Key Facts Of The Day 08/26

Hurricanes

• After record-setting rainfall this week, Jackson, Mississippi, is preparing for the Pearl River to reach 36 feet by Tuesday, leading to flooded streets.
  • Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba called for voluntary evacuations Thursday.
  • The mayor said sandbags are being made available, and shelters will open as needed.
• On Friday, a flood watch stretches along southern Mississippi into Alabama and the far western panhandle of Florida through the afternoon. 
  • The flood watch includes Pensacola, Florida; Mobile, Alabama; and Hattiesburg and Natchez, Mississippi.
• On Wednesday, authorities in eastern New Mexico warned residents of continued flooding along the Pecos River.
  • Storm runoff has led to historical flows, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a flood warning for the area near Lake Arthur.
  • Some roads in Dexter and other communities have been closed due to the high water levels.
• The main highway from Los Angeles to Phoenix, Interstate 10, was damaged by a flash flood that washed out part of the road through the Southern California desert in the latest monsoonal thunderstorms.
  • While traffic was halted, officials recommended that people heading from Southern California use Interstates 8 or 40, which are major detours.
  • Flooding also affected other roads in the region, including State Routes 177, 78, and 62.
• This summer, the vast majority of the continental United States has experienced some type of climate-related extreme weather warning.
  • So far this summer, 116 counties have issued multiple types of climate-related warnings in the same week.
    • Most of the concurrent warnings covered both heat and wildfire risk; 18 counties warned of both flooding and heat, while 15 warned of fire weather and flood alerts.
  • About 49% of counties in the continental U.S. have issued a flood warning this summer, with some counties in Arkansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, and South Dakota issuing three to four weeks’ worth of flood warnings.

Wildfires

• As of Friday, there are currently 40 large active wildfires that have burned 267,953 across CA, ID, MT, NC, OR, UT, and WA. As of Friday, 47,407 wildfires have burned 6,101,221 acres across the country.
• In California, 5 fires have burned 97,898 acres as of Friday.
  • The McKinney Fire has burned 60,138 acres and is 99% contained as of Friday.
• In Idaho, 13 fires have burned 121,032 acres as of Friday.
• In Montana, 10 fires have burned 20,330 acres as of Friday.
• In North Carolina, 1 fire has burned 1,226 acres as of Friday.
• In Oregon, 6 fires have burned  11,080 acres as of Friday.
• In Utah, 1 fire has burned 11,702 acres as of Friday.
• In Washington, 3 fires have burned 3,323 acres as of Friday.
• This summer, wildfire weather warnings have been issued in counties that comprise about 40% of the continental U.S.

Extreme Heat

• As climate change increases temperatures, many of America’s delivery workers who work in vehicles with no air conditioning are falling gravely ill.
  • During a heat wave in July, Fernando Castillo, a UPS driver, got so dizzy driving that he had to pull over. After seeking shelter in a veterinary clinic, he passed out.
  • A UPS driver in Scottsdale, Arizona, was seen on a doorbell camera collapsing while delivering a package in 113-degree heat.
  • In California, UPS driver Esteban Chavez Jr. died of suspected heatstroke.
  • An E&E News analysis of data kept by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that between 2015 and 2021, parcel delivery and mail services had the second-highest rates of workers falling ill due to heat illness.
• This summer, 85% of counties in the continental United States have experienced at least one heat alert. 
  • And almost 1,600 counties — nearly half the counties in the Lower 48 — have experienced seven days of heat alerts.
• About 85% of the U.S. population currently lives in metro areas, and the heat island effect is felt most intensely in New Orleans, Louisiana, New York City, Houston, Texas, San Francisco, California, and Newark, New Jersey.
  • In New York, the heat index is substantially higher in Washington Heights, Harlem, and the South Bronx neighborhoods in the afternoon and evening compared to the Upper East Side, Central Park, and the Upper West Side.
  • Urban heat lingers and is usually maximized at night, preventing people from getting relief when their bodies desperately need it.
  • Areas with extreme and prolonged heat see increased cases of kids with asthma going to the emergency room, older adults with chronic lung issues having complications, and decreased worker productivity because of heat exhaustion.
• A new study found that “dangerous heat” in coming decades will likely hit much of the world at least three times more often as climate change worsens.

New Reports and Data

• An August 2022 study found that “dangerous heat” in coming decades will likely hit much of the world at least three times more often as climate change worsens.
• An August 2022 study found that about 80 to 90% of U.S. citizens misjudged how many of their peers are concerned about the effects of climate change.