Key Facts Of The Day 11/18

Hurricane

• A dangerous lake-effect snowstorm hit parts of western and northern New York, with nearly 2 feet of snow already on the ground in some places by midmorning and possibly much more on the way.
  • About 6 million people in six Great Lakes states – from Wisconsin to New York – are under snow alerts Friday.
  • On Thursday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for 11 counties.
  • The National Weather Service reported more than 2 feet of snow in many places along the eastern end of Lake Erie, with bands of heavier precipitation bringing nearly 34 inches in Hamburg, New York.
  • Amtrak stations in Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Depew closed Thursday and will stay closed Friday.
  • Numerous flights in and out of Buffalo Niagara International Airport were canceled.
• In early November an extreme storm trapped hikers and their rescuers, in a Southern California canyon for 3 days.
• The North American Electric Reliability Corp. warned that Texas, the Midwest, and New England are at risk of having insufficient electric power supplies in a “worst-case” extreme winter storm like Winter Storm Uri.

Wildfires

• As of November 11, there are currently 19 large active wildfires that have burned 11,358 across AZ, GA, KY, NC, OH, TN, TX, and VA. As of November 11, 61,390 wildfires have burned 7,251,835 acres across the country.
• In Arizona, 1 fire has burned 808 acres as of November 11.
• In Georgia, 1 fire has burned 115 acres as of November 11.
• In North Carolina, 1 fire has burned 105 acres as of November 11.
• In Texas, 1 fire has burned 1,500 acres as of November 11.

Extreme Heat

• Christmas tree growers are warning that their prices will inflate this year due to environmental conditions and inflation.
  • The variety of trees available will likely be smaller than usual and some Christmas tree farms may even run out of trees.
  • A drought that began earlier this year destroyed 1,000 of a Texas farmer’s Virginia pine trees, and he says that the loss in inventory is common among farms in the South.
• Due to the ongoing drought and inflation, Oklahoma farmers and ranchers are paying three times the average cost of hay this year. This makes it very expensive to take care of cattle and horses.
• A trio of bills affecting water rights and infrastructure for Arizona tribes took a step closer to becoming law on Wednesday.
  • The Senate Indian Affairs Committee, without debate, approved bills granting water rights to the Hualapai, letting the Colorado River Indian Tribes lease their water, and adding funding and extending the deadline for review of a water system for the White Mountain Apache.
  • The hearing comes as the West suffers through a 22-year-long drought that has led to historically low water levels in Lake Mead.

New Reports and Data

• A November 2022 report found that global warming worsened the West Africa floods that killed 800 people.
• A November 2022 poll found that about 63% of respondents said they consider out-of-control wildfires an “extremely or very serious problem.”