Key Facts Of The Day 4/26

Storms and Flooding

• As of Wednesday morning, severe storms threaten 50 million people from Texas to Florida, with giant hail and tornadoes possible.
  • Across central Texas, the threat of “very large to potentially giant hail” is a main concern, along with the risk of damaging winds, flash flooding, and isolated tornadoes.
  • Shreveport, Louisiana, is covered by a Level 2 of 5 “slight risk” of severe weather, with damaging winds and large hail being the primary threats.
  • Wednesday’s Level 2 of 4 “slight risk” of excessive rainfall includes much of East Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and northwest Louisiana.
    • Up to 5 inches of rain are possible in isolated locations, which could lead to flash flooding.
  • Parts of Florida, including Orlando, are in a separate “enhanced risk” severe weather zone where significant hail may occur.
• After more than a dozen atmospheric rivers dumped record rain and epic snowfall, a reservoir in a rural central California community that typically stores water upstream is expected to receive three times its capacity.
  • Officials have been forced to increase the flow of water out of the reservoir to make space for more.
  • Residents in the tree-lined Island District, home to a school, pistachio orchards, and horse ranches about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, could soon be marooned by rising rivers or flooded out.

Wildfire

• As of April 21, 20 large active wildfires have burned 14,812 acres across the country.
• As of April 21, 11,910 wildfires have burned 351,821 acres across the country.
• In Colorado, 1 fire has burned 3,039 acres as of April 21.
• In Florida, 2 fires have burned 405 acres as of April 21.
• In New Mexico, 1 fire has burned 939 acres as of April 21.
• In Oklahoma, 4 fires have burned 2,778 acres as of April 21.

Extreme Heat

• A new EPA report found that children are expected to bear the brunt of health impacts related to climate change as the world warms.
  • Annual cases of asthma tied to air polluted by chemicals, wildfire smoke, and pollen are expected to increase between 4 and 11%.
  • Vector-borne disease spread from pests to children is expected to increase as higher temperatures lengthen the life cycles of ticks and mosquitoes.
  • Temperature increases projected in the study could result in between 4 and 7% reductions in academic achievement per child, which later impacts income levels.
• Adults are getting allergies for the first time as climate change causes longer pollen and allergy seasons.
• Over the next few decades, trees will face rising temperatures and changing rain and drought patterns.
  • When planting a tree this spring, experts suggest selecting a tree species that currently thrive in your horticultural zone and two warmer zones.
• Climate change, spurred by the burning of fossil fuels, is the biggest danger to marine life, including whales.
  • As water temperatures rise, fish species that whales prey on have been moving into different areas, bringing whales more frequently into the path of heavily traveled shipping lanes off the East Coast.

New Reports and Data

• An April 2023 report found that children are expected to bear the brunt of health impacts related to climate change as the world warms.
• An April 2023 study found that under-prepared regions worldwide are the most at risk of the devastating effects of scorching temperatures.
• An April 2023 study found that most people see climate change as an important and timely issue, even if its impacts are not immediately noticeable.