Climate Impact Report – 10/7

October 7, 2024

Key Facts Of The Day 10/7

Hurricanes and Tropical Storms

As of Monday morning, Hurricane Milton was a category 4 hurricane located about 720 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida, with sustained winds of 155 mph.
On Monday morning, the National Hurricane Center issued a warning that Milton was forecasted to become a Category 5 hurricane.
Milton was forecasted to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday.
The eye of the storm was expected to come ashore anywhere from Cedar Key to Naples, Florida, potentially impacting Tampa or the Fort Myers area.
Milton was forecasted to bring up to 15 inches of rain to some localized areas after making landfall and storm surges along the Florida Gulf Coast of up to 12 feet.
Climate change-induced warming in the Gulf of Mexico fueled Milton, causing the storm to intensify from a tropical storm with 60 mph sustained winds on Sunday to a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 125 mph by Monday.
On Monday, officials in Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, issued mandatory evacuations for residents.
On Sunday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned that Hurricane Milton could cause a greater storm surge in the Tampa Bay area than it saw during Hurricane Helene.
On Sunday, Gov. DeSantis expanded a state of emergency to 16 counties.
As of Monday, over 76% of Florida’s counties were under a state of emergency.
More than 800 National Guard personnel had been deployed in Florida to assist with debris removal from Hurricane Helene before the arrival of Milton.
As of Monday, Hillsborough County had planned to install nearly 2,200 feet of protection systems for wastewater facilities, pump stations, and a hospital.

Wildfires

As of Monday, 27 large active wildfires have burned 1,212,359 acres across CA, ID, MT, ND, OR, UT, and WY. This year to date, 39,667 wildfires have burned 7,612,663 acres across the country.
In California, 4 fires have burned 45,106 acres as of Monday.
In Idaho, 15 fires have burned 448,227 acres as of Monday.
In Montana, 2 fires have burned 8,588 acres as of Monday.
In North Dakota, 2 fires have burned 38,434 acres as of Monday.
In Oregon, 8 fires have burned 226,411 as of Monday.
In Utah, 1 fire has burned 15,106 acres as of Monday.
In Wyoming, 2 fires have burned 127,485 acres as of Monday.

Extreme Heat

On Sunday, Phoenix hit a record daily high of 113 degrees, marking the 13th day in a row of record-breaking temperatures.
On Sunday, a heat wave caused record-breaking temperatures across the Bay Area.
- San Rafael hit the highest recorded temperature in the Bay Area at 107 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Napa County hit a record temperature of 102 degrees, breaking an over 90-year record.
- Downtown San Francisco reached 97 degrees, breaking its previous record of 94 degrees in 1992.
Both Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton experienced rapid intensification over the abnormally warm Gulf of Mexico waters. According to researchers, tropical cyclones in the Gulf of Mexico and northwestern Caribbean Sea are 50% more likely to undergo rapid intensification on average during marine heat waves.