Key Facts Of The Day 08/11

Hurricanes

• Flash flood warnings were issued for the nation’s capital and surrounding cities such as Arlington, Virginia, and Baltimore and Silver Spring, Maryland, through the evening hours.
  • More than 4 inches of rain fell on the D.C. area over two hours.
  • High water levels quickly encompassed Washington, D.C., creating havoc for drivers in the city. 
  • Water also began to seep into local Metro trains.
  • The flash flooding caused water rescue responses, including a report of up to 10 automobiles stuck in high water on I-95.
• The rain and flood waters damaged hundreds of homes and businesses across the St. Charles and St. Louis region in Missouri, and many are still working on picking up the pieces.
  • The Center of Autism Education in St. Peters remains closed as flood clean-up continues.
  • Students will return on August 17, but numerous classrooms, hallways, and offices are seriously damaged.
  • The school doesn’t have flood insurance, so the $50,000 damages will have to come out of pocket.
• According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s annual report, high tide flooding has become more common as sea levels rise and is affecting residents of coastal towns and states.
  • In Washington state, there is over an 80% chance that 10 or more flood events will occur each year, and the costs of flooding exceed those from all other natural disasters.
  • The report said that in 2022, there will continue to be an increase of over 150% in high tide flooding compared with the year 2000 in eastern U.S. and Gulf Coast communities.
  • The report also predicted that in 2050, high tide flooding across the U.S. is expected to take place between 45 and 70 days a year on average.

Wildfires

• As of Thursday, there are currently 69 large active wildfires that have burned 1,686,308 across AK, AZ, CA, ID, MT, NE, NV, NM, NC, OR, TX, UT, WA, and WY. As of Thursday, 40,936 wildfires have burned 5,897,114 acres across the country.
• In Alaska, 27 fires have burned 1,055,515 acres as of Thursday.
• In Arizona, 3 fires have burned 3,201 acres as of Thursday.
• In California, 5 fires have burned 99,287 acres as of Thursday.
  • The McKinney Fire has burned 60,389 acres and is 75% contained as of Thursday.
  • The Oak Fire has burned 19,244 acres and is 98% contained as of Thursday.
  • On Wednesday afternoon, a fire tornado was captured on video during a Los Angeles County brush fire.
• In Idaho, 7 fires have burned 87,069 acres as of Thursday.
• In Montana, 6 fires have burned 27,723 acres as of Thursday.
• In Nevada, 1 fire has burned 1,966 acres as of Thursday.
• In New Mexico, 1 fire has burned 341,735 acres as of Thursday.
  • The Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire has burned 341,735 acres and is 98% contained as of Thursday.
• In North Carolina, 1 fire has burned 1,000 acres as of Thursday.
• In Oregon, 5 fires have burned 7,186 acres as of Thursday.
• In Texas, 4 fires have burned 2,151 acres as of Thursday.
• In Utah, 1 fire has burned 11,666 acres as of Thursday.
• In Washington, 3 fires have burned 38,359 acres as of Thursday.
• In Wyoming, 2 fires have burned 7,632 acres as of Thursday.

Extreme Heat

• July 2022 featured the hottest nights in U.S. history.
  • July 2022 recorded an average low temperature of 63.57 degrees in the contiguous United States, the warmest since official record-keeping began in 1880.
  • A trend toward warmer nights is one of the leading indicators of human-caused climate change.
  • During July, NOAA reported that four states posted their warmest July nights on record: Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Tennesse.
  • Increased cooling costs and demand are a consequence of such sweltering overnight temperatures.
  • Nighttime heat can also be extremely dangerous for human health, especially in parts of the country without reliable air conditioning or for people who cannot afford it.
  • Maricopa County, Arizona, confirmed 42 heat-associated deaths through the end of July and investigated many other deaths in which heat may have played a role.
• Scientists say the window for protecting the world’s largest ice sheet from significantly shrinking is narrowing. 
  • A team of researchers from Australia, Britain, France, and the United States predicts that the East Antarctica Ice Sheet has the potential to unleash sea level rises of up to 16 ½ feet over the long term if greenhouse gas emissions targets aren’t met.
• Climate change has caused the cancellation of various outdoor performances.
  • In 2018 the Oregon Shakespeare Festival canceled 25 performances because of wildfire smoke; In 2020, while the pandemic shut the theater down, a massive fire destroyed 2,600 local homes, including those of several staffers; In 2021, wildfire smoke caused the Oregon Shakespeare Festival to cancel almost every performance in August. 
  • Smoke or fire conditions have also prompted cancellations in recent years at the Butterfly Effect Theater of Colorado; the California Shakespeare Theater, known as Cal Shakes; the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival in Nevada; and the Getty Villa in Malibu, California, among others.
  • In southern Ohio, a growing number of performances of an annual history play called “Tecumseh!” have been canceled because of heavy rain.
  • In northwest Arkansas, rising heat is afflicting “The Great Passion Play.”
  • In Texas, record heat forced the Austin Symphony Orchestra to cancel several outdoor chamber concerts. 
  • Many outdoor performing venues say that, even as they are bracing for the effects of climate change, they are also trying to limit how they contribute to it.

New Reports And Data

• An August 2022 report found that in 2022, there will continue to be an increase of over 150% in high tide flooding compared with the year 2000 in eastern U.S. and Gulf Coast communities.
• An August 2022 study found a link between exposure to PFAS and liver cancer.