Facts Of The Day 10/6

Hurricanes

• 71 counties in north and central Georgia are under flash flood watch until Thursday morning.
  • Isolated strong to severe storms that could produce damaging winds and hail may also take place across parts of the Southeast. 
• A flash flood watch remains in effect for much of Alabama through Thursday as an upper low to the west will keep a wet weather pattern in place.
• 250,000 gallons of wastewater overflowed from sewage systems in western Baldwin County, Alabama.
• Flooding rain in the South could potentially delay truckers. 
• The Great Lakes Water Authority estimates between $5 billion to $20 billion is needed for infrastructure fixes to prevent heavy storms from flooding Metro Detroit. 
• As climate change brings increasingly frequent and severe weather events, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers seek natural flood control solutions.

Wildfires

• As of Tuesday, there are currently 52 large active wildfires that have burned 3,008,766 acres across CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, OK, OR, WA, and WY. This year to date, 46,539 wildfires have burned 6,396,813 acres across the country. 
• As of Tuesday, the Windy fire in California has destroyed 44 giant sequoias. 
• North Dakota’s extreme drought conditions have fueled wildfires to burn 10 times more acres in 2021 so far compared to the entirety of 2020.
  • As North Dakota heads into peak fall fire season, the state has already faced 2,400 wildfires this year. 
• The U.S. Forest Service approved the long-lasting Perimeter Solutions’ fire retardant which is intended to be used as a preventative measure and can last for months.
• In California, 9 fires have burned 2,021,800 acres as of Tuesday.
  • The Caldor Fire burned 221,775 acres and was 93% contained as of Tuesday. 
  • The Dixie Fire burned 963,309 acres and was 94% contained as of Tuesday.
  • The KNP Complex Fire burned 76,768 acres and was 11% contained as of Tuesday.
• In Colorado, 1 fire has burned a total of 3,792 acres as of Tuesday. 
• In Idaho, 18 fires have burned a total of 247,076 acres as of Tuesday.
• In Montana, 9 fires have burned a total of 206,368 acres as of Tuesday.
• In Nevada, 2 fires have burned a total of 89,637 acres as of Tuesday.
• In Oklahoma, 1 fire has burned a total of 832 acres as of Tuesday.
• In Oregon, 6 fires have burned a total of 292,316 acres as of Tuesday.
• In Washington, 4 fires have burned a total of 131,822 acres as of Tuesday.
• In Wyoming, 2 fires have burned a total of 15,123 acres as of Tuesday.

Extreme Heat

• As climate change-fueled extreme weather events, such as storms and droughts, become more frequent and intense, farmers are increasingly feeling stressed, anxious, and depressed. 
  • A Californian rancher found nothing but sand in his well and could not afford the $15,000 to $30,000 it would take to drill a new well. 
  • A family farm in California contemplates the need to plant more drought-resistant perennial crops.
  • The farmer crisis hotline run by Farm Aid has had a significant increase in calls related to national disasters that are exacerbated if not caused by climate change.
• Due to the extreme drought conditions in California and lack of water for livestock, Three Star Ranch Station had to sell all their cattle.  
• Amid rising temperatures, years of drought, and recession, the small town of Stratford continues to fade
• Pleasant City, California is another city in the Bay Area that has declared a local drought and water shortage emergency, and requires residents to reduce their water usage by 15%. 
• As of last Thursday, about 60% of North Dakota was classified as being in an extreme drought.

New Reports And Data

• An October 2021 study found that large-scale solar parks in arid locations produce cool islands.
• An October 2021 study found that climate change could challenge efforts to protect biodiversity within the network of protected areas around the globe.
• An October 2021 study found that widespread blooms of toxic algae in the warming Alaskan Arctic Ocean present potential new threats to humans and marine wildlife.