Climate Impact Report – 10/16

Quick Facts

On Monday, Francis Marion Intermediate School in Iowa remained closed after storm damage caused part of the building to collapse, sending water into classrooms last week.
Two weeks after being inundated with more than seven inches of rain and runoff from Tropical Storm Ophelia, the Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn remained temporarily closed for repairs with no reopening date scheduled.
On Monday, forecasters said a tropical depression is likely to form by late this week from a system expected to move west generally toward the Caribbean.

As of Friday, 15 large active wildfires have burned 283,736 acres across 6 states: AZ, CA, LA, MI, NM, and OR.
In Arizona, 1 fire has burned 11,255 acres as of Friday.
In California, 7 fire has burned 177,559 acres as of Friday.
In Louisiana, 1 fire has burned 31,290 acres as of Friday.
In Michigan, 1 fire has burned 144 acres as of Friday.
In New Mexico, 1 fire has burned 2,358 acres as of Friday.
In Oregon, 4 fires have burned 61,130 acres as of Friday.

As of October 7, Maricopa County, Arizona, confirmed there have been at least 361 heat-associated deaths, and another 238 deaths remained under investigation.
- Approximately three-fourths of the heat-associated deaths in Maricopa County so far this year were outside.
- About 44% of those who died were people experiencing homelessness in a county where an estimated 10,000 don’t have permanent housing.
- More than a third of all the people who died were 65 or older.
- 89 indoor heat deaths in the county have been confirmed so far, mostly in homes where the air conditioning was not working or turned off.
An October 2023 study found that environmental events linked to climate change – including weather disasters, extreme heat, and poor air quality – can trigger or exacerbate mental health issues for kids and teens.