Key Facts Of The Day 09/08

Hurricanes

• As of Thursday morning, Hurricane Danielle weakened to a tropical storm, was located about 660 miles north-northwest of the Azores, and had sustained wind speeds of 70 MPH.
• As of Thursday morning, Hurricane Earl was located 265 miles south of Bermuda, churning in a northward direction at 10 MPH, and had sustained wind speeds of 105 MPH.
• Remnants of Hurricane Kay are forecast to bring substantial rainfall and possible flooding to Southern California on Friday and Saturday.
  • Due to the recent heatwave and drought, there is a serious risk of flooding as runoff affects the parched terrain.
  • Parts of Southern California will also see dangerously hot conditions on Thursday and Friday as Hurricane Kay causes strong, hot, and dry winds to blow toward the Pacific coast from inland desert regions.

Wildfires

• As of Thursday, there are currently 71 large active wildfires that have burned 496,941 across CA, ID, MT, OR, TX, UT, WA, and WY. As of Thursday, 49,326 wildfires have burned 6,336,748 acres across the country.
• In California, 8 fires have burned 80,796 acres as of Thursday.
  • The Fairview Fire has burned 9,846 acres and is 5% contained as of Thursday.
  • The Mill Fire has burned 3,935 acres and is 75% contained as of Thursday.
  • The Mountain Fire has burned 11,690 acres and is 45% contained as of Thursday.
• In Oregon, 11 fires have burned 147,579 acres as of Thursday.
  • The Rum Creek Fire has burned 20,029 acres and is 44% contained as of Thursday.
• In Texas, 1 fire has burned 2,000 acres as of Thursday.

Extreme Heat

• A new Citi and Gallup analysis found that people who experienced extreme heat days also reported a decrease in their sense of well-being around the same time.
  • The global population experienced three times as many extreme heat days in 2020 than in 2008, and well-being decreased globally by 6.5% in that time as well.
  • Researchers also found that because the climate crisis is pushing temperatures even hotter, global well-being could decrease by another 17% by the end of this decade.
  • Researchers found that the impact on well-being is more significant among older generations than young, and among those living in countries with developing economies – where people are less equipped to handle the economic toll of the climate crisis.
  • The report also noted people living in the southernmost regions of many nations are at increasing risk of sweltering temperatures and its associated decline in well-being, including residents along the US Gulf Coast.
  • Researchers also linked warming temperatures and related disasters like drought to major conflicts and food insecurity – both of which can propel people from poorer and hotter countries to migrate to wealthier nations in cooler climates.
• Extreme heat, damaging winds, and an increased fire threat will escalate across Southern California from Thursday through Saturday as Hurricane Kay aims to approach the western coastline of Baja California.
  • Parts of Southern California will see dangerously hot conditions on Thursday and Friday, as Kay causes strong, hot, and dry winds to blow toward the Pacific coast from inland desert regions.
  • Los Angeles will push triple-digit heat Thursday and Friday, with temperatures between 100 and 112 – with overnight temperatures set to fall only to the mid-70s to mid-80s. 
  • San Diego is under an excessive heat warning, with temperatures up to 97 degrees.
• At least 10 places in California have set all-time high temperature records during the heat wave, while more set records for the monthly high temperature for September.
  • Residents, for the ninth consecutive day on Thursday, were asked to set thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, avoid using major appliances, and turn off all unnecessary lights between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m.
• In Nevada, NV Energy is urging all customers to reduce electricity usage through Thursday, saying increased demand amid the heat wave could significantly reduce the energy available for the state from Western energy markets.
• On Monday, one hiker died and five others were rescued after suffering from extreme heat in Arizona when temperatures were well above 100 degrees.
  • The group ran out of water and got lost while hiking on the Spur Cross Trail.
• Citizen scientists were mapping which neighborhoods shoulder the highest ‘heat burden’ in New York.
  • The south Bronx was 8 degrees hotter than the Upper West Side and Upper East Side, some of the city’s richest neighborhoods, just a few miles away.
    • Five major highways run through and around the south Bronx, and the south Bronx waterfront is so developed that residents cannot readily access the blue space.
    • Meanwhile, the Upper West Side sits between Central Park and Riverside Park, which looks out onto the Hudson River.
  • There are approximately 370 heat-related deaths in New York City on average each year, with the Bronx being especially vulnerable.
    • Poor air quality and inadequate access to cooling and air conditioning further exacerbate the likelihood of heatstrokes and deaths from heat exposure.
    • Many low-income residents are not able to afford an air conditioner, which is an increasing necessity with rising temperatures.
  • As higher night-time temperatures prevent people from recuperating overnight, it is also driving a rise in sleep-related mental health problems.
• California’s wine country, including the famed Napa and Sonoma valleys, faces a climate crisis so dire that it’s posing an existential threat to the future of the state’s industry.
  • The crops have been hit by deep freezes, extreme heat, drought, and wildfires in the span of a few months. 
  • Craig Ledbetter said about a third of the crop on his family vineyards were lost to the late freeze, and now the remaining crop might shrivel under the extreme heat.
  • The state’s wine-grape production is expected to drop almost 4% this year to 3.5 million tons and will be the second smallest crop of the decade. 

New Reports and Data

• A September 2022 study found that growing numbers of Native American households in Nevada face plumbing poverty and water quality problems.
• A recently updated June 2022 study found that temperatures in Middle Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean countries are rising almost twice as fast as the rest of the world.