Climate Impact Report – 12/2

December 2, 2024

Key Facts Of The Day 12/2

On Sunday, more than 4 million people across five states were under winter storm alerts as heavy lake-effect snow continued to bury the Great Lakes region.
- The storm prompted emergency declarations and the deployment of National Guard troops to rescue stranded motorists.
- As of Thursday, New York has already received more than 40 inches of snow.
- On Saturday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that 11 counties, including were in a state of emergency.
- In Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro also issued a disaster emergency proclamation and deployed National Guard troops to Erie County, Pennsylvania, to rescue stranded motorists.
  - The Pennsylvania State Police responded to more than 200 traffic incidents between Friday and Saturday alone.
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season ended with 18 named storms, 11 hurricanes, and five major hurricanes.

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.
Wildfires are becoming more frequent in the eastern U.S. due to climate change impacts.
- Connecticut saw more than 200 wildfires this fall.

A November 2024 study found that football players face a very high risk of experiencing extreme heat stress at 10 of the 16 stadiums that will host the next World Cup.
Christmas tree growers could face losses from the seedlings planted this year due to the ongoing drought in Ohio.
- One Christmas tree farmer estimates roughly 25% of the trees he planted this year died off because of the drought.
November 2024 was the third-hottest November on record in San Antonio, Texas.