Climate Impact Report – 5/21

Key Facts Of The Day 5/21

Storms and Flooding

• Heavy storms are now reaching the East Coast as a nor’easter heads toward New England.
  • The storm could bring wind gusts up to 50 mph and the potential for minor coastal flooding.
• On Tuesday, multiple tornadoes and intense storms hit the eastern half of the U.S.
  • Damaging storms tore through parts of 10 states – including areas already battered by this spring’s storms like Kentucky and Tennessee.
• Since last Wednesday, there have been more than 2,000 reports to the Storm Prediction Center of damaging wind gusts, hail, and tornadoes.
• The stretch of severe weather killed 19 people in Kentucky, seven in Missouri, and two in Virginia.

Wildfires

• On Tuesday, Gov. Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency as wildfires continue to burn in northeastern Minnesota.

Extreme Heat

• Utah offered loans to agricultural producers as drought lingers over the state.
• Above-normal temperatures combined with paltry precipitation levels have led to rapid snowmelts across the U.S. West — reducing water supplies for the spring and summer.
• A new study found that the world’s ice sheets are on course for runaway melting, leading to multiple feet of sea level rise.
• The world is currently on track for up to 2.9 degrees of warming by 2100.