Facts Of The Day 7/26

Extreme Heat

• • Parts of the Midwest and the Great Plains are expected to see temperatures that are 10 to 15 degrees above average later this week.

  • A survey of farmers and ranchers across 13 Western states showed that they are considering destroying crops and selling livestock in response to the drought.

    • 85% of respondents rated selling portions of land as prevalent or higher in their area.

    • 77% of respondents rated selling flocks or herds as prevalent or higher in their area.

  • Lake Powell, which sits on the Utah-Arizona border, dropped to its lowest level on record, threatening the ability of Glen Canyon Dam to continue producing hydropower.

  • Due to drought, Montana is restricting fishing because of low river levels, fish die-offs and crowding from anglers who may have missed fishing time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • California farmers will pump between 6-7 million acre-feet of water this year to compensate for drought conditions.

  • Climate change is increasing stress on outdated sewage systems in places like Massachusetts, triggering the release of millions of gallons of raw, untreated sewage in the state’s waterways.

  • Certain species such as lynxes, pygmy rabbits, sage grouse, and sea life including mussels, barnacles, and seaweed are already declining or are at greater risk from extreme heat brought on by climate change.

  • Extreme drought has deprived bears of their traditional food sources, such as berries, that they consume for hibernation.

  • The National Weather Service released a statement cautioning beachgoers of red tide-related respiratory irritation for Pinellas County, Florida, lasting from 11:30 PM Friday until 10 AM local time on Saturday.

  • The Texas Public Utility Commission and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas announced that they will redesign the state’s electricity market to produce a more stable grid.

Wildfires

• There are currently 86 large wildfires that have burned 1,498,205  acres across AZ, CA, CO, ID, MN, MT, NV UT, WA, and WY.

• 1 new large fire was reported across Montana and 2 large fires were reported contained on Sunday.

• Wildfire haze has made the sun and moon appear bright red.

• More than 22,000 personnel have been deployed to battle wildfires throughout the United States as of Monday morning.

• In Arizona, the Dixie Fire burned 181,289 acres and was 20% contained as of Monday. The Dixie Fire has lasted 12 days as of Monday. The fire has destroyed at least 16 structures and threatens more than 10,700 structures in Butte and Plumas Counties as of Monday. At least 8,400 homes have been evacuated due to the Dixie Fire as of Monday.

• Firefighters from Utah and California arrived over the weekend to assist with Montana’s wildfires.

• One new fire sparked in Montana on Sunday – The Woods Creek Fire has burned 274 acres and was 0% contained as of Monday.

• Oregon Governor Kate Brown called wildfire management and risk mitigation in the state a $4-5 billion problem.

• In Oregon, one fire was contained on Sunday – the Racehorse Fire burned 512 acres.

• Utah Congressional Representative Blake Moore introduced a bill that would require federal authorities to work with state leaders to address wildfires.

• Two fires were contained in Wyoming on Thursday – Dry Fork Fire burned 3,207 acres and the Saw Mill Fire burned 1,308 acres.

Hurricanes

• Chances that an area of low pressure located off of Florida’s east coast developing into a tropical depression has dropped from 50% to 30% as of Sunday.

  • The area of low pressure is expected to continue moving west or west-northwest toward Florida’s northeast coast and was located 45 miles east of St. Augustine, Fla., on a path toward inland Florida or Georgia as of early Monday morning.

  • Parts of Florida and Georgia could see gusty rains and locally heavy rainfall from the area of low pressure.

• Heavy storms and three tornadoes ripped through the Detroit, Michigan area on Saturday.

  • Almost 87,000 people remain without power as of Monday morning as crews had to repair at least 1,200 wires that were brought down by the storm.

  • One EF-1 tornado touched down across Northern Macomb County, near the city of Armada with winds of 105 MPH on Saturday.

    • Several trees were uprooted and multiple homes reported damage.

  • One EF-1 tornado touched down Saturday night in White Lake, near the Teggerdine and Pontiac Lake roads with winds of 100 MPH.

    • Several trees were uprooted and one person sustained minor injuries.

  • One EF-tornado landed in Clayton Township on Saturday with winds of MPH.

    • Three garages, multiple homes along with trees and crops were damaged.

New Reports And Data

• A July 2021 analysis found that the June 2021 heatwave in the Pacific Northwest caused a demand for electricity that hit levels which were much higher than in previous years.

• A July 2021 study found that communities of color experienced the greatest reduction of nitrogen dioxide during the COVID-19 lockdowns, yet still continued to experience higher levels of nitrogen dioxide compared to more white communities.

• A July 2021 report found that climate change will make lightning strikes in India more frequent.