Key Facts Of The Day 3/21

Storms and Flooding

• As of Tuesday, California faces its 12th significant atmospheric river with damaging winds, heavy rain and flooding, and feet of mountain snow.
  • This week’s storm will be another event that will rapidly strengthen and could even come close to a “bomb cyclone.”
  • High-wind warnings and wind advisories blanket much of the southern two-thirds of the state.
  • Flood watches have been posted through Wednesday afternoon for the Central Coast, Southern California, and the San Joaquin Valley.
  • Winds have already gusted over 70 MPH in the high terrain of Southern California.
  • On Tuesday morning, flood advisories covered Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles counties as downpours drenched the area.
  • On Tuesday, a rapidly strengthening low-pressure system is set to make landfall over the Bay Area with winds that could send trees, branches, and power lines toppling.
  • As California communities grappled with the aftermath of storms last week that displaced thousands and destroyed homes and infrastructure, thousands more were ordered to evacuate on Sunday in the agricultural Central Valley.
    • The lowland communities of Alpaugh and Allensworth were evacuated after officials warned that floods could isolate or trap residents behind impassable roadways.
• Last week, flooding of the Havasupai campground came as the tribe reopened access last month to its reservation and various majestic blue-green waterfalls — for the first time since March 2020.
  • The flooding forced tourists hoping to see Arizona waterfalls to evacuate.

Wildfire

• As of March 17, 8  large active wildfires have burned 5,090 acres across the country.
• As of March 17, 5,972 wildfires have burned 77,759 acres across the country.
• In Florida, 4 fires have burned 4,032 acres as of March 17.
• In North Carolina, 1 fire has burned 150 acres as of March 17.

Extreme Heat

• The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s new report found that global greenhouse gas emissions must decline by 60% by 2035 compared with 2019 levels to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
  • The report notes that the planet has already warmed about 1.1 degrees Celsius.
  • Human societies have all the tools to reduce their carbon emissions dramatically.
  • The report stresses that even though some climate impacts are unavoidable, they can be limited with deep and rapid emissions reductions.

New Reports and Data

• A March 2023 report found that global greenhouse gas emissions must decline by 60% by 2035 compared with 2019 levels to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
• A March 2023 study found that mountain forests are being lost at an accelerating rate, putting biodiversity at risk.