Facts Of The Day 8/02

Extreme Heat

• Because of previous droughts, Denver, Colorado has seasonal watering rules for lawns that go into effect from May 1 to October 1.
• Drought has forced one California dairy farm to sell 40 cows this year because it has become unprofitable to milk the cows and feed has become too expensive.
• More than 130,000 people along the California and Oregon borders are seeing their water supplies threatened due to drought.
• On Friday, North Dakota’s State Water Commission approved an additional $5 million in drought aid for ranchers.
• California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an emergency proclamation on Friday that would add more capacity or reduce the load on the state’s power grid.
• Palm Springs, California, saw its hottest July this year, with a record average temperature of 97.1 degrees.
  • Palm Springs tied its record for the highest day ever on June 17 with a temperature of 117 degrees.
• Spokane, Washington, saw its hottest July on record, with an average temperature of 77.5 degrees, beating its previous record of 75.9 degrees set in 1905.
• Washington farmers say they have lost 20% to 80% of their berry harvest with one blueberry reading an internal temperature of 120.4 degrees.
• Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, California Senator Alex Padilla, and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker reintroduced legislation to address the rising health risks of extreme heat last week, with Florida Congressman Charlie Crist introducing companion legislation in the House.
• Drought in Minnesota has caused 25% of one farm’s corn crop to be worthless.
• Bears have been increasingly stealing from campers and foraging in dumpsters for food as drought has led to a poor berry crop.
• Since June 1st, a Las Vegas, Nevada non-profit has distributed almost 30,000 water bottles to at-risk individuals in response to the extreme heat.
• More than 49% of survey respondents cited the rise of extreme weather and increased frequency or intensity of natural disasters as influencing their decision to relocate.
• Red tide has retreated from the Tampa Bay, Florida area but remains a danger from Citrus to Sarasota counties.
  • 70 samples taken in multiple counties found high concentrations of red tide with 27 in Sarasota, 24 in Pinellas, 7 in Pasco, and 6 in Manatee.

Wildfires

• There are currently 90 large wildfires that have burned 1,818,438 acres across AZ, CA, CO, ID, MN, MT, NV, UT, WA, and WY.

• 5 new large fires were reported across California, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, and 3 large fires were reported contained on Sunday.

• The two largest fires in the United States, the Bootleg Fire in Oregon and the Dixie Fire in California are occupying one-third of the nation’s fire personnel as of Sunday.

• One survivalist school has seen an estimated 60% increase in enrollment due to climate change, including families interested in preparedness for situations including being able to handle evacuations due to wildfires.

• The US Forest Service has been criticized for its policy of letting fires burn, which differs from many state and local agencies.

• On Friday, California Governor Gavin Newsom asked President Joe Biden for continued access to military satellite information from the Pentagon to help spot and track wildfires.

• One fire was sparked in California on Sunday – Monument Fire burned 1,800 acres and was 0% contained.

• Montana Governor Greg Gianaforte said the state has spent $13 million so far responding to the fires as of Monday.

• Two new fires sparked in Montana on Sunday – the Boulder 2700 Fire burned 1,150 acres and was 0% contained and the Taylor Fire burned 5,000 acres and was 0% contained. One fire was contained – the Devils Creek Fire burned 19,100 acres.

• Oregon’s wildfire season started earlier this year, with 820,129 acres burned in 50 wildfires as of July 31st, 2021 compared to 40,023 acres burned in 23 fires on July 30th, 2020.

• Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed a bill on Friday that invests $220 million in wildfire response, preparedness, and prevention.

• One new fire sparked in Wyoming on Sunday – The Warm Oil Fire burned 394 acres and was 75% contained as of Monday. One fire was contained – the Deer Creek Fire burned 5,298 acres.

Hurricanes

• Three systems have formed in the Eastern Pacific Ocean as of Monday morning.

  • Tropical Storm Hilda has formed 800 miles southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula and is not a threat to the Mexican coast as of Monday.

    • Hilda had maximum winds of 70 MPH as of Saturday and was projected to strengthen to a category 2 storm before weakening as it passes over cooler waters.

  • Tropical Depression Nine-E formed about 1400 west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, and also poses no threat to the Mexican coast as of Monday.

  • One system was located about 400 miles southwest of the coast of southern Mexico as of Monday. It is forecast to become a tropical depression over the next few days and is expected to move west-northwestward at 10-15 MPH, away from the coast of Mexico.

• August 1st marks the beginning of peak hurricane season for the Atlantic basin.

  • No new tropical development is expected for the next five days in the region as of August 1st.

• Researchers hope that drone boats might help in making hurricane forecasts clearer and more accurate.

Climate Studies

• A July 2021 study found that human-made climate change has forced Earth’s energy to be increasingly imbalanced.

• A July 2021 study found that coastal systems face multiple tipping points where exposure to hazards can disrupt communities, infrastructure, and ecosystems.

• A July 2021 report found that by 2030, countries including China, India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan will experience flood-related losses two to three times greater compared to what they experienced in 2010.