Climate Impact Report – 8/14

August 14, 2024

Key Facts Of The Day 8/14

As of Wednesday morning, Tropical Storm Ernesto had sustained winds of 70 mph.
Forecasters expect Ernesto to become a hurricane later on Wednesday and a major hurricane in the next couple of days.
As of Wednesday morning, more than 300,000 customers in Puerto Rico were without power.
As of Wednesday morning, nearly 46,000 customers in the US Virgin Islands were without power.
As of Wednesday morning, more than half a foot of rain has already fallen in Puerto Rico’s islands of Culebra and Vieques.
Ernesto is expected to produce between 4 and 6 inches of rain over the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and up to 10 inches across southeastern Puerto Rico.
As of Wednesday morning, multiple flash flood warnings were in effect, including for the islands of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John and in eastern and southern portions of Puerto Rico and its islands of Vieques and Culebra.
Along Puerto Rico’s eastern coastline, storm surge could raise water levels by as much as 3 feet, and life-threatening swells and rip tides that could prove dangerous for anyone in the water.
Across Puerto Rico, public schools are closed, and nearly 80 shelters have been opened.
On Tuesday night, President Biden approved an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico.

As of Wednesday, 75 large active wildfires have burned 2,337,468 acres across AZ, CA, CO, FL, ID, MT, NV, OR, TX, WA, and WY. This year to date, 29,785 wildfires have burned 5,365,192 acres across the country.
In Arizona, 5 fires have burned 34,429 acres as of Wednesday.
In California, 8 fires have burned 526,313 acres as of Wednesday.
- As of Wednesday, the Park Fire has burned 429,263 acres and is 40% contained.
In Colorado, 2 fires have burned 16,870 acres as of Wednesday.
In Florida, 1 fire has burned 500 acres as of Wednesday.
In Idaho, 14 fires have burned 258,765 acres as of Wednesday.
In Montana, 4 fires have burned 5,078 acres as of Wednesday.
In Nevada, 2 fires have burned 4,761 acres as of Wednesday.
In Oregon, 21 fires have burned 789,050 acres as of Wednesday.
In Texas, 2 fires have burned 2,600 acres as of Wednesday.
In Washington, 8 fires have burned 122,922 acres as of Wednesday.
In Wyoming, 3 fires have burned 2,829 acres as of Wednesday.
From March 2023 through February 2024, wildfires burned 1.5 million square miles of land around the world, spewing 8.6 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

In Death Valley National Park, a man has died from extreme heat exposure – the second death to occur in that area this summer.
According to UNICEF, children today are living through many more abnormally hot days in their lifetimes than their grandparents.
Heat waves, exacerbated by the accumulation of planet-heating gases in the atmosphere, make it harder for students to learn.
So far in 2024, a record of 15 countries broke their national heat record.