Key Facts Of The Day 6/16

Hurricanes

• Yellowstone National Park officials say portions of the park may be closed for an “extended” period following catastrophic flooding that caused a park shutdown.
  • The floodwaters that raged through Yellowstone this week changed the course of rivers, tore out bridges, poured through homes, and forced the evacuation of thousands of visitors from the nation’s oldest national park.
  • At least six park employees lost their residence as it collapsed into the Yellowstone River.
  • As they plan for rebuilding, Yellowstone officials say they will keep in mind the possibility that climate change may prompt similar disruptions in the future and that this may lead them to realign certain roads and make other accommodations.
• California officials released a 10-step action plan to protect state-owned beaches, as rising oceans shift waterfront property lines.

Wildfires

• As of Wednesday, there are currently 21 large active wildfires that have burned 1,217,213 across AK, AZ, CA, NM, and TX. As of Wednesday, 29,966 wildfires have burned 2,790,609 acres across the country.
• In Alaska, 6 fires have burned 4,951 acres as of Wednesday.
• In Arizona, 7 fires have burned 44,577 acres as of Wednesday.
• In California, 3 fires have burned 2,035 acres as of Wednesday.
• In New Mexico, 4 fires have burned 659,314 acres as of Wednesday.
  • The Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire has burned 335,069 acres and is 72% contained as of Wednesday.
  • The Black Fire has burned 318,405 acres and is 48% contained as of Wednesday.
• In Texas, 1 fire has burned 1,273 acres as of Wednesday.
• On Saturday, parts of the central Great Basin and the Southwest will experience enhanced wildfire risk.

Extreme Heat

• May 2022 is among Earth’s top 10 warmest.
• More than 60 million people from Southern California to West Virginia and as far south as Florida were under an excessive heat warning or heat advisory.
  • Residents in several states on Wednesday saw temperatures rise well into the 90s, and in some cases into the 100s.
  • Forecasters from the National Weather Service said hot temperatures were likely to persist across large sections of the country for several days.
  • By 9 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, 17 weather stations had already broken their high temperature records for June 15, including those in Chicago, Illinois (96 degrees), Atlanta, Georgia (99 degrees), Macon, Georgia (104 degrees), and Lansing, Michigan (95 degrees).
  • In Tallahassee, Florida, the heat index is expected to rise up to 112 degrees and soaring temperatures and high humidity may cause heat-related illnesses.
  • Next week, much of the east-central United States will continue to experience excessive heat.
• In Kansas, about 2,000 cattle died over the weekend from the heat and humidity.
  • During the past month, the national drought tracker has released two statements warning that the northwestern and north-central regions of Kansas face drought conditions.
  • Temperatures spiked over the weekend to more than 100 degrees in many parts of the state, sending animals into heat stress.
  • High humidity levels and a lack of cooling wind compounded the heat and helped create a punishing environment for cattle.
  • A high of 100 degrees is expected to last at least through Friday.
• Residents of Odessa, Texas remain without water as crews worked to restore service amid scorching temperatures in the area.
  • The city water system’s 165,000 customers’ taps lost pressure or went dry after a 24-inch main broke Monday afternoon.
  • Odessa Mayor Javier Joven declared a state of emergency and issued a boil-water notice for the system’s customers that still had water.
  • As of early Thursday, the city’s water plant was back online, and officials warned residents that the boil water notice would remain in place.
  • This comes while Odessa, Texas continues to face extremely hot and humid conditions.
• Climate change could be to blame for the Sriracha shortage.
  • Sriracha is actually made from a very special type of pepper that grows only in northern Mexico and southern U.S. 
  • These red jalapenos are only grown during the first four months of the year, and they need very controlled conditions, particularly constant irrigation.
  • The spring chili harvest was almost nonexistent this year due to the intense ongoing drought.

New Reports And Data

• A June 2022 report found that impacts of climate change, including more devastating wildfires, heat waves, drought and poor air quality, are fueling “climate anxiety” among young people.
• A June 2022 study found that extreme heat poses significant and growing health risk to babies and children.
• A June 2022 report found that air pollution worse for global lifespan than cigarettes or alcohol.