Climate Impact Report – 1/9

Key Facts Of The Day 1/9

Storms And Flooding

• Winter Storm Cora will bring snow and ice over a large swath of the South from Texas to Virginia through Friday night.
• As of Thursday morning, Winter Storm Cora was producing a mixture of snow, sleet, and freezing rain.
• Various winter weather alerts, including winter storm watches, warnings, and advisories, are active in Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, and Raleigh.
• Winter storm warnings are active in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi, and winter storm watches extend to North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia.
• Winter weather advisories have been issued in New Mexico, across most of Texas and Oklahoma, and in parts of Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Iowa, West Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
• Freeze warnings are active in parts of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.
• This week, 6,689 U.S. flights were canceled, and another 30,083 were delayed due to winter weather conditions.

Wildfires

• In California, 5 fires have burned 29,080 acres as of Thursday.
  • As of Thursday, the Palisades Fire has burned 17,234 acres and is 0% contained.
    • The Palisades fire is the most destructive ever to hit Los Angeles County.
  • As of Thursday, the Eaton Fire has burned 10,600 acres and is 0% contained. 
  • As of Thursday, the Hurst Fire has burned 855 acres and is 0% contained.
  • As of Thursday, the Lidia Fire has burned 348 acres and is 40% contained. 
  • As of Thursday, the Sunset Fire has burned 43 acres and is 0% contained. 
  • In California, about 130,000 people are under evacuation orders or warnings.
    • As people attempted to evacuate, roadways became impassable and people started to abandon their vehicles and set out on foot.
  • At least five people have died in the California wildfires. 
  • As of Thursday morning, more than 420,000 customers were without power in California.
  • As of Thursday morning, nearly 2,000 homes, businesses, and other structures have been destroyed in the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire.
  • On Thursday, Los Angeles County residents will continue to face hazardous conditions today, as polluted air and unsafe water pose a threat in several areas.
  • On Thursday, 16 school districts in the Los Angeles County will be closed.
    •  In the Palisades, two schools have burned to the ground.
  • As of Thursday morning, a relaxation in the Santa Ana winds allowed fire crews to dump water from the air. However, intense winds are expected throughout Thursday in Los Angeles, threatening efforts to contain the raging blazes in several regions.

Extreme Heat

• The current California wildfires are the result of an unprecedented combination of factors at this time of year – the worst high wind event in Southern California since 2011, and some of the driest conditions on record for early January.
  • As of Wednesday,  59.1% of California is impacted by drought conditions.