Climate Impact Report – 10/17

October 17, 2024

Key Facts Of The Day 10/17

The National Hurricane Center was monitoring two disturbances in the Atlantic Ocean. On Thursday, the center announced that the chances of a tropical depression developing had dropped significantly to only a 20% chance of cyclone formation in the next 48 hours.
On Wednesday, the White House announced that the federal government had approved nearly $2 billion in assistance across six states to help people affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Duke Energy released a video of a solar farm damaged by a tornado spawned by Hurricane Milton. As of Thursday, more than 30,000 customers in Florida were still without power.

As of Thursday, 28 large active wildfires have burned 1,148,348 acres across CA, FL, ID, MI, MT, NV, OK, OR, UT, WY. This year to date, 42,594 wildfires have burned 7,859,370 acres across the country.
In California, 3 fires have burned 52,667 acres as of Thursday.
In Florida, 1 fire has burned 1,070 acres as of Thursday.
In Idaho, 13 fires have burned 507,670 acres as of Thursday.
In Mississippi, 2 fires have burned 990 acres as of Thursday.
In Montana, 4 fires have burned 17,038 acres as of Thursday.
In Nevada, 1 fire has burned 25,885 acres as of Thursday.
In Oklahoma, 2 fires have burned 584 acres as of Thursday.
In Oregon, 8 fires have burned 243,662 as of Thursday.
In Utah, 3 fires have burned 33,913 acres as of Thursday.
In Wyoming, 2 fires have burned 180,886 acres as of Thursday.

So far this year, Phoenix has seen an unprecedented number of days with high temperatures that reached or exceeded 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
A recent report found that fall warming has caused the first freeze of the season to be, on average, 11 days later than it was fifty years ago.
- The report found that 85% of cities surveyed have experienced late freezes.
- 57 cities, the majority of which are in the Northeast and Upper Midwest, have seen the first freezes arrive at least two weeks later.
- Researchers have found that late freezes can worsen fall allergies, causing lingering pests, and reduce summer fruit yields.
Researchers at the University of Arizona aim to address the link between increased 911 calls during heat waves and certain neighborhoods requesting emergency services more than others on days with high air pollution.