Climate Impact Report – 2/7

February 7, 2024

Key Facts Of The Day 2/7

The atmospheric river storms that hit California and unleashed historic downpours that caused hundreds of landslides were expected to move out of the region after one final drenching Wednesday.
- After dumping more than a foot of rain in some areas, the storm unleashed at least 475 mudslides in the Los Angeles area.
- A pregnant woman was rescued Tuesday morning from a quickly filling storm drain in Anaheim.
- L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said at least three dozen buildings required inspection because of mudslide damage and hillside slope failures. Seven had been marked unsafe for occupancy.
As of Wednesday, parts of northern Arizona stretching southeast toward New Mexico were under a winter storm warning.
- The National Weather Service in Flagstaff said more than a foot (30 centimeters) of snow was possible in the upper elevations around the Grand Canyon by Wednesday evening.

Six months after the Maui wildfire, about 600 small businesses — half the number registered in Lahaina before the fires — are still not operational.
Amid the Chile wildfires, scientists said climate change increases heat waves and droughts, making regions more vulnerable to ignitions.

California’s recent storms will not completely alleviate drought conditions.
- Rather than filling up reservoirs or sinking slowly into the soil, the floodwaters surge across landscapes and communities before washing out to sea.
- Even as dry periods become longer and more severe, climate change is making precipitation events warmer, wetter, and more intense – making it more difficult to capture rainfall as a buffer against drought.
January 2024 is likely to set a record for the warmest January.
A February 2024 study suggested that humans have raised global temperatures by a total of about 1.7 degrees Celsius, or 3.1 Fahrenheit, not 1.2 degrees Celsius, the most commonly used value.