfires have burned 1,137,556 acres across the country.
• As of Wednesday, the Tunnel Fire in Arizona has burned 19,075 and is 95% contained. 
• As of Wednesday, the Cooks Peak Fire in New Mexico has burned 59,359 acres and is 89% contained.
• As of Wednesday, the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire in New Mexico has burned 147,909 acres and is 20% contained.
  • An estimated 15,500 homes in outlying areas and in the valleys of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains that border Las Vegas have been affected by mandatory evacuations.
• President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration that brings new financial resources to remote stretches of New Mexico devastated by fire since early April.
  • The aid includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other relief programs for individuals and businesses.
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite captured two devastating events including the wildfire outbreak in northern New Mexico that started last month and has intensified in the past two weeks, and a dust storm caused by violent winds in Colorado.
  • Both are examples of the sorts of natural disasters that are becoming more severe and frequent as a result of climate change.
  • Fine particulate matter, such as smoke, dust, soot, and other byproducts of wildfires degrades air quality and poses health hazards, particularly for people with underlying lung or heart diseases.
• Dane County, Wisconssin officials are suing dozens of firefighting foam manufacturers, alleging that their products contaminated the area with PFAS around the county’s airport.
  • The county alleges that the manufacturers sold foam for decades despite knowing it contained PFAS and failed to warn consumers and the public of the chemicals’ dangers.
• The U.S. Forest Service is preparing to use two new types of drones: one designed to spot new fires, and another that can set fires around existing wildfires to deprive them of fuel.
  • Cal Fire is also preparing to use more drones, which are being adapted from autonomous aircraft previously developed and used by the military.
  • Dryad Networks, a German company, is designing a system of cheap, low-power sensors that can be hung on trees to pinpoint traces of carbon monoxide and other gases emitted at the start of forest fires.
  • By next year, some firefighters will have computer-based “hazard mapping systems” that can give them “trusted information in real-time.”

Extreme Heat

• A new study found that last summer’s record-shattering Pacific Northwest heat wave was one of the most intense events ever recorded on Earth.
  • In the last 60 years, only five other heat waves across the globe have been more extreme.
  • Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon hit all-time highs at 108 degrees Fahrenheit and 116 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively.
  • The event has been linked to hundreds of deaths across the U.S. and Canada.
  • An event like this one has never hit the Pacific Northwest before.
• In April, levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere reached the highest levels on record ever, averaging 420 parts per million (ppm) for the first time since observations began in 1958.
  • CO2 is a long-lived, planet-warming greenhouse gas, the concentration of which is increasing due to human activities, such as the burning fossil fuels like coal and natural gas for energy.
  • Increasing amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere are boosting global average temperatures.
  • Technologies exist that would provide clean electricity, such as using solar and wind energy, however countries including the U.S. have yet to show results when it comes to cutting CO2 emissions.

New Reports And Data

• A May 2022 study found that last summer’s record-shattering Pacific Northwest heat wave was one of the most intense events ever recorded on Earth.
• A May 2022 report found that U.S. plastics recycling rates are at 5 to 6% while plastics waste rates have increased 263% since 1980.