Key Facts Of The Day 11/8

Hurricanes

• As Tropical Storm Wanda has dissipated, a new system was located a few hundred miles east-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, on Monday and is forecast to track to the east-northeast over the next few days.

  • The hurricane center said there’s a chance that it could develop some of the features of a subtropical storm late this week or this weekend as it heads away from the U.S.

• A powerful storm will develop with strong winds, heavy snow and severe thunderstorms this week in portions of the Plains, Midwest and western Great Lakes.

• A storm off the northern coast of Florida contributed to coastal flooding Friday and Saturday up and down the Southeast coast.

  • No major damage was reported, but some roads in coastal communities like Charleston, South Carolina, were closed.

  • During the storm Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia saw abnormally high tides.

• As Michigan’s temperature drops and snow starts to fall, researchers claim Michigan needs to diversify its power to prepare the state’s power grid for climate change.

• As temperatures drop, winter heating bills increase.

• As Texas faces a greater risk of extreme weather such as hurricanes, heat, and drought, but Gov. Greg Abbott’s administration has no plan to tackle future threats of climate change.

Wildfires

• As of Friday, there are currently 4 large active wildfires that have burned 204,184 acres across CA and MT. This year to date, 48,725 wildfires have burned 6,529,662 acres across the country.

• Prescribed burns are key to reducing wildfire risk, but federal agencies are lagging.

• Wildfires have forced winemakers to make more rosé in order to avoid a smoky-tasting wine.

• The Caldor Fire burned thousands of conifers, scorched chairlift towers, destroyed a maintenance shop and raised temperatures in some places to an estimated 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit at Sierra-at-Tahoe resort property.

• In California, 3 fires have burned 202,805 acres as of Friday.

  • The Alisal Fire burned 16,970 acres and was 99% contained as of Friday.

  • The KNP Complex Fire burned 88,307 acres and was 75% contained as of Friday.

  • The Windy Fire burned 97,528 acres and was 92% contained as of Friday.

• In Montana, 1 fire has burned a total of 1,379 acres as of Friday.

Extreme Heat

• The higher temperatures and drought caused by climate change has depleted many rivers and reservoirs in Colorado.

  • The Ute Mountain Ute Farm and Ranch Enterprise this year had to lay off 50% of their staff, who are mostly members of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, after the depleted water sources led to a reduction in the alfalfa and corn crops.

• Warming temperatures and drought due to climate change will delay and inhibit Michigan’s autumn foliage color change in the years ahead.

• October’s torrential rains brought some drought relief to northern California, but much of this state is still in exceptional drought conditions.

• The worst drought on record has affected the natural ecosystem in Utah, with the mule deer population especially in decline.

• Scientists at Florida Gulf Coast University are turning fish killed by Red Tide into ready-to-use organic fertilizer.

• The California Public Utilities Commission issued a set of proposals to address the risk of electricity outages during extreme heat events similar to the climate-driven, west-wide heat waves of 2020 and 2021.

New Reports And Data

• A November 2021 study found that climate change has been the main cause of the growing amount of land in the western U.S. destroyed by large wildfires.

• A November 2021 study found that most of the current electricity demand in advanced, industrialized nations can be met by some combination of wind and solar power.

• A November 2021 study found a link between PFAS exposure and late-onset preeclampsia in pregnant women.

• A September 2021 poll found that 70% of Americans are now very or somewhat worried about global warming.