Climate Impact Report – 8/15

August 15, 2024

Key Facts Of The Day 8/15

As of Thursday morning, Hurricane Ernesto was located 605 miles south, southwest of Bermuda, moving at a rate of about 13 mph, with maximum sustained winds at 85 mph.
The National Hurricane Center and Bermuda Weather Service issued a hurricane warning for Bermuda.
The National Hurricane Center advisory said Ernesto is forecast to strengthen and could become a major hurricane by Friday.
When it passes near or over Bermuda, the storm will bring dangerous coastal conditions and between four to eight inches of rain, with locally higher amounts of up to 12 inches possible.
No deaths related to Ernesto have been reported in Puerto Rico, but there were over 730,000 customers left without electricity Wednesday, with some also losing water service.

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.
A new study found that as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of wildfires around the world, farmworkers are exposed to high levels of air pollution.
- Farmworkers face immense pressure to work in dangerous conditions.

Phoenix, Arizona, is on pace to break several heat records this summer.
- As of Wednesday, Phoenix marked the 80th straight day with a high temperature above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
So far this summer, Phoenix has seen at least 96 heat-related deaths.
On Wednesday, the Biden administration released its “national heat strategy” to coordinate a federal response to extreme heat in the years 2024 through 2030.