Climate Impact Report – 4/1

Key Facts Of The Day 4/1

Storms and Flooding

• A major storm that lashed parts of California with heavy snow and flooding rains over the Easter weekend is set to move east across the U.S., sparking a multi-day severe weather outbreak this week.
  • On Monday, parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois were most at risk from the storm.
• On Sunday, a portion of Highway 1 in Monterey County, California, remained closed after collapsing during Saturday’s storm.
  • An estimated 1,600 residents and visitors were stranded after parts of the southbound lane collapsed. 
  • At one point, the rain was coming down at a rate of 2 inches per hour.
• On Saturday, San Diego saw a new record daily rainfall, with 1.26 inches falling.

Wildfires

• As of last Friday, 10 large active wildfires have burned 22,372 acres across GA, KY, OK, VA, and WA. This year to date, 5,260 wildfires have burned 1,659,645 acres across the country.
  • In Georgia, 1 fire has burned 175 acres as of last Friday.
  • In Kentucky, 1 fire has burned 269 acres as of last Friday.
  • In Oklahoma, 1 fire has burned 180 acres as of last Friday.
  • In Virginia, 3 fires have burned 17,571 acres as of last Friday.
  • In West Virginia, 4 fires have burned 4,177 acres as of last Friday.

Extreme Heat

• A March 2024 study found that heat waves move slower, travel farther, and last longer.
• A March 2024 study found that landfills also emit methane, a powerful, planet-warming gas, on average at almost three times the rate reported to federal regulators.