Climate Impact Report – 12/4

December 4, 2024

Key Facts Of The Day 12/4

Low temperatures are plaguing the Southeast U.S., including in Asheville, North Carolina, where people still displaced by Hurricane Helene faced temperatures in the teens overnight.
As of Wednesday, a winter storm could knock out power and bring dangerous travel conditions from the Midwest to the Northeast as it delivers intense bursts of snow and strong winds.
- By Wednesday afternoon, the storm will move east and expand its wintry conditions over much of the Great Lakes and parts of the Midwest.
- By Wednesday night, the storm will reach the interior Northeast, where snow squalls will be one of the most dangerous impacts into Thursday.
  - Snow squalls can create blinding, whiteout conditions seemingly out of nowhere and are incredibly dangerous for drivers.
Later this week, the southeast U.S. will experience the lowest temperatures of the season so far.
- One batch of cold air has already settled into the Southeast, but even colder air will move to a larger part of the region later in the week.
- Late this week, temperatures are forecast to dip into the middle to lower 20s as far south and east as the northern parts of Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia, as well as the South Carolina midlands, southeastern Virginia, and much of North Carolina.

As of November 22, 5 large active wildfires have burned 141,141 acres across MA and NY. This year to date, 51,320 wildfires have burned 8,142,689 acres across the country.
In Massachusetts, 4 fires have burned 2,479 acres as of Friday.
In New York, 1 fire has burned 5,304 acres as of Friday.

The drought conditions across Ohio and other parts of the region are impacting crop yields.
The small town of Carrboro, North Carolina, is suing Duke Energy, one of the country’s largest electric utilities, over climate change.
- Carrboro alleges Duke knew about climate change for over 50 years but continued to operate coal and gas power plants that spewed greenhouse gases.
- The lawsuit also says Duke participated in campaigns to confuse the public about whether climate change was real to avoid stricter regulations.
A December 2024 study found that the Arctic could experience its first ice-free summer day by 2027.