Key Facts Of The Day 09/07

Hurricanes

• As of Wednesday morning, Hurricane Danielle was located about 690 miles northwest of the Azores and was moving northeast at 14 MPH.
• As of early Wednesday, Hurricane Earl formed in the Atlantic, was located about 485 miles south of Bermuda, and was moving north at 6 MPH.
  • Hurricane forecasters predict Earl to strengthen into a Category 3 storm.
  • On Sunday, a stranded spearfisher was rescued by helicopter from volatile waters in the U.S. Virgin Islands during the storm. 
• On Monday, state officials announced water pressure has been restored in Jackson, Mississippi.
  • For a week, more than 150,000 residents had no access to safe drinking water, and schools and businesses were left with little running water.
  • The city’s tap water has not yet been deemed safe to drink, and a state-issued boil-water notice remains in effect.
  • Jackson Public Schools returned to in-person learning on Tuesday after having to do virtual learning because of the water crisis. 
• On Monday, crews were fixing 50 power poles toppled by a wind storm that left about 36,000 customers in the dark in Bullhead City, Arizona.
• On Sunday, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said flood maps used by the federal government are outdated due to climate change.

Wildfires

• As of Wednesday, there are currently 66 large active wildfires that have burned 438,364 across CA, ID, MT, OR, TX, UT, WA, and WY. As of Wednesday, 49,193 wildfires have burned 6,311,144 acres across the country.
• In California, 8 fires have burned 67,981 acres as of Wednesday.
  • The Fairview Fire has burned 4,500 acres and is 5% contained as of Wednesday.
    • The Fairview fire destroyed at least seven structures and damaged several more near the city of Hemet in Riverside County.
    • About 5,000 homes were under evacuation orders.
    • Two people died in the fire, and another person was taken to a hospital with serious burns to their arms, back, and face. 
    • Schools were closed Tuesday in Hemet due to the fire and will remain shut Wednesday.
    • A high temperature of 106 degrees was recorded Tuesday in Hemet, and daytime temperatures will be above 100 degrees through Friday.
  • The Mill Fire has burned 3,935 acres and is 55% contained as of Wednesday.
    • In Northern California’s Siskiyou County, two women, ages 66 and 73, died in the Mill Fire.
  • The Mountain Fire has burned 11,690 acres and is 30% contained as of Wednesday.
  • Cal Fire Battalion Chief Jon Heggie said the prolonged drought conditions have created “extremely dangerous” conditions as the parched land holds “a huge amount of dead fuel.”
• In Oregon, 9 fires have burned 130,942 acres as of Wednesday.
  • The Rum Creek Fire has burned 20,029 acres and is 42% contained as of Wednesday.
• In Texas, 2 fires have burned 4,100 acres as of Wednesday.
• A report by the National Science Foundation argues that current computer models for predicting wildfires are outdated and ignore a “firehose” of new data from space satellites and other sources that helps predict the flow of smoke and related water pollution. 

Extreme Heat

• As a historic heat wave hits the West, shattering records and straining California’s electricity grid, thousands of people were left without power Wednesday.
  • As of Tuesday evening, about 35,700 people lost electricity in Silicon Valley and southern and inland areas of the San Francisco Bay Area.
  • Even at night, record-high low temperatures are offering little relief to residents or power suppliers. 
  • Coastal areas — often a refuge from heat — were also hit with scorching temperatures.
  • An excessive heat warning remains in effect for much of California through Friday, with temperatures expected to reach the triple digits in many regions. 
  • Downtown Sacramento hit 116 degrees, surpassing a nearly century-old record.
    • Lows in downtown Sacramento and Stockton tied all-time records for warm temperatures, at 77 and 75, respectively.
    • Sacramento is also expected to break a record for the most consecutive days at 100 degrees or higher. If temperatures reach that level through Friday, as forecasted, the city will hit 45 consecutive days. 
  • Six cities in the Bay Area set all-time records Tuesday, including Santa Rosa at 116 and Napa at 115.
    • In San Francisco, the conditions caused delays for BART trains, which were forced to run at slower speeds, as hot tracks can cause dangers such as derailment.
  • Southern California is also expected to reach extreme temperatures on Wednesday.
    • Burbank is expected to reach 110 on Wednesday, smashing a record of 106 set in 1944. 
    • Woodland Hills is expected to reach 110 degrees Wednesday, beating the 109 degrees set in 1955. 
    • Lancaster is expected to tie its record of 109 degrees.

New Reports and Data

• A September 2022 study found that while climate anxiety is low amongst the UK public, it may be an important driver of climate action.
• A September 2022 study found that global fish stocks can’t rebuild if nothing is done to halt climate change and overfishing.