Key Facts Of The Day 07/11

Hurricanes

• A surface trough of low pressure is developing over the northern Gulf of Mexico just offshore of the Florida Panhandle, with a 30% chance of developing into a tropical system.
  • Heavy rain will be possible over the next several days regardless of development.
  • Periods of showers and thunderstorms will be possible daily through at least mid-week in south Louisiana.
  • Up to 6 inches are possible along Louisiana’s coast.
• Some Charleston, South Carolina roads remain closed Monday due to flooding.
• New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the state is committing $1.7 million to repair a collapsed bridge in Roswell and implement additional flood mitigation strategies in the area.
  • The city has received close to 3 inches of rain so far this year and began experiencing intense flooding following severe torrential rainfall last year.

Wildfires

• As of Monday, there are currently 73 large active wildfires that have burned 2,805,239 across AK, AZ, CA, ID, MT, NV, NM, TX, UT, and WY. As of Monday, 35,711 wildfires have burned 4,845,026 acres across the country.
• In Alaska, 56 fires have burned 2,399,354 acres as of Monday.
• In Arizona, 3 fires have burned 29,369 acres as of Monday.
• In California, 2 fires have burned 6,522 acres as of Monday.
  • The Electra Fire has burned 4,478 acres and is 85% contained as of Monday.
    • The blaze prompted the state’s first night-water-drop operation via helicopter last Wednesday when about 12,000 gallons of water were dumped on the flames.
  • The Washburn Fire has burned 2,044 acres and is 0% contained as of Monday.
    • The fire still threatens the famed Mariposa Grove of giant sequoia trees, but so far none of the trees has suffered significant damage.
    • Mariposa Grove is home to more than 500 giant sequoia trees, with some trees believed to be more than 2,000 years old.
    • Park officials have said the grove will remain closed until further notice.
    • Firefighters have put a sprinkler system around the Grizzly Giant, a famed Sequoia in Mariposa Grove, to protect it from the flames.
    • On Friday, about 1,600 people — almost all tourists — were evacuated from the nearby community of Wawona, Calif., and the local campground.
    • A total of 360 fire personnel are working to contain the fire from the ground and air.
    • High temperatures and low humidity forecast for this week could complicate firefighting efforts.
    • Trees destroyed by bark beetles, killed by climate-change-induced drought and felled by a major windstorm, serve as fuel for flames.
• In Idaho, 1 fire has burned 108 acres as of Monday.
• In Montana, 1 fire has burned 355 acres as of Monday.
• In Nevada, 2 fires have burned 7,955 acres as of Monday.
• In New Mexico, 1 fire has burned 341,735 acres as of Monday.
  • The Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire has burned 341,735 acres and is 93% contained as of Monday.
• In Texas, 3 fires have burned 5,600 acres as of Monday.
• In Utah, 3 fires have burned 13,558 acres as of Monday.
• In Wyoming, 1 fire has burned 683 acres as of Monday.

Extreme Heat

• On Monday, Texas’ electricity regulator warned residents and businesses to reduce the amount of power they use as the heat index was forecast to soar above 100 degrees.
  • The heat could put a strain on the state’s grid and potentially lead to rolling blackouts across the state.
  • Thermostats should be turned up at least one degree Fahrenheit, and major appliances should not be used from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., according to an alert from the regulator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.
  • If the situation worsens, ERCOT can order transmission companies to cut off power to industrial customers and residential consumers.
• This past weekend, about 50 million people in the United States were under heat warnings or advisories.
  • A mix of excessive heat warnings and heat advisories are in effect across parts of 14 states, stretching from California to Alabama.
• Car batteries dying faster with Austin, Texas’s record-breaking heat.
  • Some car batteries require water. If the water evaporates out of these batteries due to the heat, it will ruin the battery.
• On Sunday, Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative reported two outages affecting about 4,000 customers in southeast Austin, Texas.
  • Bluebonnet said lightning caused this outage.
  • The outages came on the third hottest day in recorded history at Austin’s Camp Mabry, which was recorded at 110 degrees.
• The devastatingly low water levels of Lake Mead have exposed a sunken World War II-era vessel.
  • The craft had long been 185 feet below the surface.
  • Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir, was at about 27% of capacity Friday, inching perilously closer to “dead pool” levels.
  • The lake is forecast to drop more than 26 feet by next July.

New Reports And Data

• A July 2022 report found that billions of people worldwide rely on 50,000 wild species, so humans must make dramatic changes to hunting and other practices to address an accelerating biodiversity crisis.
• A July 2022 study found that even the most rural areas of Australia are feasible for electric vehicles.
• A June 2022 study found that the warming rate of the Arctic has increased over the last 50 years, and it’s reached four times the global average in recent decades.