Key Facts Of The Day 1/10

Storms and Flooding

• As of Tuesday morning, the atmospheric river storm continued to move across California and has already forced thousands to evacuate, prompted dozens of water rescues, swept away vehicles, and caused widespread damage.
  • As of Tuesday morning, more than 11 million people in western Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties in California were under a flood warning.
  • As of Tuesday morning, about 34 million people across California were under flood watches as the risk of mudslides also shifted to the Los Angeles and San Diego areas.
  • As of Tuesday morning, more than 200,000 residents were without power after high wind speeds sent trees crashing into power lines.
  • The mountainous areas of Southern California received more than a foot of rain from Sunday to early Tuesday, particularly along the Ventura and Santa Barbara County mountains.
    • On Monday, California officials evacuated the entire town of Montecito near Santa Barbara amid fears that heavy rains might trigger a deadly avalanche on a wildfire burn scar.
  • In Santa Clara County, about 32,000 people were under evacuation orders Monday afternoon, and more could be asked to leave Tuesday.
  • School districts across the state closed as roads transformed into rivers riddled with debris.
  • In Los Angeles, four people escaped after a sinkhole swallowed two cars on Monday night. Another sinkhole in Santa Barbara caused a road closure impacting 500 homes.
  • At least 14 Californians have died from “storm-related impacts” such as flooding since late December.
  • President Biden issued an emergency declaration on Monday to bring federal support to relief efforts in more than a dozen counties.

Wildfire

• As of January 6, 2023, there are currently 0 large active wildfires that have burned 0 acres. As of January 9, 2023, 78 wildfires have burned 549 acres across the country.

Extreme Heat

• Record rainfalls in California and early season snowpack in Colorado will ease the West’s short-term drought status but offer little respite to the shrunken Colorado River.
• The world’s eight hottest years on record have occurred since 2014.
  • 2022 was the world’s fifth hottest year on record.
  • Overall, the world is now 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.1 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than in the second half of the 19th century.
• As Puget Sound continues to warm, fish parasites are declining by nearly 11% each decade which could be a problem for marine ecosystems.

New Reports and Data

• An updated January 2023 report found that the U.S. endured 18 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters that resulted in at least $165 billion in damages and 474 deaths in 2022.
• A January 2023 study found that including climate impact labels on a sample fast food menu influenced participants’ food choices in favor of more climate-friendly items.
• A January 2023 study found that climate change will slow down deep overturning ocean circulation in the coming centuries, causing disaster to the marine ecosystem on a large portion of the planet.