Key Facts Of The Day 2/28

Storms and Flooding

• Communities on the West Coast and in the Northeast have faced heavy snowfall, strong winds, power outages, and dangerous road conditions from a series of storms lashing opposite sides of the US.
  • More than 212,000 homes and businesses across the U.S. were without power Tuesday morning, the majority in Michigan.
  • As of Tuesday, nearly 50 million people across the Northeast were under winter weather alerts as a storm that brought tornadoes, damaging winds, and hail to the central U.S. swept into the region.
  • On the West Coast, back-to-back winter storms have left some residents in San Bernardino County, CA, stranded since last week with dwindling food and fuel supplies.
    • On Monday, San Bernardino County declared a local emergency after several feet of snow left mountain roads nearly impassable.
    • More than 600 Orange County middle school students were among those stuck in the San Bernardino mountains after getting snowed in while attending camps last week.
  • Two more rounds of heavy snow are expected in the Sierra Nevada and Northern California over the next few days.
  • An avalanche warning is in effect through Wednesday morning for the central Sierra Nevada, including the Lake Tahoe area.
• At least one fatality and a dozen injuries were confirmed after a line of severe thunderstorms spawned several tornadoes across the southern Plains Sunday night.
  • The central U.S. tallied 14 tornado reports Sunday – including nine in Oklahoma – and another five in Illinois on Monday.
  • This was the first time tornadoes were spotted in Oklahoma in February in more than ten years.
  • In Oklahoma, the storm ripped roofs off homes, flipped cars, downed trees, and littered neighborhoods with debris.
  • Multiple schools in Oklahoma were closed due to storm damage and debris.
• A new report estimated that the cost of renovating or rebuilding flood-ravaged communities in eastern Kentucky could range from roughly $500 million to nearly one billion dollars, depending on how many people are relocated to less flood-prone areas.

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

• Experts from Columbia University said extreme heat is a health crisis.
• In Florida, the last day of February will feel more like early summer as temperatures soar to around 90 degrees.
• While some of California’s reservoirs have benefitted from recent storms, one wet year will not undo two decades of a megadrought.
• Wisconsin’s craft brewing companies are being affected as climate change brings extreme heat, drought, wildfires, and storms across the western U.S. and northern Great Plains, where much of beer’s main ingredients are grown.

New Reports and Data

• A February 2023 report found that particulate matter emissions from coal-fired power plants lead to 3,800 early deaths annually.
• A February 2023 report found that attendance at the country’s national park sites increased by 5 percent in 2022 compared with 2021.
• A February 2023 report found that the cost of renovating or rebuilding flood-ravaged communities in Kentucky could range from roughly $500 million to nearly one billion dollars.