Facts Of The Day 7/29

Extreme Heat

• • Over 80 million people across 20 states were under heat warnings and advisories on Thursday.

  • Oregon’s Office of Emergency Management released a report that said free transit and functioning call centers could have saved lives during the June heatwave.

  • Oregon’s workplace safety agency plans to reassign inspectors and approve overtime to ensure more enforcement officers are in the field as another heatwave is expected in the State on Friday.

  • Oregon has 117 formal reports of dry wells in the state but the actual number may be more than 300, requiring residents to rely on neighbors or haul water themselves.

  • Portland General Electric customers in Oregon twice broke power usage records by using 4,230 megawatts on June 27 and 4,441 megawatts on June 28.

  • 98.5% of Los Angeles County, California is experiencing an extreme drought and will see extreme days happening 20 days per year rise to 40 to 50.

  • As of Friday, almost half of the state of California is experiencing exceptional drought, impacting 14.5 million people.

  • 25% of adults in California cited water shortages and drought as the most pressing environmental issues in the state with wildfires coming in second at 17%.

  • Drought has caused wheat crops in North Dakota to grow 10 inches shorter than normal, reflecting one-third of their normal size.

    • The 2021 harvest is expected to drop 41% compared to the 2020 harvest.

  • The red tide that has been recently affecting the beaches and coasts of Florida may be heading towards Texas.

  • The heatwave in Kansas worries ranchers trying to keep their cattle hydrated and properly fed. Drought also affects how quickly grass grows back, meaning there may be less for future cattle to graze.

  • Bark beetles, which thrive in warmer temperatures, may be contributing to wildfires by killing trees faster.

  • Power companies across the country have been caught unprepared for the high demand for electricity during heat waves while mitigating wildfire risks.

Wildfires

• There are currently 83 large wildfires that have burned 1,741,281 acres across AZ, CA, CO, ID, MN, MT, NV, SD, UT, WA, and WY.

• 6 new large fires were reported across Idaho, Washington, and Wyoming and 6 large fires were reported contained on Tuesday.

• President Biden is scheduled to meet with seven governors to discuss the wildfire response in Western states on Friday.

• Officials announced on late Wednesday Australia sent a jet air tanker with a capacity of 4,000 gallons to assist the United States fight wildfires.

• Monsoon season has brought drought relief to parts of the Southwest but also risks wildfires due to thunderstorms.

• California utility provider PG&E could be facing charges for its faulty equipment that caused the Zog Fire, which killed four people and destroyed hundreds of homes.

• Despite the ongoing threats from wildfires and climate change, California wineries continue to rebuild and attempt to adapt to changing climate.

• One fire was contained in California on Thursday – County Line Fire burned 224 acres.

• Two new fires sparked in Idaho on Wednesday – the Club Fire burned 227 acres and the Swanson Creek Fire burned 125 acres.

• Minnesota saw the worst air quality on record after smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted south on Thursday.

• Portland, Oregon, has banned homeless people from camping in forested parks to reduce wildfire risks.

• Wildfires have caused some of the worst air quality in Winthrop, Washington in 2021, and have forced the town to end its tourist season early.

• One new fire sparked in Washington on Thursday – the Spruce Canyon burned 125 acres and was 40% contained.

Hurricanes

• At least four tornadoes have been confirmed as having landed in Wisconsin during the storms that lasted Wednesday into Thursday.

• • • An EF-0 with peak winds of 80 MPH landed in Southwest Waterton in Jefferson County traveled about 3 miles and caused some damage on Hilltop Road.

    • An EF-1 with peak winds of 105 MPH moved from Concord to Dousman in Jefferson County and traveled about 12.6 miles and caused some damage in the Concord area.

    • An EF-1 with peak winds of 95 MPH landed in the town of Genesee in Waukesha County and traveled about one mile and created some damage around Townline Road.

    • An EF-1 with peak winds of 100 MPH landed on School Section Lake Road in Waukesha County and traveled about 2.2 miles and created some damage in the area around School Section Lake Road.

    • As of Thursday, 45,000 customers across the state had their power restored, with another 1,4000 without power.

    • At its peak, about 90,000 people in Wisconsin had power outages.

Climate Studies

• A July 2021 study found that conflicts between humans and wildlife have been exacerbated by climate change, with humans and wildlife competing for limited resources.
• A July 2021 study found that La Niña causes carbon exports from the Amazon river by bringing extraordinarily warm water and extraordinary air pressure to the Pacific Ocean.
• A July 2021 report found that climate change-related damage could cost coastal cities as much as $1 trillion each year by 2050.
• A July 2021 report found that 64% of plastic in a survey of five major U.S. cities is not recyclable.
• A July 2021 report found that climate change is expected to push tuna populations further out to sea, disrupting the island economies that depend on the fish.