Key Facts Of The Day 4/27

Storms and Flooding

• After parts of Texas and Florida were hit with tennis ball-sized hail and damaging winds, the same storm system is still threatening to bring severe storms to the South on Thursday.
  • There were more than 60 hail reports across the South on Wednesday, including softball-sized hail about 4.5 inches in diameter in Bellmead, Texas, and 4 inches wide in Waco, Texas.
  • In Florida, hail was about 2.5 inches in the community of Anthony.
  • On Thursday, portions of southern Texas and southern Louisiana into the Florida Panhandle are at risk of scattered severe storms set to bring the triple threat of damaging winds, large hail, and a few tornadoes.
• A multi-day severe weather outbreak turned deadly in Pennsylvania this past weekend.
  • At least two children were pronounced dead after dangerous thunderstorms unleashed gusty winds, heavy rain, and tornadoes across parts of the Northeast Saturday.
  • Saturday’s severe weather also spawned New York’s first tornado of the year.
    • Several properties sustained damage, and numerous trees and power lines were knocked down.

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

• Yosemite National Park will be closed from Friday until at least May 3 because melting snow is expected to cause flooding in the area.
  • The National Weather Service predicts temperatures will increase by 5 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit this weekend, prompting melting snow to raise the water levels in the Merced River.
• More than two dozen river gauges are in major flood stages across the Midwest, with more potentially damaging flooding expected in the coming weeks as the snow from this year’s blockbuster season continues to melt.
  • This year’s river rise could lead to some of the worst flooding in 20 years in some places, with most river gauges in major flood stages along the Mississippi River from St. Paul, Minnesota, to the south of Davenport, Iowa.
• A heat mapping project in Nashville found that areas just outside downtown are some of the most exposed and vulnerable to extreme heat.
  • Temperatures can vary by as much as eight degrees in different parts of the city, with differences in heat indices as large as nearly 20 degrees.

New Reports and Data

• An April 2023 study found that some places at greatest risk from extreme heat include Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea, and Central America — regions where record-breaking heat events are likely to occur, and local communities may not be prepared.
• An April 2023 study found that nature-based management makes rivers more resilient.
• An April 2023 study found that poor air quality could be causing cognitive problems in babies and toddlers.