Key Facts Of The Day 08/03

Hurricanes

• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that the number of “nuisance” flooding days will likely average between three and seven in coastal areas next year. 
  • By 2050, the high-tide flood days could rise to 45 to 70 days. 
  • Communities along the East and Gulf coasts are predicted to see a 150 percent increase in the number of high-tide flood days over the next year compared with the baseline year of 2000.
  • The East and Gulf coasts already experience twice as many days of high tide flooding compared to the year 2000.
  • Since May of this year, three different NOAA-monitored locations have tied or broken previous records for the number of high-tide flood days.
• Last week’s Kentucky flood disaster was America’s deadliest non-tropical flash flood in 45 years.
  • About 5,000 customers still lacked electricity in eastern Kentucky as of Wednesday morning.
• Over the weekend, mudslides and rainfall trapped motorists as an intense monsoonal storm hit California.
  • Approximately 30 drivers were stranded in their cars as heavy rain sent mud and debris onto Highway 38 leading to Big Bear. 
  • The Angelus Oaks area in San Bernardino saw a little more than an inch of rain, according to the National Weather Service, which was just enough to send mud flowing down from the 2020 burn scar left by the El Dorado fire.
  • Death Valley National Park was closed after fast-moving flood waters buckled and damaged the roadways.

Wildfires

• As of Wednesday, there are currently 62 large active wildfires that have burned 1,626,413 across AK, AZ, CA, ID, MT, NE, NV, NM, OK, OR, TX, UT, WA, and WY. As of Wednesday, 39,767 wildfires have burned 5,795,506 acres across the country.
• In Alaska, 27 fires have burned 1,038,942 acres as of Wednesday.
• In Arizona, 4 fires have burned 4,822 acres as of Wednesday.
• In California, 5 fires have burned 83,058 acres as of Wednesday.
  • The McKinney Fire has burned 56,459 acres and is 0% contained as of Wednesday.
    • Two more people have died in the McKinney Fire, bringing the total of those killed in the blaze to four.
    • On Tuesday, the combination of moisture, thunderstorms, and the resulting high wind speeds created an unstable atmosphere making firefighting conditions much more hazardous.
  • The Oak Fire has burned 19,244 acres and is 79% contained as of Wednesday.
  • The Washburn Fire has burned 4,886 acres and is 97% contained as of Wednesday.
• In Idaho, 4 fires have burned 63,641 acres as of Wednesday.
• In Montana, 5 fires have burned 20,267 acres as of Wednesday.
• In Nebraska, 1 fire has burned 15,592 acres as of Wednesday. 
• In Nevada, 3 fires have burned 8,033 acres as of Wednesday.
• In New Mexico, 1 fire has burned 341,735 acres as of Wednesday.
  • The Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire has burned 341,735 acres and is 98% contained as of Wednesday.
• In Oklahoma, 1 fire has burned 7,542 acres as of Wednesday.
• In Oregon, 2 fires have burned 1,500 acres as of Wednesday.
• In Texas, 3 fires have burned 7,682 acres as of Wednesday.
• In Utah, 1 fire has burned 11,701 acres as of Wednesday.
• In Washington, 1 fire has burned 10,500 acres as of Wednesday.
• In Wyoming, 3 fires have burned 11,172 acres as of Wednesday.

Extreme Heat

• Thursday will bring record-breaking heat to the Northeast, leading to above-average highs through the weekend.
  • The heat index in several cities could reach well over 100 degrees.
  • New York City is forecast to see highs of 94 degrees on Thursday, which would break a record of 93 set in 2006.
  • Newark, New Jersey, is expected to tie a record of 100 set in 1993.
  • Boston, Massachusetts, is forecast to reach 97 degrees, which would break a nearly 100-year-old record of 96 degrees set in 1928.
• Much of the Central and Southern Plains are already experiencing one of the hottest summers on record, with little relief in sight.
  • As of Tuesday, millions of people in Minnesota, the Dakotas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas were under a heat advisory or warning from the Weather Service.
  • Texas, which has not been able to escape the heat since June, will also continue to have temperatures above normal, with highs in the triple digits for the rest of the week.
• Temperatures were expected to soar on Wednesday in a region of eastern Kentucky where people are shoveling out from the wreckage of massive flooding.
  • The rising heat and humidity meant heat index values near 100 by midday, a steam bath that will continue through Thursday evening.
  • Cooling centers were opened after forecasters warned of the risk of heat-related illnesses in an advisory issued for the flood-ravaged area.
  • About 5,000 customers still lacked electricity in eastern Kentucky as of Wednesday morning.
• During last week’s heat wave in the Pacific Northwest, Portland, Salem, and Eugene, Oregon, all experienced seven consecutive days of highs above 95 degrees, a record in all three cities
• An analysis by Climate Central found that unchecked global heating will bring once unthinkable extreme heat, with 16 US cities rivaling summer highs seen in the Middle East.
• On average, the West’s mountain snowpacks have shrunk 23% between 1955 and 2022. 
  • By the end of the 21st century, California could lose as much as 79% of its peak snowpack by water volume.
  • Climate models predict that the region will get less precipitation in the coming decades even when the current drought ends.

New Reports And Data

• An August 2022 report found that clean energy and clean transportation jobs grew by more than 5% in 2021.
• An August 2022 report found that the number of high-tide floods will reach a nationwide average of three to seven days by April 2023.
• An August 2022 analysis found that unchecked global heating will bring once unthinkable extreme heat, with 16 US cities rivaling summer highs seen in the Middle East.