Climate Impact Report – 10/21

Quick Facts

A major storm, called a bomb cyclone, is approaching the Pacific Northwest and will be the main factor in kicking off several days of wet weather around the region.
After nearly a year without rain, a series of potent Pacific storms are directed at Northern California this week, potentially bringing as much as a foot of rainfall and up to three feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada.
- The storms could lead to flash floods and dangerous debris flows in a wide swath of the region already devastated by the recent Dixie and Caldor wildfires.
- There is a possibility for a rare category 5 atmospheric river event on Sunday.
Isolated severe storms are possible Thursday afternoon and night in parts of Alabama.
A series of blustery storms will hit Whatcom County and Skagit County, Washington, which could cause widespread power outages and damage.
As of Wednesday, AT&T announced it is spending tens of millions of dollars to bury its fiber-optic cables that were previously held up by utility poles in the parts of Louisiana that were hardest hit by Hurricane Ida.
All 4 of the oil and gas industry groups’ top choices were selected for appointment to a council formed in response to the February power crisis in Texas.

As of Wednesday, there are currently 17 large active wildfires that have burned 2,229,853 acres across CA, ID, MT, OR, and WA. This year to date, 47,884 wildfires have burned 6,515,883 acres across the country.
While wildfires blaze in western United States, about 75% of asthma cases and deaths from smoke pollutants occurred east of the Rocky Mountains.
California wildfires destroyed some key fire lookouts within forests.
Wildfire smoke pushes migrating birds hundreds of miles out of their way.
In California, 8 fires have burned 1,905,702 acres as of Wednesday.
- The Alisal Fire burned 17,281 acres and was 97% contained as of Wednesday.
- The Caldor Fire burned 221,835 acres and was 98% contained as of Wednesday.
- The Dixie Fire burned 963,309 acres and was 95% contained as of Wednesday.
- The KNP Complex Fire burned 88,278 acres and was 60% contained as of Wednesday.
In Idaho, 3 fires have burned a total of 135,842 acres as of Wednesday.
In Montana, 3 fires have burned a total of 5,684 acres as of Wednesday.
In Oregon, 2 fires have burned a total of 75,303 acres as of Wednesday.
In Washington, 1 fire has burned a total of 107,322 acres as of Wednesday.

As of Thursday morning, nearly 95% of Colorado is considered “abnormally dry” and about 66% of the state has at least moderate drought.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials are completing an unprecedented effort to save more than 1 million Chinook salmon, a campaign that also may help preserve a way of life for the Hupa tribe.
Due to the extreme summer temperatures, Oregon Christmas tree growers expect a 5-10% drop in yields for 2021.
The record-breaking heatwave that hit Whatcom County, Washington earlier this summer reduced the raspberry crop by 30.2%.
People moving to cities in rapidly urbanizing areas are increasingly vulnerable to soaring temperatures and high humidity.
As temperatures rise in northern regions, migrating species are seeing less benefit from migrating north for the summer months.
Warming temperatures have altered the patterns of Maine’s two most profitable species, lobsters and soft-shell clams, with some experts worried about the potential for further population declines.

An October 2021 study found that extreme heat exposure can have a negative impact on mental health.
An October 2021 study found that urban wastes used as fertilizers contain higher PFAS than livestock manure.
An October 2021 study found that more than 99.9% of peer-reviewed scientific papers agree that climate change is mainly caused by humans.
An October 2021 study found a way to develop flexible power generators that mimic the way seaweed sways to efficiently convert surface and underwater waves into electricity to power marine-based devices.