Climate Impact Report – 7/20

Quick Facts

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency after slow-moving thunderstorms unleashed devastating flooding early Wednesday morning.
- Several people were forced from their homes, and many roads were washed out after more than 10 inches fell in some towns.
On Wednesday, a powerful tornado ripped through central North Carolina for more than a dozen miles, destroying homes and injuring residents.
- A preliminary damage survey indicates the tornado was an EF3, with peak winds up to 150 MPH.
- It’s the first EF3 tornado ever observed in central North Carolina in the month of July and the strongest twister for this time of year on record in the state.
By Wednesday afternoon, Tropical Storm Calvin departed Hawaii without causing any significant damage.
- Calvin was the first tropical cyclone to impact Hawaii this year, and experts are cautioning there may be more on the way this season.
- Hawaii Governor Josh Green has said the state recommends all residents should be at least “two weeks ready” for an emergency, keeping stockpiles of water, food, medicine, and other supplies.
AAA won’t renew some Flordia homeowner and auto insurance policies after the 2022 hurricane season.

As of July 18, 24 large active wildfires have burned 138,919 acres across AZ, CA, CO, ID, NM, OR, and TX.
As of July 18, 27,303 wildfires have burned 777,732 acres across the country.
In Arizona, 6 fires have burned 49,761 acres as of July 18.
In California, 5 fires have burned 11,039 acres as of July 18.
In Colorado, 2 fires have burned 3,797 acres as of July 18.
In New Mexico, 5 fires have burned 64,178 acres as of July 18.
In Texas, 1 fire has burned 383 acres as of July 18.
Canadian wildfire smoke continues to plague the South, West, and Northeast.
- Atlanta, Georgia, had an air quality index of 134 on Wednesday.

About 90.5 million people — 27% of the population of the contiguous U.S. — live in the areas expected to have dangerous levels of heat on Thursday.
- Wednesday marked 20 straight days of temperatures at or above 110 degrees in Phoenix, Arizona.
- Wednesday also marked 10 consecutive days of the lowest temperature reaching 90 degrees in Phoenix.
- For 34 days, El Paso, Texas, has reached temperatures at or above 100 degrees.
- Las Vegas, Nevada, is under an excessive heat warning through Saturday, with temperatures expected to reach 113 degrees this week.
- Hoonah, Alaska, hit a record high of 78 degrees on Tuesday, breaking the record for that date by one degree.
A man died in Death Valley National Park in a possible heat-related incident after temperatures reached 121 degrees.

A July 2023 analysis found that few natural gas operators in Texas have been written up for violations beyond paperwork.
A July 2023 study found that small-winged and lighter-colored butterflies are likely to be most threatened by climate change.