Key Facts Of The Day 07/25

Hurricanes

• On Monday, more than 50 million are at risk for severe weather in the Northeast.
  • The storms will come with a threat of damaging winds, hail, and perhaps even a tornado.
  • In northwestern Pennsylvania, several tornado warnings were issued as a particularly intense storm moved near Warren, Pennsylvania.
  • More than 52 million will be at risk of potentially damaging storms into Monday night in a moderate severe weather risk area that forecasters say stretches from northeastern Virginia to Maine.
• On Sunday, severe storms sweep from the Midwest through the Northeast.
  • One person was killed and another was injured in severe storms as a frontal boundary that moved through the Upper Midwest on Saturday continued its trek eastward Sunday, triggering showers and thunderstorms from the Ohio Valley through the Northeast.
• On Sunday, some areas south of Phoenix, Arizona were flooded after some brief showers.
  • SR238 was closed after a few cars stalled while trying to pass through floodwaters.
  • A dust storm came in along Interstate 10 near Sweetwater, leaving a haze and causing low visibility.

Wildfires

• As of Monday, there are currently 92 large active wildfires that have burned 3,116,631 across AK, AZ, CA, FL, HI, ID, MT, NE, NV, NM, OK, TX, UT, and WY. As of Monday, 38,046 wildfires have burned 5,571,855 acres across the country.
• In Alaska, 60 fires have burned 2,655,082 acres as of Monday.
  • Alaska is burning this year in ways rarely or ever seen.
  • Already more than 530 wildfires have burned an area the size of Connecticut and the usual worst of the fire season lays ahead.
  • Heat waves and droughts, which are exacerbated by a warming climate, are making wildfires more frequent, destructive, and harder to fight in many places.
  • In Alaska, a little more than half of all wildfires are started by lightning and the rest are caused by humans accidentally, intentionally, or through negligence.
• In Arizona, 4 fires have burned 4,227 acres as of Monday.
• In California, 2 fires have burned 20,469 acres as of Monday.
  • The Oak Fire has burned 15,603 acres and is 0% contained as of Monday.
    • The Oak Fire has become California’s largest wildfire this year.
    • The fire has burned at least 10 structures, forced several thousand people to flee their homes, and is threatening multiple mountain communities.
    • More than 2,000 firefighters were battling the blaze.
    • On Saturday, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Mariposa County.
    • One resident says the smoke is so thick it’s blowing into her store which is a quarter mile from the blaze.
    • The fire was threatening the communities of Lushmeadows, Midpines, Jerseydale, and Bootjack, from which about 6,062 people had been evacuated as of Saturday afternoon.
    • Numerous roads were closed, including a stretch of State Route 140 that’s one of the main routes into Yosemite.
    • Pacific Gas & Electric said on its website that more than 3,100 homes and businesses in the area had lost power as of Sunday.
  • The Washburn Fire has burned 4,866 acres and is 87% contained as of Monday.
• In Florida, 1 fire has burned 1,200 acres as of Monday.
• In Hawaii, 1 fire has burned 2,368 acres as of Monday.
• In Idaho, 3 fires have burned 34,195 acres as of Monday.
• In Montana, 2 fires have burned 2,462 acres as of Monday.
• In Nebraska, 2 fires have burned 1,557acres as of Monday.
• In Nevada, 3 fires have burned 7,966 acres as of Monday.
• In New Mexico, 2 fires have burned 344,435 acres as of Monday.
  • The Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire has burned 341,735 acres and is 93% contained as of Monday.
• In Oklahoma, 1 fire has burned 200 acres as of Monday.
• In South Dakota, 1 fire has burned 12,636 acres as of Monday.
• In Texas, 6 fires have burned 10,371 acres as of Monday.
• In Utah, 3 fires have burned 16,270 acres as of Monday.
• In Wyoming, 1 fire has burned 3,193 acres as of Monday.

Extreme Heat

• Hundreds of temperature records broken as heat wave scorches the U.S.
  • The deadly heat wave set or tied 359 daily high-temperature records over the last week.
  • The heat wave also set 709 records for the warmest overnight low temperature.
  • On Sunday, officials reported at least two heat-related deaths in the Northeast and warned there were likely to be more.
    • Late on Saturday, New York City’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner confirmed a heat-related death with contributing factors listed as hypertensive cardiovascular disease and emphysema.
    • In Texas, Dallas County reported its first heat-related death of 2022 on Thursday of a 66-year-old woman.
    • Health officials in Kansas City are investigating six deaths as potentially related to high temperatures.
    • In Arizona’s south-central Maricopa County, where daily temperatures have surpassed 100 degrees for the past two weeks, at least 25 deaths recorded between July 17 and Saturday were under investigation as being related to the heat.
  • On Sunday, 90 million Americans were under heat warnings and advisories.
  • On Sunday, some cities set or broke records including Boston, Massachusetts, which reached 100 degrees, and Providence, Rhode Island, which hit 96 degrees.
  • On Sunday, Newark, New Jersey reached 101 degrees not only a new daily record high but also the fifth consecutive day of triple-digit temperatures.
  • The Boston Triathlon, which was scheduled for Sunday, was postponed until Aug. 21 “due to the current historic weather conditions that are impacting Boston.” 
  • Cooling centers were open in New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia.
  • To protect the power grid, New York City officials asked residents to use less energy.
  • Philadelphia declared a heat emergency on Thursday that remains in effect.
• According to NOAA, in the past 30 days, 1,403 daily high-temperature records and 2,856 records for warmest overnight low temperature have been set or tied.
• For the rest of the week, the Central Plains will remain hot, while above-average temperatures will also move west, with the Pacific Northwest seeing unusually hot weather as well.
• Despite the record-breaking heat, the Texas power grid hasn’t crashed due to solar energy.

New Reports And Data

• A July 2022 study found that extreme rainfall will be worse and more frequent than we thought.
• A July 2022 study found that air pollution caused 2,780 deaths, illnesses, and IQ loss in children in Massachusetts in 2019.
• A July 2022 study found that water resources become less predictable with climate change.