Facts Of The Day 9/30

Extreme Heat

• As of Wednesday afternoon, Sarasota County, Florida faces elevated levels of red tide at 14 local beaches.

• As climate change drives temperatures higher, toxic blue-green algae have been found in Lake Superior waters for the first time.

•  On Tuesday, Dickinson, North Dakota reached a record temperature for September 28 at 100 degrees.

• The ongoing drought in California may be causing sidewalks and walkways in San Francisco neighborhoods, Mission Bay and China Basin, to sink.

• As temperatures increased in the state, Northern California developed 4 new power plants in an effort to avoid rolling blackouts.

• Farmers in Robbins, California slashed rice planting by 20% in the spring due to water shortages.

• Wildfires, extreme heatwaves, drought, spring frost, and heavy precipitation negatively impact the taste, quality, and production of wine.

• A combination of climate change and worker shortages is leading to lighter apple crops and causing prices to rise at apple orchards and cider mills.

Wildfires

• As of Thursday, there are currently 60 large active wildfires that have burned 3,033,843 acres across CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, OK, OR, WA, and WY. This year to date, 46,091 wildfires have burned 5,907,288 acres across the country.

• Because of the smoke taint from wildfires in the West, brewers are limiting harvesting and having to throw out hop crops which flavor beer.

• California utility provider PG&E’s measure to prevent wildfires by raising the sensitivity level of power lines in fire prone areas has caused 329 unplanned power outages.

• The U.S. Forest Service has lost 38% of its non-fire workforce in the last 20 years, making it more difficult to manage forest fires

  • The agency has also spent more consecutive days this summer at the agency’s highest level of preparedness for wildfires than in any previous year.

• In California, 10 fires have burned 1,993,416 acres as of Thursday.

  • The Caldor Fire burned 221,775 acres and was 83% contained as of Thursday.

  • The Dixie Fire burned 963,309 acres and was 94% contained as of Thursday.

  • The Fawn Fire burned 8,578 acres and was 85% contained as of Thursday.

  • The KNP Complex Fire burned 48,901 acres and was 11% contained as of Thursday.

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

• In Idaho, 19 fires have burned a total of 249,502 acres as of Thursday.

• In Montana, 9 fires have burned a total of  228,309 acres as of Thursday.

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

• In Oklahoma, 1 fire has burned a total of 832 acres as of Thursday.

• In Oregon, 6 fires have burned a total of 292,318 acres as of Thursday.

• In Washington, 7 fires have burned a total of 132,857 acres as of Thursday.

• In Wyoming, 4 fires have burned a total of 16,383 acres as of Thursday.

Hurricanes

• • As of Thursday morning, Hurricane Sam remains a Category 4 storm with winds measuring at 145 MPH, moving northwest at 12 MPH, and was about 775 miles southeast of Bermuda.

    • Sam is expected to continue moving northwest on Thursday, head north on Friday, and then northeast on Saturday when it will be closest to Bermuda.

    • Should Sam shift about 100 miles westward or so, the winds and rains could increase and pose a danger for Bermuda.

    • Sam is expected to remain about 500 miles away from the US mainland, but its swells could reach the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Bermuda and then impact the U.S. East Coast by the weekend, spreading from Florida to New York.

  • Tropical Storm Victor formed in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday, becoming the 20th named storm in 2021.

    • As of Thursday morning, Victor was moving west-northwest at 13 MPH and was located about 550 miles south-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands with winds of 45 MPH.

    • Victor is expected to become a hurricane by Friday.

    • Victor is forecast to move northwest and into open water, posing no threat to land.

  • Metro Detroit and the greater Midwestern region of the United States remain unprepared for major storms with flooding only expected to worsen as the climate continues to change.

    • The repeated flooding means that mold continues to grow in one man’s home, leading him to manage the mold rather than buy new appliances or replace the drywall.

    • Compounding the issue are barriers residents face include finding housing, not in areas vulnerable to flooding, the ability to sell houses in a flood-prone zone, and finding housing to accommodate pets and additional needs.

    • Aging infrastructure means tens of thousands of residents have had to cope with flooded basements or delays due to flooding on highways.

    • A survey by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments found that 20% of its 7 county stormwater systems are in poor condition.

  • Some communities in Louisiana face a recovery that will likely last for years.

    • One month after Hurricane Ida hit, the entire town of Ironton, Louisiana still does not have electricity.

    • One couple’s home, which was built 2 feet off the ground, had never flooded until Ida, with floodwater levels reaching 4 feet at its peak.

      • The couple had to wait 4 days before they could return and salvage what they could from the home.

      • Mold grew up to 4 feet along the walls before the affected sections were torn out.

  • Restoring power in the wake of Hurricane Ida has unique challenges, as some lines in Louisiana are only accessible by airboat or marsh buggy, and workers sometimes must wade through waters that are home to alligators and water moccasins.

  • Although flooding is currently more of a source of annoyance, climate change is expected to cause flooding to become increasingly worse in Virginia.

    • The sea level at Virginia Beach has risen almost a foot since 1970 and is expected to rise 3 feet by 2075.

    • Norfolk, Virginia sees $26 million in costs a year from flooding as of August 2021.

    • Norfolk is second to New Orleans, Louisiana among the largest cities in the United States at risk from seal level rise.

    • Coastal Norfolk has seen water levels rise 14 inches since 1930 and is expected to see increases of up to 4.5 feet by 2100.

    • The neighborhood of Larchmont and parts of Ghent and Riverpoint often experience standing water of 3 to 4 feet even from moderate storms.

  • One Cedar Rapids, Iowa resident wants the city to replace trees that were damaged in the August 2020 derecho to help reduce the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions.

    • Up to 65% of the city’s trees were damaged by the derecho.

Climate Studies