Key Facts Of The Day 08/30

Hurricanes

• On Monday, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency after excessive rainfall worsened problems in one of Jackson’s already troubled water-treatment plants.
  • The National Weather Service said the Pearl River had crested at about 35.4 feet.
    • One home was flooded Monday, but Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said the water did not rise as high as expected.
  • The problems of the water treatment plants are causing low water pressure through much of the city of 150,000 people in central Mississippi.
  • Gov. Reeves said the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency would start distributing drinking water and non-potable water, and the National Guard would be called in to help.
  • Even before the flooding on Monday caused low-water pressure problems, city residents were already being advised to boil the water from their pipes before using it to wash dishes or do other household chores.
    •  Tests found a cloudy quality to the water that could lead to health problems.
  • The mayor said last week that fixing Jackson’s water system could cost $200 million.
• A tropical storm is likely to develop this week from a disturbance east of the Lesser Antilles, and has a small chance to eventually threaten the Bahamas and even creep onto U.S. weather maps.
  • The National Hurricane Center in Miami estimates that the tropical disturbance has an 80% chance of eventual maturation into a tropical depression or named storm.
  • Late August into September is usually the buildup to peak hurricane season in the Atlantic, but so far the basin has been largely dormant.
  • If August does draw to a close Wednesday without a single named storm forming, it will be the first empty August since 1997.

Wildfires

• As of Tuesday, there are currently 40 large active wildfires that have burned 281,819 across AZ, CA, ID, MT, OR, UT, and WA. As of Tuesday, 48,057 wildfires have burned 7,330,874 acres across the country.
• In Arizona, 1 fire has burned 1,362 acres as of Tuesday.
• In California, 5 fires have burned 103,423 acres as of Tuesday.
  • The McKinney Fire has burned 60,138 acres and is 99% contained as of Tuesday.
• In Idaho, 14 fires have burned 125,469 acres as of Tuesday.
• In Montana, 9 fires have burned 13,606 acres as of Tuesday.
• In Oregon, 7 fires have burned 23,092 acres as of Tuesday.
  • The Rum Creek Fire has burned 11,696 acres and is 1% contained as of Tuesday.
    • The fire has continued its rapid spread through a rural area and destroyed a house and two mining structures.
    • A heat wave moving into the area in the coming days could worsen the situation and make it easier for fuels to burn.
    • With much of the region in drought, Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency due to the imminent threat of wildfires statewide.
    • The fire was started by lightning on Aug. 17 and killed Logan Taylor, a 25-year-old firefighter, after being struck by a tree the next day.
• In Utah, 1 fire has burned 11,702 acres as of Tuesday.
• In Washington, 3 fires have burned 3,165 acres as of Tuesday.

Extreme Heat

• Weather models indicate that a potentially extreme and prolonged heat wave will build over western states this week and into the Labor Day weekend.
  • The National Weather Service in Sacramento warns of a “very dangerous heat risk” with high temperatures well above 100 degrees.
  • Much of California, parts of the Pacific Northwest, Nevada, Idaho, and Montana are entering autumn dry and flammable after a months-long dry season.
  • The heat wave is arriving just as windy weather patterns begin to increase in the West, increasing the chance of wildfires. 
  • Sacramento, California, could break its record for the number of days in a year exceeding 100 degrees.
  • Boise, Idaho, has already topped 100 degrees 22 times this year — the most since the city’s records began in 1875.
• The School District of Philadelphia says 100 schools will dismiss early on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the extreme heat.
  • Officials say the schools do not have sufficient cooling systems and will dismiss three hours early.
  • A Philadelphia school district teacher shared a photo showing the classroom thermostat at 90 degrees. 
    • The teacher said students were dripping in a pool of sweat and couldn’t focus.
  • All after-school and sports activities at the 100 schools will be canceled.

New Reports and Data

• An August 2022 study found that the Greenland ice sheet is set to raise sea levels by nearly a foot. 
• An August 2022 study found that selective planting of vegetation between roads and playgrounds can substantially cut toxic traffic-derived air pollution reaching school children.