Key Facts Of The Day 10/31

Hurricanes

• As of Monday morning, Tropical Storm Lisa had maximum sustained winds of 40 MPH and was moving west at 14 MPH. The center of the storm was located about 175 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica.
  • Tropical Storm Lisa formed Monday in the Caribbean south of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands and was forecast to make landfall, likely as a hurricane, in Central America later in the week.
• Heavy rain and thunderstorms could literally dampen trick-or-treating this Halloween.
  • The Pacific Northwest, Ohio Valley, and the southeastern and mid-Atlantic parts of the U.S. are expected to have some sort of rainfall
  • Texas and the lower Mississippi Valley could see flash floods.
• At least five tornadoes have been confirmed after a severe weather outbreak Saturday along the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coast.
  • Three tornadoes touched down in Jackson County, Mississippi, each with top winds estimated between 100 and 110 MPH.
    • One tornado damaged trees, a home, and some outbuildings.
  • In Alabama, two weak tornadoes with winds of 72 MPH or less were confirmed, one in Theodore and one south of downtown Mobile.
    • The Theodore tornado tore the roof off at least one house, blowing out windows. Other residents lost fences, trampolines, and above-ground swimming pools.
• Survivors of storms that pounded several U.S. states say the nation’s disaster aid system is broken and that they want reforms to get money into victims’ hands faster, with less red tape.
• NPR’s analysis found that the number of New Yorkers directly threatened by flooding could more than double from about 207,000 in 2020 to 468,000 in 2080.

Wildfires

• As of Thursday, there are currently 25 large active wildfires that have burned 256,629 across ID, IN, KY, MT, OK, OR, and WA. As of Thursday, 59,441 wildfires have burned 7,210,454 acres across the country.
• In Oregon, 2 fires have burned 128,183 acres as of Thursday.
  • The Cedar Creek Fire has burned 127,283 acres and is 60% contained as of Thursday.
• In Washington, 10 fires have burned 40,857 acres as of Thursday.

Extreme Heat

• After Western states failed to come up with a plan to cut their use of Colorado River water, the Interior Department on Friday said it is preparing to take steps to control the flow and keep hydropower dams generating electricity.
  • With water levels dropping at Lake Powell, the Interior Department said operators of Glen Canyon Dam may need to release less water, which would affect flows in the Grand Canyon and accelerate the decline of Lake Mead.
  • The Interior Department said releases from Hoover Dam may also need to be reduced — which would shrink the amounts of water flowing to California, Arizona, and Mexico.
  • Water from the Colorado River is used by about 40 million people, flowing to cities, farmlands, and tribal nations from the Rocky Mountains to Southern California.
  • Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the river’s two largest reservoirs, now sit nearly three-fourths empty.
• A Dartmouth College study found that extreme heat likely cost the world around $16 trillion between 1992 and 2013.
  • The world’s poorest and lowest carbon-emitting countries have suffered the most from the financial effects of severe heat.

New Reports and Data

• An October 2022 study found that extreme heat likely cost the world around $16 trillion between 1992 and 2013.
• An October 2022 report found that rich countries will be three years late in fulfilling their pledge to provide $100 billion annually in climate funding to developing nations.