Facts Of The Day 10/4

Extreme Heat

• The company Pattern Energy will develop a 2-gigawatt transmission line called Southern Cross that will connect the Texas power grid to states in the southeast

• California is closing down its last nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon.

• Due to ongoing droughts, Colorado River’s Glen Canyon Dam is at risk of reaching a dead pool, putting the power generation of 7 states at risk.

• Heatwaves pose a risk to pregnant women, especially pregnant women of color, by increasing the chances of going into labor early, having a stillbirth, or having a baby with low birthweight.

• In Arizona, megadrought ignites tensions and threatens traditions among the Hopi.

• Due to devastating drought conditions, Californians see fewer options and a higher price tag at pumpkin patches this year.

• Shorter and milder winters threatened the growth of Georgia’s iconic peaches.

• An Iowa corn and soybean farmer replanted 80% of their soybeans because of frost damage and extreme drought.

Wildfires

• As of Monday, there are currently 52 large active wildfires that have burned 2,985,979 acres across CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, OK, OR, WA, and WY. This year to date, 46,508 wildfires have burned 5,945,756 acres across the country.

• Wildfire smoke from Southern California was expected to drift into the Bay Area on Monday, causing hazy skies.

• Accuweather estimates that the 2021 fire season damages will be $70 billion to $90 billion in the U.S., with $45 billion to $55 billion of those damages to California alone.

• In California, 9 fires have burned 2,005,020 acres as of Monday.

  • The Caldor Fire burned 221,775 acres and was 93% contained as of Monday.

  • The Dixie Fire burned 963,309 acres and was 94% contained as of Monday.

  • The KNP Complex Fire burned 62,761 acres and was 20% contained as of Monday.

• In Colorado, 1 fire has burned a total of 3,792 acres as of Monday.

• In Idaho, 18 fires have burned a total of 246,544 acres as of Monday.

• In Montana, 8 fires have burned a total of 200,490 acres as of Monday.

• In Nevada, 2 fires have burned a total of 89,637 acres as of Monday.

• In Oklahoma, 1 fire has burned a total of 832 acres as of Monday.

• In Oregon, 6 fires have burned a total of 292,301 acres as of Monday.

• In Washington, 4 fires have burned a total of 131,822 acres as of Monday.

• In Wyoming, 3 fires have burned a total of 15,541 acres as of Monday.

Hurricanes

• As of Monday morning, Hurricane Sam is at a Category 2 status with top winds at 105 MPH. Sam is located 465 miles south-southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland, moving northeast at 30 MPH.

  • Sam is expected to speed up then slow down near Iceland by midweek.

  • Sam remained a major hurricane, of Category 3 and above, for nearly eight days, which tied it with 1996′s Hurricane Edouard for the fourth longest-lasting major hurricane in the Atlantic.

• As of Monday morning, Tropical Depression Victor was moving west-northwest in the far eastern Atlantic and expected to dissipate within hours.

• So far this year, no hurricanes have hit Puerto Rico.

• After a 10 day dry stretch, Atlanta could pick up a month’s worth of rain in less than a week.

  • Locally heavy rain could lead to flooding concerns, with the greatest flood risk arriving Monday evening and lasting through Wednesday.

  • Repeated rounds of showers and storms are likely through Thursday.

• This year’s extreme weather events is a preview of even more turbulent times that will continue for at least the span of a 30 year period.

  • Due to the escalating prevalence of wildfires, hurricanes, and floods, many desirable homes and businesses will quickly become uninsurable and potentially uninhabitable.

  • Heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, and floods can upend entire communities, cities, and regions, hitting the most vulnerable populations among us the hardest.

  • Even if greenhouse gas emissions are immediately and sharply curtailed to reduce long-term warming, these events could still occur over the next 30 years because of the inertia of the climate system.

  • It will take several decades for the beneficial effects of emissions cuts to be noticeable.

  • Hurricanes are dumping more water, on average, than they used to, and more hurricanes are making sudden leaps in intensity.

• Dearborn Heights, Michigan will pursue 6 major flood mitigation projects.

Climate Studies