Climate Impact Report – 10/2

October 2, 2024

Key Facts Of The Day 10/2

At least 180 people have died across six states, and officials fear the death toll could still rise following Hurricane Helene.
As of Wednesday morning, more than 1.3 million customers are without power.
Six days after Helene hit, North Carolina communities are still struggling to access necessities like food and water.
- Thousands are without power, and travel remains dangerous with hundreds of roads closed.
- Public school officials in Buncombe County say they don’t know how long it will take to get kids back in class due to lack of water in school facilities.
Following Helene, residents in parts of eastern Tennessee are being ordered to conserve as much water as possible, as at least 16 utilities in the area have issued boil water advisories.
A new tropical system could form in roughly the same location of the Gulf as Helene tracked and will bring rainy wet conditions, including areas still recovering from the hurricane.
- The rain may not be enough to cause widespread flash flooding concerns, but it could hinder ongoing cleanup efforts in affected areas like Tampa, where Helene brought a record storm surge last week.

As of Tuesday, 29 large active wildfires have burned 1,612,223 acres across AZ, CA, CO, ID, OR, SD, UT, WA, and WY. This year, to date, 38,853 wildfires have burned 7,939,18 acres across the country.
In Arizona, 3 fires have burned 17,293 acres as of Tuesday.
In California, 3 fires have burned 121,586 acres as of Tuesday.
In Oregon, 9 fires have burned 264,461 acres as of Tuesday.
In Washington, 1 fire has burned 1,738 acres as of Tuesday.

Wednesday will bring another scorching day across the Bay Area, California, with near-record temperatures expected.
A prolonged heatwave returns to Southern California, with temperatures in the 90s and some areas experiencing triple-digit heat this week.
- Many cooling centers are scheduled to be open Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. in Los Angeles.
On Tuesday, Phoenix kicked off October with an unprecedented heat wave as temperatures soared to a scorching 110 degrees, shattering the previous record of 107 set in 2020.