Climate Impact Report – 9/12

September 12, 2024

Key Facts Of The Day 9/12

Hurricane Francine

On Wednesday evening, Francine made landfall in Louisiana’s Terrebonne Parish as a Category 2 Hurricane.
On Wednesday, Francine brought six to eight inches of rain to New Orleans, triggering a rare flash flood emergency.
As of Thursday morning, Francine weakened to a tropical depression with a maximum sustained wind speed of 35 mph.
On Thursday, more than 10 million people were under flood alerts.
- Francine was expected to bring up to eight inches of rain across the region through Friday.
- On Thursday, Portions of Alabama were placed under a level three of four risk of flooding rainfall.
- On Thursday, a level two of four threat risk of flooding was issued across Arkansas, Tennessee, southwest Georgia, and the Florida Panhandle.
More than 1.5 million people in southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle were under a tornado watch until Thursday afternoon.
The storm was traveling north, bringing heavy rain, gusty winds, and potential tornadoes to southern states.
On Thursday, eight states were under wind and flood alerts.
- As of Thursday, a storm surge warning was in effect across portions of eastern Louisiana and the Mississippi coastline.
- Northern and central Alabama were most at risk for flash flooding, with rainfall of up to ten inches expected.
- Tornadoes were expected from the Florida Panhandle to north-central Alabama on Thursday.
On Thursday morning, 390,000 customers in Louisiana, 66,000 in Mississippi, and 12,000 in Alabama were without power.
On Wednesday, some AT&T and T-Mobile users in New Orleans reported difficulties reaching 911.

Wildfires

As of Thursday, 67 large active wildfires have burned 2,443,539 acres across AL, AZ, CA, ID, MT, NV, NJ, OR, WA, and WY. This year, to date, 36,511 wildfires have burned 7,034,277 acres across the country.
In Alabama, 2 fires have burned 990 acres as of Thursday.
In Arizona, 7 fires have burned 20,099 acres as of Thursday.
In California, 9 fires have burned 586,530 acres as of Thursday.
- As of Thursday, the Line Fire has burned 37,207 acres and is 18% contained.
In Idaho, 21 fires have burned 427,513 acres as of Thursday.
In Montana, 14 fires have burned 33,536 as of Thursday.
In Nevada, 2 fires have burned 14,056 acres as of Thursday.
- As of Thursday, the Davis Fire in Nevada has burned 5,824 acres and was 37% contained.
In New Jersey, 1 fire had burned 189 acres as of Thursday.
In Oregon, 22 fires have burned 368,047 acres as of Thursday.
- As of Thursday, the Shoe Fly Fire has burned 26,774 acres and was 53% contained.
In Washington, 6 fires have burned 55,870 acres as of Thursday.
In Wyoming, 4 fires have burned 226,882 acres as of Thursday.

Extreme Heat

Wildfire outbreaks in California and Nevada have been attributed to a recent pattern of wet winters and record hot, dry summers. As climate change worsens, these fast-growing wildfires are expected to become more frequent and more severe.
A new report found that fertility rates for women fell roughly nine months after extremely hot days, further supporting previous research that extreme heat negatively impacts birth rates.
Arizona state and city officials were expected to host a roundtable on Thursday to discuss the state’s extreme heat crisis. This comes after Phoenix hit a record-breaking 61 days of temperatures at 110 degrees Fahrenheit or higher on Tuesday.