Key Facts Of The Day 08/05

Hurricanes

• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday that it is still expecting an above-average season, with three to five major hurricanes likely and a dozen or more named storms probable.
  • There is a 60% likelihood that the season is above-average.
  • NOAA cited an ongoing La Niña as a principal driver in its predictions since this atmosphere-ocean pattern tends to weaken high-altitude winds over the tropical Atlantic.
  • The peak of hurricane season in the Atlantic is usually anchored around mid-September, lagging a few months behind the summer solstice since it takes a while to heat up the ocean waters.
  • The 2022 season is expected to be the seventh consecutive above-average season.
• On Friday, thunderstorms brought a renewed threat of flooding to parts of Kentucky ravaged by high water a week ago.
  • The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for nearly the entire state through Sunday evening.
  • Some places could receive up to 3 inches of rain by Friday night, and the storm system wasn’t expected to let up until at least Saturday evening.
  • About 3,000 Kentucky customers remained without electricity on Friday.
  • Some entire water systems were severed or heavily damaged, prompting a significant response from the National Guard and others to distribute bottled water.

Wildfires

• As of Friday, there are currently 70 large active wildfires that have burned 1,673,900 across AK, AZ, CA, ID, MT, NE, NV, NM, OR, TX, UT, WA, and WY. As of Friday, 40,093 wildfires have burned 5,823,729 acres across the country.
• In Alaska, 27 fires have burned 1,054,297 acres as of Friday.
• In Arizona, 3 fires have burned 3,201 acres as of Friday.
• In California, 4 fires have burned 83,099 acres as of Friday.
  • The McKinney Fire has burned 58,668 acres and is 10% contained as of Friday.
  • The Oak Fire has burned 19,244 acres and is 88% contained as of Friday.
• In Idaho, 5 fires have burned 70,244 acres as of Friday.
• In Montana, 7 fires have burned 25,320 acres as of Friday.
• In Nebraska, 1 fire has burned 15,592 acres as of Friday. 
• In Nevada, 2 fires have burned 2,389 acres as of Friday.
• In New Mexico, 1 fire has burned 341,735 acres as of Friday.
  • The Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire has burned 341,735 acres and is 98% contained as of Friday.
• In Oregon, 6 fires have burned 13,938 acres as of Friday.
• In Texas, 7 fires have burned 11,092 acres as of Friday.
• In Utah, 1 fire has burned 11,666 acres as of Friday.
• In Washington, 3 fires have burned 33,590 acres as of Friday.
  • The Williams Lake Fire has burned 1,500 acres and is 0% contained as of Friday.
    • The entire eastern Washington town of Lind was evacuated Thursday because the fire was burning homes.
    • Six homes and eight other structures burned in the fire. 
    • The fire threatened homes, infrastructure, and crops.
• In Wyoming, 2 fires have burned 7,507 acres as of Friday.

Extreme Heat

• Late July’s weeklong heat wave in the Pacific Northwest sent 906 people to emergency departments for heat-related illnesses across Oregon and Washington.
  • The staggering heat is also suspected of contributing to at least 15 recent deaths in the region.
• UPS drivers say heat levels in their trucks without AC reach as high as 121 degrees.
• More than 50% of the country was in some level of drought for the fourth week in a row.
  • Even the Northeast has a severe flash drought.
  • Drought also expanded in some areas of the Southern Plains, where temperatures are running warmer than normal – particularly in Texas.
  • The drought conditions and the economic strain are so large that cattle ranchers can no longer maintain healthy livestock.
  • Cattle ranchers have been forced to sell off their cows for slaughter way ahead of schedule.
  • For cattle ranchers, the cost of vehicles, equipment, and diesel has also skyrocketed. 
• The Decatur Livestock Market saw a 50% increase in the number of cattle as Texas ranchers rushed to sell cattle amid the drought.
  • Many ranchers wanted to sell their cattle and buy others at a low cost. For many, the drought caused their grass to dry up, and hay prices skyrocketed.
• Drought made the Mississippi River sluggish and led to a smaller than average dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. 
  • This year the dead zone covers 3,275 square miles.
  • While it’s under 70% of the average-sized area predicted in early June, it’s well above the goal of a five-year average of 1,900 square miles or less set in 2001

New Reports And Data

• A July 2022 report found that the Biden administration and Congress should shut down new oil and gas development around national parks and monuments because of the threats they pose to sacred sites for Native American tribes.
• An August 2022 study found that air pollution, including during wildfires, shows ill effects in children.