Climate Impact Report – 6/27

June 27, 2024

Key Facts Of The Day 6/27

Massive flooding is now impacting nearly half of Minnesota.
- St. Paul officials declared a state of emergency on Wednesday as it braces for the brunt of flooding from the Mississippi River, which is expected to rise another few feet by this weekend.
As of Thursday morning, more than 20 river gauges across the Upper Midwest had hit major flood stage, and more rain is expected in flood-soaked areas.
Water levels on the Minnesota, Mississippi, and Missouri rivers are expected to see their highest levels in at least a decade.
Many Midwesterners do not have flood insurance that would help them cover the damage from recent flooding events.
- Across the flooded states of Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota, the government has only issued about 26,500 flood insurance policies combined.
The National Hurricane Center is tracking two tropical waves in the Atlantic Ocean, one of which has the potential to become the season’s next named storm.

As of Wednesday, 42 large active wildfires have burned 184,464 acres across AK, AZ, CA, CO, FL, MT, NM, NC, OR, UT, WA, and WY. This year to date, 20,457 wildfires have burned 2,243,018 acres across the country.
In Alaska, 22 fires have burned 95,778 acres as of Wednesday.
In Arizona, 2 fires have burned 4,164 acres as of Wednesday.
In California, 4 fires have burned 40,733 acres as of Wednesday.
In Colorado, 1 fire has burned 495 acres as of Wednesday.
In Florida, 1 fire has burned 833 acres as of Wednesday.
In New Mexico, 3 fires have burned 28,007 acres as of Wednesday.
In North Carolina, 1 fire has burned 545 acres as of Wednesday.
In Oregon, 3 fires have burned 2,414 acres as of Wednesday.
In Utah, 1 fire has burned 2,417 acres as of Wednesday.
In Washington, 2 fires have burned 7,688 acres as of Wednesday.

On Wednesday, heat alerts covered parts of 16 states, largely in central and southern parts of the U.S.
A new analysis found that more than a third of people in the U.S. live in a county with summers 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit hotter, or more than they were on average in 1895.
- The analysis also found that about 12 million people live in places that have heated up to 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit or more over summer since the 19th century.