Key Facts Of The Day 2/23

Storms and Flooding

• As of Thursday morning, more than 60 million people are under winter weather alerts as a winter storm is expected to deliver snow, blizzard conditions, and icing conditions across the U.S.
  • As of Thursday morning, more than 850,000 homes and businesses are without power partly because the freezing rain and ice damaged trees and utility lines.
  • As of Thursday morning, more than 40 inches of snow has fallen in southern Wyoming.
    • Search and rescue operations were underway Wednesday evening in several counties across Wyoming to recover motorists trapped in heavy snow.
  • On Wednesday, more than 160 vehicle crashes were reported, and dozens of cars spun off roads in Minnesota.
  • On Wednesday, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers declared a statewide emergency.
    • Green Bay’s international airport canceled the remainder of its daily flights Wednesday evening and most of its flights Thursday morning.
  • Perilous conditions triggered highway closures in several states Wednesday, including South Dakota, Wyoming, Arizona, North Dakota, and Minnesota.
  • California’s Los Angeles and Ventura Counties will be under blizzard warnings from Friday morning through Saturday afternoon, which will be the first blizzard warning issued by the weather service’s Los Angeles office since 1989.

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 hit the Southeast and broke records.
  • Dozens of record daily highs were reached or tied Wednesday, including 98 degrees in McAllen, Texas, and 87 degrees in Naples, Florida.
  • In Atlanta, Georgia, a record was set for the month of February with 81 degrees, which is the city’s typical average high in mid-May.
  • By the end of the week, more than 100 record highs are possible, stretching from the Gulf of Mexico up to the Great Lakes.
• On the Great Lakes, ice coverage reached a record low for this time of the year.
  • As of last week, only 7% of the five freshwater lakes were covered in ice, a sharp difference from the 35 to 40% ice cover typically expected in mid-to-late February.
  • Without the ice, the coastlines are more susceptible to erosion and flooding.
• At Vermont’s Lake Champlain, the annual ice fishing tournament was canceled last weekend when three fishermen died after falling through the ice.

New Reports and Data

• A February 2023 study found that exposure to “forever chemicals” interferes with key biological processes tied to various diseases, including cancer, developmental disorders, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disease.
• A February 2023 analysis found that over 330 species may be affected by PFAS contamination, possibly exposing them to severe health impacts and opening up humans to more exposure pathways.