Facts Of The Day 9/22

Extreme Heat

• According to a report released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Wednesday, the drought in the Southwest is expected to continue into 2022 and perhaps even longer.

• 12% of households below the poverty level in the United States do not have air conditioning and California has the highest percentage of households without air conditioning.

• Farmworkers in the United States are expected to see double the average number of unsafe conditions from excessive heat by midcentury.

• Drought has caused one Nebraska farmer to harvest her corn crop early so as not to risk the corn being exposed to continued heat or risk damage from winds.

• Minnesota farmers are looking at smaller crop yields due to the ongoing drought, with one farmer expecting to see 110 to 150 bushels of corn per acre this year, compared to the usual 180 bushels.

• Despite being urged to reduce their water consumption amidst an ongoing drought, Californians only conserved 1.8% water in July 2021 compared to July 2020.

• Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Youngstown and Canton Ohio can expect to see more deaths from warming temperatures from climate change.

• The ongoing drought means that Michigan will see duller colors as the leaves change.

• The solar industry in California is fighting with the state’s utility companies over the compensation that consumers receive for the electricity their systems provide to the electric grid.

• Climate change is expected to increase the stress on Oklahoma’s power grid due to the spike in demand for electricity for heating.

• At least 5 elderly and disabled residents in low-income housing in New Orleans, Louisiana died after Hurricane Ida knocked out power for days, highlighting the lack of weather disaster planning for vulnerable populations.

• New Orleans, Louisiana residents bear the second-highest energy burden in the United States, with 50% of the city’s residents spending 9.8% of their income on energy and 25% of residents who pay more than 18.9% of their earnings.

Wildfires

• As of Wednesday, there are currently 67 large active wildfires that have burned 3,161,998 acres across CA, CO, ID, MN, MT, NV, WA, OR, UT, WA and WY. This year to date, 45,407 wildfires have burned 5,988,174 acres across the country.

• From June through August 2021, California’s wildfires emitted twice as much carbon dioxide compared to the same period last year and far more than any summer in the previous 2 decades.

• Researchers in Oregon are examining if and how wildfire smoke makes cows produce less milk.

• In California, 9 fires have burned 1,893,193 as of Wednesday.

  • As of Tuesday afternoon, 2,662 people across 4 counties in California had been evacuated due to wildfires.

  • The Caldor Fire burned 219,578 acres and was 76% contained as of Wednesday.

  • The Dixie Fire burned 963,276 acres and was 94% contained as of Wednesday.

    • The US Forest Service has deployed experts to assess the areas scarred by the Dixie Fire to assess the damage.

  • The KNP Complex Fire burned 26,611 acres and was 0% contained as of Wednesday.

    • An air quality alert was issued for the Central Valley region, California due to smoke from the fire.

    • Kings Canyon National Park closed on Tuesday due to the fire.

    • Sequoia National Park closed last week and areas of the Sequoia National Forest are closed for the rest of the year.

• In Colorado, 1 fire has burned a total of 3,792 acres as of Wednesday.

• In Idaho, 21 fires have burned a total of 252,649 acres as of Wednesday.

• In Minnesota, 1 fire has burned a total of 26,797 acres as of Wednesday.

• In Montana, 12 fires have burned a total of 275,186 acres as of Wednesday.

• In Nevada, 2 fires have burned a total of 89,637 acres as of Wednesday.

• In Oregon, 7 fires have burned a total of 294,166 acres as of Wednesday.

• In Texas, 1 fire has burned a total of 950 acres as of Wednesday.

• In Utah, 1 fire has burned a total of 1,466 acres as of Wednesday.

• In Washington, 7 fires have burned a total of 307,103 acres as of Wednesday.

• In Wyoming, 4 fires have burned a total of 16,270 acres as of Wednesday.

Hurricanes

• As of Wednesday morning, Tropical Storm Peter was measuring winds of 35 MPH and was located over 200 miles north of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

  • Peter is forecast to continue moving north in the Atlantic as it dies out over water.

• As of Wednesday morning, Tropical Storm Rose was located about 1000 miles west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands with winds of 35 MPH.

  • Rose has been moving northwest and is expected to move northwest before it dies over the Atlantic Ocean.

• Power loss after Hurricane Ida has meant one family has experienced 3 weeks without air conditioning in the Louisiana heat.

  • The family’s home was flooded by the storm which also caused 6 trees to fall on their property, resulting in removal estimates totaling over $15,000 per tree.

• The Bayou Gauche area of St. Charles Parish in Louisiana remains without power 23 days after Hurricane Ida.

  • One resident said that his home had sheetrock damage and that both his home and houseboat had water damage.

  • An estimated 70% of homes in the St. Charles Parish have been damaged by Ida.

• Hurricane Ida has continued to impact farmers who are now facing shortages of crop chemicals and the weed killer, glyphosate, as Bayer’s glyphosate manufacturing plant in Louisiana continues to remain closed after the storm.

• Hurricane Ida has caused a loss of 30 million barrels, resulting in the first decline in global oil supply in 5 months.

  • As of Wednesday, 36 production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, or 6.43% of the 560 manned platforms still remain unstaffed after Ida’s evacuations.

Climate Studies