Climate Impact Report – 7/31

July 31, 2024

Key Facts Of The Day 7/31

On Tuesday, a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event brought another wave of violent floods that caved in roads, crushed vehicles, pushed homes off their foundations, and led to dramatic boat rescues in northeastern Vermont.
- Nearly 8 inches of rain fell in St. Johnsbury in just 6 hours, an amount considered a 1-in-1,000-year event – one so extreme it usually only happens once every thousand years in normal conditions.
- 8.41 inches fell in St. Johnsbury, one of the highest calendar day totals in state history.
- This flood came nearly three weeks after flooding from Hurricane Beryl.
Extreme rainfall is becoming more common as fossil fuel pollution pushes temperatures higher and bolsters the atmosphere’s ability to store more water vapor.

As of Wednesday, 95 large active wildfires have burned 1,990,029 acres across AK, AZ, CA, CO, FL, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, and WY. This year to date, 28,154 wildfires have burned 4,449,282 acres across the country.
In Arizona, 6 fires have burned 43,674 acres as of Wednesday.
In California, 12 fires have burned 510,568 acres as of Wednesday.
- As of Wednesday, the Park Fire has burned 389,791 acres and is 18% contained.
In Colorado, 1 fire has burned 3,575 acres as of Wednesday.
- About 600 homes were evacuated in southwestern Jefferson County after a wildfire ignited Tuesday night in Deer Creek Canyon.
In Nevada, 1 fire has burned 15,238 acres as of Wednesday.
In New Mexico, 2 fires have burned 7,337 acres as of Wednesday.
In Oregon, 35 fires have burned 1,168,786 acres as of Wednesday.
In Washington, 8 fires have burned 147,030 acres as of Wednesday.

An analysis found that the “heat dome” causing scorching temperatures across western Europe and North Africa and boiling athletes and spectators at the Olympic Games in Paris would have been impossible without human-caused global heating.
On Tuesday, more than 45 million people in parts of 18 states are under heat advisories.
On Tuesday, an additional 16 million or so in the Midwest and Mississippi River Valley are under an excessive heat warning for even higher temperatures.
The National Weather Service forecasts at least moderate to major HeatRisk levels for most of the country over the next week.