Facts Of The Day 7/15

Extreme Heat

• Part of the Midwest, including the Dakotas and Minnesota, are expected to see a heatwave next week.

• The western United States is expected to see another heatwave this weekend, affecting more than 17 million people.

• Washington Governor Jay Inslee declared a drought emergency for most of the state.

• Due to the high heat, officials warn that all of the juvenile chinook salmon in Californioa’s Sacramento River could die.

• New Mexico’s acequias, or water conduits, have been affected by the drought, which has shortened the growing season for farmers.

• Three popular hiking trails in Phoenix will be closed starting Friday until September 30th from 11 AM to 5 PM on a daily basis due to extreme heat.

• In the past 30 days, the United States has set 585 all-time heat records.

  • 349 of those records are for daily high temperatures and 236 are for the warmest overnight low temperatures.

  • Death Valley, CA, may have set a record for the hottest 24-hour period on July 11th with an average of 118.1 degrees.

Wildfires

• There are currently 71 large wildfires active across AZ, CA, CO, FL, ID, MN, MT, NM, UT and WA. 993,678 acres have burned so far this year across these states.

• 9 new large fires were reported across CA, ID, MT, OR and WA and 5 large fires were reported contained on Wednesday.

• Wildfires in the West are increasingly threatening tribal lands already suffering from drought.

• Oregon’s Bootleg Fire and California’s Beckwourth Complex Fire are each large enough to be seen from space.

• One new fire sparked in California: the Dixie Fire sparked miles northeast of Paradise, burning 1100 acres. Two fires were contained as of Wednesday: the Bradley Fire, which burned 357 acres and the Willow Fire, which burned 2,877 acres.

• Three new wildfires were reported in Idaho on Wednesday. The Johnson Creek Fire burned 204 acres and was 0% contained, the Dolly Creek Fire burned 120 acres and was also 0% contained, and the Howell Fire burned 342 acres and was 10% contained as of Wednesday.

• Northern Minnesota remains under an air quality alert through Friday as wildfire smoke from Canada has moved south into the state.

• Montana governor Greg Gianaforte declared a statewide fire emergency as the state continues to face dry conditions.

• One new wildfire was reported in Montana on Wednesday. The South Tullock Creek Fire burned 962 acres and was 20% contained as of Wednesday.

• Parts of Deschutes National Forest, Ochoco National Forest, Crooked River National Grassland and Bureau of Land Management’s Prineville District have banned campfires In Oregon due to the Darlene and Grandview Fires.

• Three new wildfires were reported in Oregon on Wednesday. The Bruler Fire burned almost 90 acres and was 0% contained. The Darlene Fire burned 1,500 acres and was 0% contained as of Wednesday with three homes, one RV and 11 other structures destroyed on Tuesday. The Log Fire burned 200 acres and was 0% contained as of Wednesday.

• One new fire was reported in Washington on Wednesday. The Red Apple Fire burned 15,000 acres and was 0% contained.

Hurricanes

• This year’s hurricane season could intensify due to a potential La Niña weather system in the tropical Pacific.

Climate Studies

• A July 2021 study found that the design of U.S cities has contributed the urban island heat effect,

• A July 2021 study found that the Amazon rainforest’s ability to soak up carbon has been altered by climate change and deforestation.

• A July 2021 study suggests that the increase of hurricanes forming in the Atlantic Ocean since the 1980’s are not due to climate change but rather the result of natural weather patterns.