Facts Of The Day 6/24

Hurricanes

• Tropical Storm Claudette dumped 2.5 inches of rain on Clark County, Alabama.
• Officials in Tuscaloosa, Alabama placed the estimated cost of repairing damage from Claudette at upwards of $4 million. The storm dropped between 4.3 inches and 7.8 inches across Tuscaloosa County on Saturday.
  • An estimated 45 homes were damaged in the county from flooding on Saturday.
• Claudette caused flooding in Biloxi, Mississippi near Tuxachanie Creek on Wednesday morning. Five culverts were damaged by the flooding.
• A strong tropical wave off the coast of Africa was expected to emerge overnight Wednesday into Thursday. 

Wildfires

• There are currently 45 large wildfires active across AZ, CA, CO, FL, MT, NV, NM, and UT. Nationally, 566,444 acres have burned so far this year. 
• In California, the Pine Fire, which has burned 50 acres and was 50% contained as of Wednesday, has destroyed eight structures and a travel trailer as of Wednesday. 
• In California, the Willow Fire, which has burned through 2,877 acres and was 13% contained as of Thursday morning, threatens about 125 homes and other buildings.
• On Wednesday afternoon, a new fire sparked in California’s Sonoma County, causing approximately a dozen homes in the area to be evacuated.
• In Arizona, wildfires have forced closures in Coconino, Kaibab, and Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. Prescott National Forest is scheduled to be closed on Friday morning.
• The Telegraph Fire, which has burned 180,725 acres and was 89% contained as of Wednesday evening, destroyed 52 structures as of Wednesday evening.
• A red flag warning for northern parts of Colorado was issued on Wednesday. Storms forecast over the next few days have the potential to spark more fires in the state.
• In Colorado, the Sylvan Lake Fire in Sylvan Lake State Park burned more than 3,583 acres with unknown containment by Wednesday night.
  • Evacuation orders were issued for the Hat Creek, Yeoman State Park, and Fulford communities,
  • The Front Range reported poor air quality this week due to wildfire smoke from the Sylvan Lake Fire and others. 
• In Montana, the Deep Creek Fire, which has burned 4,648 acres and was 90% contained as of Wednesday, destroyed three residences and four other structures.

Extreme Heat

• The water level in California’s Lake Oroville has dropped so low that officials may be forced to shut down one of the state’s largest hydroelectric power plants for the first time since 1967.
• ERCOT asked Texan residents to turn up their thermostats last Monday after 12,000 HW of power generation unexpectedly went offline. 
• Oregon and Washington are expected to see record heat in the next two days, and  parts of Idaho are expected to see record temperatures this weekend.
• As a heatwave approaches this weekend, Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, are first and third, respectively, for major US cities with the fewest air-conditioned households.

Climate Studies

• A study published in June 2021 found that climate change has significantly increased temperatures and decreased snowfall in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem.
• A study published in June 2021 found that 57% of structures in the United States, including homes, schools, hospitals and office buildings, are exposed to devastating natural hazards.