Climate Impact Report – 10/18

October 18, 2024

Key Facts Of The Day 10/18

In Pinellas County, Florida, over 40,000 homes were damaged by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
In North Carolina, Cabarrus, Cherokee, Forsyth, Graham, Iredell, Lee, Nash, Rowan, Stanly, Surry, Union, and Yadkin counties are now eligible for FEMA aid following Hurricane Helene’s impacts.
On Thursday, the National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg issued a Freeze Warning for the North Carolina mountains and northern foothills and Rabun County in northeast Georgia.
- Thousands of residents in Asheville, North Carolina, which was severely impacted by Hurricane Helene, still lacked power.
Hurricane Helene and Milton heavily impacted Florida’s agricultural fields.
Most of the damage—95% or more in Helene’s case—from Hurricanes Helene and Milton was not insured, putting victims in a deeper financial hole.
The Allstate Corporation reported its estimated catastrophe losses for September 2024, totaling $889 million. Of this, $630 million pre-tax is attributed to Hurricane Helene’s impact.

As of Friday, 27 large active wildfires have burned 1,155,869 acres across CA, FL, ID, MS, MT, OK, OR, SD, UT, and WY. This year to date, 42,698 wildfires have burned 7,865,946 acres across the country.
In California, 3 fires have burned 53,942 acres as of Friday.
In Florida, 1 fire has burned 1,070 acres as of Friday.
In Idaho, 12 fires have burned 505,390 acres as of Friday.
In Mississippi, 1 fire has burned 850 acres as of Friday.
In Montana, 6 fires have burned 18,521 acres as of Friday.
In Oklahoma, 2 fires have burned 584 acres as of Friday.
In Oregon, 8 fires have burned 243,662 as of Friday.
In Utah, 3 fires have burned 33,913 acres as of Friday.
In Wyoming, 2 fires have burned 185,365 acres as of Friday.
A new October 2024 study found that carbon emissions from forest fires have risen by 60% in the last two decades.
After months of hot and dry conditions, California is bracing for dangerous autumn fire weather from Thursday into Saturday.
- Pacific Gas & Electric plans to cut power to 20,000 customers across 24 counties in Northern and Central California. Southern California Edison said it is considering power shut-offs for up to 132,000 customers in seven counties, including Los Angeles County, from Friday morning until midday on Saturday.

Parts of Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico have been hit by an October heat wave, with temperatures 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit above average.
On Tuesday, Phoenix, Arizona, finally broke its 21-day streak of record-breaking temperatures.
As of October 12, Maricopa County confirmed 389 heat-related deaths so far this year, with 292 more under investigation.
Since 2023, 77% of all coral reef areas on the planet have experienced heat stress, which can trigger coral bleaching.