Climate Impact Report – 2/27

Quick Facts
>227K Outages
As of Monday morning, more than 227,000 homes and businesses were without power, and about half were in Michigan.
Heat Records
On Thursday in southern Texas, temperatures reached 102 degrees Fahrenheit at Falcon Lake – the second-hottest February reading in U.S. history.
74% Crops
Last year, Texas farmers abandoned 74% of their planted cotton crops because of heat and parched soil, hallmarks of a megadrought made worse by climate change.
Key Facts Of The Day 2/27
Storms and Flooding
- On Monday, a barrage of snow, rain, and harsh wind are forecast in places from the West Coast to the Great Lakes, including some still without power following a similar string of severe weather last week.
- As of Monday morning, more than 227,000 homes and businesses were without power, and about half were in Michigan.
- More than 100 storm reports – including wind and hail – were recorded in parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas as hurricane-force winds and severe thunderstorms tore through.
- A gust of 114 MPH was recorded in Memphis, Texas – equivalent to sustained winds in a Category 3 hurricane.
- On Monday, nine western states were under winter weather alerts as heavy snowfall was forecast across the region.
- A blizzard warning remains in effect for the Sierra Nevada mountains in California, which could see between 2 and 6 feet of snow.
- Yosemite National Park was closed Saturday due to severe weather and will not reopen until at least Wednesday as the multiday blizzard warning remains in effect across Yosemite Valley.
- At least seven tornadoes and 12 injuries were reported in Oklahoma, and two tornadoes were reported in Kansas.
- A new report by First Street Foundation found that over 13.4 million properties will be exposed to tropical cyclones in 30 years that are not currently.
- Sudden weather swings bewilder plants and animals, disturb the balance of delicate ecological systems, and can exacerbate human health problems.
Wildfire
- As of February 24, there are currently 2 large active wildfires that have burned 1,496 acres across the country.
- As of February 24, 3,485 wildfires have burned 28,701 acres across the country.
Extreme Heat
- Last week, a record-strength ridge of high pressure over the Southeast brought summerlike heat with temperatures 30 degrees above average to multiple states.
- Many cities in Tennessee, West Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Virginia, Alabama, and North Carolina set all-time heat records for the month of February – or for an entire winter.
- On Thursday in southern Texas, temperatures reached 102 degrees Fahrenheit at Falcon Lake – the second-hottest February reading in U.S. history.
- Despite historic amounts of rain and snow, California is still in a drought emergency.
- Last year, Texas farmers abandoned 74% of their planted cotton crops because of heat and parched soil, hallmarks of a megadrought made worse by climate change.
- That crash increased the price of tampons 13%, cloth diapers 21% , cotton balls 9%, and gauze bandages 8%.
New Reports and Data
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