Climate Impact Report – 10/28

October 28, 2024

Key Facts Of The Day 10/28

On Sunday, Hurricane Kristy weakened to a post-tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph.
On Monday, the National Hurricane Center was monitoring two areas of low pressure in the Pacific Ocean.
- The center reported an area of low pressure more than 1,000 miles southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
  - According to the center, the disturbance was producing “disorganized shower activity.”
  - A tropical depression was predicted to form by the end of the week.
- The center also reported a weak area of low pressure located about 1000 miles southwest of the southwestern coast of Mexico. The area was expected to dissipate by the end of the week.
On Monday, public schools in Asheville, North Carolina, were expected to reopen after weeks of closures due to Hurricane Helene.
A recent report found that electric vehicle drivers in Florida experienced fewer wait times at public charging stations compared to gas-powered vehicle owners during Hurricane Milton.
- According to the report, EV charging stations were readily available in the days preceding Hurricane Milton, whereas about 2,000 gas stations had run out of fuel.
- EV charging stations also recovered power quickly, with more than 85% of Florida’s chargers being in service just two days after Milton made landfall.

As of Monday, 11 large active wildfires have burned 1,073,226 acres across CA, ID, MI, NJ, OK, OR, SD, UT, and WY. This year to date, 45,500 wildfires have burned 7,969,755 acres across the country.
In California, 3 fires have burned 55,405 acres as of Monday.
In Idaho, 1 fire has burned 79,260 acres as of Monday.
In Michigan, 1 fire has burned 304 acres as of Monday.
In New Jersey, 1 fire has burned 140 acres as of Monday.
In Oklahoma, 2 fires have burned 12,568 acres as of Monday.
In Oregon, 1 fire has burned 176,661 acres as of Monday.
In South Dakota, 1 fire has burned 732 acres as of Monday.
In Utah, 1 fire has burned 33,045 acres as of Monday.
In Wyoming, 2 fires have burned 188,282 acres as of Monday.

Phoenix and Maricopa County are expected to report fewer heat-related deaths this year than in 2023, potentially making 2024 the first year in a decade where these numbers have not increased.
To prevent heat-related accidents on its hiking trails, the Phoenix Parks Board expanded its Heat Safety Program and increased trail closure times.
Researchers predict that if global temperatures increase by at least four degrees Celsius by 2100, three billion people worldwide will be exposed to at least a week of extreme heat every year that meets or exceeds the human limit.
- These conditions were expected to impact several American cities, including Chicago, Houston, and Washington.
- Several hundred million people across the world could experience entire seasons of life-altering extreme heat.