Key Facts Of The Day 2/22

Storms and Flooding

• More than 65 million people across 29 states are under winter weather alerts that include warnings of severe icing, extreme cold, and sleet.
  • The Upper Midwest is expected to bear the brunt of the storm in snowfall, with the Minneapolis, Minnesota, area likely getting more than 20 inches Wednesday and more than 2 feet over the multiday storm.
    • As of Wednesday morning, the Twin Cities reported 3 to 5 inches of snow.
    • A second round of snow and high winds is expected at night into Thursday morning in the Twin Cities, making for life-threatening travel conditions.
    • Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency and authorized the National Guard in anticipation of the massive snowstorm.
    • Minneapolis Public Schools have also moved to remote learning through the remainder of the week.
  • More than 5 million people are under ice storm warnings across northeastern Iowa, southern Wisconsin, northwestern Illinois, and southern Michigan.
  • More than 2 million are under blizzard warnings across parts of Wyoming, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas.
  • Strong winds from the powerful storm have already torn down power lines and knocked out power to more than 140,000 homes and businesses in California.
  • More than 1,000 flights scheduled for Wednesday within the U.S. have been canceled due to the winter storm.
• On Tuesday, storms in Mercer County, New Jersey, uprooted trees, left behind debris, damaged property, and displaced at least 75 residents.

Wildfire

• As of February 3, 0  large active wildfires have burned 0 acres across the country.
• As of February 3, 1,688 wildfires have burned 12,882 acres across the country burned 12,882 acres across the country.

Extreme Heat

• This week, an unusual February heat wave will hit the Southeast and may not only break daily records but also break records for the month of February.
• Recent downpours in critically drought-stricken California have helped to replenish Lake Oroville, but it’s unlikely to reverse the state’s decades-long decline in water reserves.
• The agave plant – a key ingredient in tequila and mezcal – is threatened by the climate crisis.
  • While agave is a drought-tolerant plant that can thrive in hot weather with little to no water, the life cycle of agave is too fragile to endure the major weather whiplash the climate crisis is generating.

New Reports and Data

• A February 2023 study found that North American mountain vegetation cover is rapidly shifting higher as the climate warms.
• A February 2023 study found that more than 49 thousand well users across the western Great Basin region may be at risk of exposure to unhealthy levels of arsenic in drinking water.
• A February 2023 study developed the “ecosystem wilting point” concept, explaining how forests respond to drought.