Facts Of The Day 8/27

Extreme Heat

• Multiple school districts in Indiana canceled outdoor sports practices on Wednesday, citing the extreme heat.

• Holt Public Schools in Michigan sent students home early on Thursday due to extreme heat despite renting more than 2 dozen portable air conditioners.

• Starting dates for the school year in Bowling Green, Ohio were delayed to next Monday due to excessive heat.

• High school football games in St. Louis, Missouri area will still be played even though practices earlier in the week had been adjusted due to excessive heat.

• Trash collection in the area around Bowling Green, Kentucky was set to be delayed due to excessive heat and COVID-19 absences as of Thursday.

• Fargo, North Dakota has asked residents to limit lawn watering to once a week to reduce the city’s water usage by 25% in response to the ongoing drought.

• California wineries are adapting to climate change by integrating fire mitigation and irrigation techniques to save on water usage and planting grapes more resilient to heat.

• Oregon is becoming less resilient to drought conditions as less snow and rain have prevented the state from bouncing back from dry seasons.

• Although the number of dead fish may be declining, red tide is still an ongoing issue for Charlotte County, Florida.

• Red tide may be threatening the population of redfish, a popular game fish in Florida’s waters.

• Englewood, Florida’s economy has been damaged by the red tide as tourists stay away and one boat rental business had to refund thousands of dollars.

• Officials in Lee County, Florida have issued reminders to residents and visitors when visiting areas including Boca Grande Pass, Gasparilla Island State Park because of the red tide.

Wildfires

• There are currently 88 large active wildfires that have burned 2,481,840 acres across CA, CO, ID, MN, MT, NV, WA, OR, SD, UT, WA, and WY.

• This year to date, 42,158 wildfires have burned 4,870,684 acres across the country.

• Memorabilia related to Al Capone will be auctioned off as his granddaughters fear the items could be destroyed by wildfires.

• Wildfires can often serve as a catalyst for regrowth and regeneration for forests despite the increasing dangers of an expanding wildland-urban interface.

• A proposed law in California would provide outdoor workers increased protection from wildfires.

• As of Thursday afternoon, 34,811 California residents had been ordered to evacuate due to wildfires.

• One fire sparked in California on Thursday – the South Fire burned 900 acres and was 19% contained.

• In California, the Caldor Fire burned 139,510 acres and was 12% contained as of Friday.

  • As of Friday morning, about 650 homes, businesses and other structures have been destroyed and another 18,000 are still threatened.

  • Areas that were ordered to evacuate as of Thursday afternoon include the Twin Bridges and Echo Summit areas.

  • The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority recommended on Thursday that tourists postpone any travel into the area until further notice.

• One new fire sparked in Nevada on Thursday – the Southern Bench Fire burned 200 acres and was 0% contained.

• One fire was contained in Utah on Thursday- the East Desolation Fire burned 211 acres.

Hurricanes

• Tropical Storm Ida is strengthening into a hurricane in the Caribbean Sea as of Friday morning and is expected to threaten the northern Gulf Coast this weekend.

  • Ida is expected to become a hurricane on Saturday over the southeast Gulf of Mexico.

  • The Louisiana or Mississippi coast could expect Ida’s landfall on Sunday when an area of high pressure will send Ida northwestward to that region.

  • A hurricane watch is currently in effect for parts of Louisiana to the Mississippi-Alabama state line.

  • The area from the Texas-Louisiana state line to the Alabama-Florida state line is under a storm surge watch, meaning dangerous flooding could occur in the next 48 hours.

  • A tropical storm watch has been issued for the Alabama coastline, with tropical storm conditions possibly developing within the next 48 hours.

  • Parts of the Cayman Islands and western Cuba remain under tropical storm warnings and could see tropical storm-force winds of 39 MPH.

  • Ida could cause hurricane-force winds, flooding rainfall and life-threatening storm surge on Sunday and Monday, especially in Louisiana. Storm surge ranges could include:

    • 7 to 11 feet in Morgan City, Louisiana, to Ocean Springs, Mississippi, including Lake Borgne

    • 4 to 7 feet in Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana to Morgan City, including Vermilion Bay

    • 4 to 7 feet in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Mississippi-Alabama border

    • 3 to 5 feet along the Alabama coast including Mobile Bay

    • 2 to 4 feet in Sabine Pass to Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana

    • Lake Pontchartrain could experience 3 to 5 feet of storm surge

    • Lake Maurepas is forecast to see 3 to 5 feet storm surge.

  • Tropical storm conditions could arrive along the Gulf Coast as soon as Saturday night, possibly downing trees, causing widespread power outages, and structural damage.

  • The inland parts of Louisiana and Mississippi could experience tropical storm-force winds.

  • Parts of the northern Gulf Coast could see 8 to 16 inches of rain, with up to 20 inches in some places.

  • The Deep South and Tennessee Valley could be threatened by flooding Monday and Tuesday.

  • The northern Gulf Coast could see high surf and rip currents beginning Saturday night and into Sunday morning.

Climate Studies