Key Facts Of The Day 11/9

Hurricane

• As of Wednesday morning, Tropical Storm Nicole is located about 25 miles east-northeast of Great Abaco Island, Bahamas and 210 miles east of West Palm Beach with 70 MPH sustained winds and higher gusts moving west at 12 MPH.
  • Nicole is forecast to become a hurricane and will make landfall in Florida tonight.
  • A​ hurricane warning has been issued for areas near Florida’s Atlantic coast.
  • Tropical storm warnings are in effect for a broad area of southern, central, and northern Florida to portions of the Georgia and South Carolina coasts.​
  • W​ind gusts over 40 mph are now occurring along and near Florida’s Atlantic coast. A few gusts over 50 mph have been reported at Lake Fort Worth Pier and Sewalls Point.
  • Water levels topped out around 2 feet above normal along Florida’s Atlantic coast with Wednesday morning’s high tide.
  • Minor street flooding was also reported around Wednesday morning’s high tide in Charleston, South Carolina.
  • On Wednesday, flooding was reported around homes on Anastasia Island, near St. Augustine, and on some streets in West Palm Beach.
  • On Wednesday, 884 U.S. flights had been canceled in Florida.
• A powerful storm pounded California with rain and snow Tuesday, leaving one person dead and two others missing after they were swept away by floodwaters in a canal.
  • The National Weather Service (NWS) has confirmed that a tornado touched down Tuesday afternoon near Galt in Sacramento County.
  • The stormy weather raised concerns it could keep people from voting on Election Day with flash flood warnings in effect in some areas.
  • In Southern California a current in a canal in the city of Ontario, swept six people away, killing one. Three others were rescued by firefighters and were being treated at a nearby hospital. Crews continued searching for two others amid the downpour.
  • The storm, which arrived Monday and was forecast to continue through Wednesday, prompted evacuation orders in parts of Southern California, including in the Santa Ana Mountains’ Bond Fire burn scar area.
• At least 18 tornadoes have been confirmed by various NWS offices across the southern Plains from Friday’s severe weather event.
  • In the southeastern Oklahoma town of Idabel, a massive wedge tornado caused destruction, with the American Red Cross stating that 185 structures in total were hit.
  • Officials in McCurtain County added that seven people suffered minor injuries due to the storms, and 63 homes were destroyed.
  • A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service (NWS) determined that it was an EF4 twister, ending the second-longest stretch in Oklahoma’s recorded history without a tornado of EF3 strength or above.

Wildfires

• As of November 4, there are currently 2 large active wildfires that have burned 127,483 across OR and TN. As of November 4, 60,647 wildfires have burned 7,227,371 acres across the country.
• In Oregon, 1 fire has burned 127,283 acres as of November 4.
  • The Cedar Creek Fire has burned 127,283 acres and is 75% contained as of November 4.
• In Tennessee, 1 fire has burned 200 acres as of November 4.
• • Estill County, Kentucky is under a state of emergency because of two wildfires – the Pitts Fire and Chamberlain Fire – in the area.
  • Billows of smoke from the Chamberlain Fire can be seen for miles around coming off the nearby mountain.

Extreme Heat

• Ongoing drought, growing population, and aging infrastructure are affecting water supplies in Texas.
  • Several Central Texas communities are already under water restrictions, like Hutto, Round Rock, and Austin.
  • Austin city leaders proposed an Irrigation and Landscape Ordinance for new homes. The City of Austin already has a similar ordinance for commercial properties.
  • The Texas Water Development Board, set up in 1957 to help secure water supply and create the state’s water plan, estimates Texas’s population will go from 29.7 million in 2020 to 51.5 million in 2070 – an increase of 73%.
  • The American Society of Civil Engineers gave Texas a C-minus for its drinking water infrastructure and a D for its wastewater systems.
• Farmers are feeling the effects as drought slows shipping on the Mississippi.
  • For grain farmers in the Midwest, the cheapest way to get crops to market is usually on the Mississippi.
  • However, the low conditions mean fewer barges can travel on the river, they can’t carry as much stuff, and shipping costs for farmers are high.
  • Many soybean farmers are storing this year’s crop until shipping costs start trending down, but forecasts show drought conditions aren’t likely to let up soon.
• The World Health Organization estimated that at least 15,000 Europeans died specifically due to the heat in 2022.

New Reports and Data

• A November 2022 study found that the public is more likely to support climate action if other countries commit as well.
• A November 2022 study found that reaching climate targets depends heavily on better decisions to manage already scarce water resources.
• A November study found that extreme heat often follows tropical cyclones, which can complicate disaster recovery even further.