Facts Of The Day 7/6

Extreme Heat

• An investigation found that Oregon’s healthcare system was inadequately prepared to handle June’s heatwave.
• Death Valley National Park experienced its hottest June on record. Death Valley saw a record temperature of 128 degrees on June 28th and the low on June 29th was 104 degrees at 3AM.
• Boston saw its hottest June on record, with its average temperature at 74.4 degrees.
  • The city saw 9 days of temperatures of 90 degrees or more.
  • Boston hit 100 degrees on June 30th for the first time since July 2011. 
  • Boston only received 2.57 inches of rain in 2021 compared to its average of 3.89 inches.
• The California Independent System Operator asked for more power supplies from Western electric and power plants as heatwaves threaten more rolling blackouts.
• Texans have been buying generators in preparation for future power outages during extreme weather events.

Wildfires

• There are currently 45 large wildfires active across AZ, CA, CO, FL, ID, MT, NM, and UT. Nationally, 672,653 acres have burned so far this year. 
• In Arizona, the Tiger Fire has burned 11,970  acres and was 0% contained as of Monday evening. The Horsethief Basin area was ordered to evacuate.
• In California, the Lava Fire in Siskiyou County has burned through 25,001 acres and was 71% contained as of Monday evening.  At least 12 homes have been destroyed with another 45 structures burned. 53 structures remain threatened, and four firefighters have been injured as of Monday.
• In California, the Beckwourth Complex Fire has burned 1,141 acres with 47% containment as of Monday night. The Dotta and Sugar fires merged on Sunday into the Beckwourth Complex Fire.
• In California, the Salt Fire burned almost 12,000 acres as of Monday afternoon with 20% contained. As of Monday, 41 structures, including 27 homes and 14 outbuildings have been destroyed.
• In California, Tumbleweed Fire has burned almost 1,000 acres and was 10% contained Monday night. Nearby areas were under evacuation order, and two firefighters have been injured as of Monday.
• Ash and debris from last year’s wildfires is affecting the water supply in Greely, Colorado.
• In Colorado, the Sylvan Lake Fire in Sylvan Lake State Park burned more than 3,792 acres with 68% contained as of Monday night. The fire has cost $6.6 million to contain as of Monday.
• In Colorado, the Muddy Slide Fire burned 4,093 acres and was 45% contained as of Monday night. The fire has cost $5.4 million to contain as of Monday.
• In Colorado, the Oil Springs Fire  burned more 12,613 acres with 97% contained as of Saturday night. The fire has cost $4.9 million to contain as of Monday. The fire had previously threatened a gas plant.
• Oregon engineers are studying how wildfires spread.
• Utah Democrats in the state legislature have called for a special session to grant local governments the authority to ban fireworks in their jurisdictions.
• Utah elected officials are considering proposals that could charge people with “negligent burning” for starting fires, which could range from misdemeanor up to a felony with the possibility of prison time..
• In Utah, the Snake John Fire  burned 650 acres and was 60% contained as of Saturday afternoon. Officials said the fire initially threatened “oil and gas infrastructure,” but the threat passed as of 12PM on Saturday.
• In Washington, the Batterman Fire burned 7,900 acres and was 10% contained as of Tuesday morning. Nearby areas were ordered to evacuate, and 80 structures are threatened as of Tuesday

Hurricanes

• Tropical Storm Elsa made landfall in Cuba on Monday.
  • Elsa made landfall on the south coast of Cuba at 2PM with winds at 60 MPH. Winds weakened to 50MPH late Monday afternoon.
    • Winds are expected to increase to 60-65MPH on Tuesday as Elsa moves northward off the west coast of Florida.
  • Parts of Florida were under hurricane watch, tropical storm warnings and a state of emergency on Monday as Elsa is projected to make landfall north of Tampa, Florida, on Wednesday morning.
    • The west coast of the Florida Peninsula, including Tampa Bay, are under a storm watch warning as of Tuesday.
    • The west coast of Florida from Bonita Beach to the Aucilla River is under a storm surge warning as of Tuesday.
    • Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota counties are all under a state of emergency as of Tuesday.
  • As of 8AM Tuesday, Elsa had maximum sustained winds of 6 MPH and was located 55MPH west of Key West, Florida, moving north-northwest at 12MPH.
  • The Georgia coast and parts of the South Carolina coast are under tropical storm watches as of Tuesday morning.
  • Elsa is expected to produce rainfall totalling 4 to 8 inches, which could result in flash flooding from Florida into Southern Carolina. Parts of the Florida Peninsula to the Carolinas could see 1 to 2 inches, and Tampa is expected to see 2 to 4 inches of rain and a storm surge of 1 to 3 feet.
  • To prepare for the storm, MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa began evacuations with only mission essential personnel with limited access as of Tuesday.
  • As Elsa moves away from the East Coast and into the Atlantic Ocean, it could bring rough surf, strong winds and rain to the New England coast.
• After the heavy rains in late June, 25,000 gallons of sewage overflowed in a wooded area just east of Hogback Road on Tuesday in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
  • The Harper Woods library in Detroit, Michigan, lost $4,600 to $5,000 total in books due to flood damage.
  • Flooding displaced 23 adults and 19 children at a Ypsilanti-area apartment complex and also required evacuation of another four to six homes.

Climate Studies

• A report published in July 2021 found that reforesting land can lead to an 7.6 percent average increase in summer rain.
• A study published in June 2021 found that more frequent and intense wildfires changes what birds are seen and heard.