Climate Impact Report – 3/24

Quick Facts

30 Million

A strong storm system Friday will bring the potential for severe weather to 30 million people from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the lower Ohio Valley.

Drought

Despite California’s recent storms, drought conditions are still not over.

Drought+Crops

Recent months of extremely dry conditions could significantly reduce agave crop production, resulting in a major mezcal shortage.

Key Facts Of The Day 3/24

Storms and Flooding

  • A strong storm system Friday will bring the potential for severe weather to 30 million people from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the lower Ohio Valley.
    • The storms will be capable of producing strong to intense (EF-3+) tornadoes, with long-track tornadoes possible.
    • The greatest risk of strong tornadoes includes more than six million people in places like Shreveport, Louisiana; Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; and Jackson, Mississippi.
    • Nearly 19 million people are under flood watches across at least eight states in the mid-South and central regions.
  • A winter storm watch for the northern third of Lower Michigan has been issued, with heavy, wet snow expected Saturday.

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

  • Despite California’s recent storms, drought conditions are still not over.
    • California’s groundwater has not been replenished and still faces severe drought.
      • More than 2,000 household wells went dry over the last three years in California, many in low-income communities of color.
    • One of Southern California’s major water sources, the Colorado River, still faces severe drought.
    • As the climate gets hotter, California’s extremes are expected to get more extreme, including more extreme droughts.
  • Global warming is melting the Arctic ice cap, which has unforeseen effects on the world’s weather.
    • Some climate scientists have begun to link increasingly common heat waves in Europe to the melting Arctic ice cap.
  • Recent months of extremely dry conditions could significantly reduce agave crop production, resulting in a major mezcal shortage.

New Reports and Data

  • A March 2023 report found that plastics are a hazard at every stage of their life cycle.
  • A March 2023 study found that changing temperatures increase pesticide risk to bees.
  • A March 2023 study found that rivers in the Andean mountains contribute 35% and 72% of riverine emissions of CO2 and CH4  in the Amazon basin.

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